Today I rode my bike from San Bruno to Santa Cruz and it was a pretty cool ride so I want to do a blog post in case anyone wants to replicate it. I'm a pretty novice rider and this route proved to be a good way to challenge myself without getting too crazy. I brought along two water bottles, some edamame and a protein bar and that proved to be just fine.The route I took was about 70 miles total, starting from Bayhill Shopping Center in San Bruno and heading up San Bruno Ave. I started at 7:30am and right out of the gates I fell off my bike at a stoplight on an uphill because I didn't clip-out in time. Classic rookie mistake! Right at the top of San Bruno Ave I hit the San Andreas trail, which is a part of the Crystal Springs Regional Trails. The trail is paved and totally awesome! For about six to seven miles I was on the Crystal Springs Regional Trails, which are all paved and really beautiful along the reservoir. There are a few spots where you have to go back on the road for a little bit but they are clearly marked with signs so it's easy.
I left the trails at Crystal Springs Road and due to bridge construction took a detour up Bunker Hill Road to get to the 35. Bunker Hill road was the only point on the ride I put my bike in granny gear - it was hella steep! From there the 35 took me right to the 92. I was pretty nervous that the 92 was going to be gnarly, but I was pleasantly surprised. The uphill to the summit wasn't too steep and when I got to the top, it turned out there was a huge shoulder and smooth and fairly straight road going down to Half Moon Bay. As it was pretty foggy with wind chill at points, I did wish I had along gloves or a bit more gear - next time!
In Half Moon Bay I got on Highway 1 which took me all the way to Santa Cruz. The beginning of the 1 there was a fair bit of up and down and it took awhile to get to the ocean. Once I got to Pigeon Point Lighthouse the ride got way more awesome. Not sure if it was due to the time or place, but right then, around 11:15 the fog finally cleared and the final thirty miles of the ride were all sunny and beautiful along the coast. There was a good sized shoulder and smooth road the whole way - totally awesome. I'm not much for stopping to smell the roses, more get err done type of cyclist, but I did pass by a lot of State Beaches, fruit stands, and ranches. Typically awesome highway 1 views, I'll add a few more pictures below.
I got into Santa Cruz around 1pm so all in all the ride took me about 5.5 hours total cycling time. I turned off the 1 at Western Drive to head up towards campus. I met up with my sister who is a UCSC student, and a friend who was cool enough to drive down to give me a ride back up towards San Bruno. We headed to burger were grubbing hard on some burgers, sweet potato fries, and milk shakes. Awesome!
PS. I did this ride for fun, and because I'm training for a triathlon with Team Challenge. To learn more and donate (please donate!), check out this link.
