[Oct 12] Day 1 - SF to Mountain View - Bicycling SF to LA on the Pacific Coast

October 12, 2023

[Oct 12] Day 1 - SF to Mountain View

Woke up at 6 am and rolled out the door at 7 am. I wanted to get a photo at the Golden Gate Bridge so biked up north which added an extra 15 miles roundtrip.

An older lady was biking next to me and asked if I had done an Adventure Cycling Association tour. She must’ve seen the safety triangle with the ACA logo on the back of my bike. I told her I did the TransAmerica Trail. She said she did too, but she rode it in 1984. Must’ve been a much different experience doing it without cell phones or internet.

Passed by Oracle Park (SF Giants baseball stadium), Chase Center (Golden State Warriors basketball stadium), and UCSF campus (University of California SF). In SF I hit a big pothole which did some damage to my bike. My chain came off the jockey wheel on my rear derailleur which caused the derailleur to get sucked into my wheel since I was pedaling. Also my rear rack slipped off the supports and rotated back away from me.

Luckily since I had biked to/from the Golden Gate Bridge, I was actually right next to my place so just went home to fix these. Threw on some zip ties and duct tape to keep the rack more secure and bent the derailleur back. It’s still a bit bent so I can’t use my easiest gear but otherwise it’s quite rideable. Since I was at home, I also decided to drop off my thick jacket and swim shorts as they didn’t seem likely to be useful.

Typically the route goes along the Pacific Coast from SF through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. I’ll be biking with my buddy Nikhil who is starting from Mountain View, so I took an inland route today.

Figured I’d stop by my office in Foster City for lunch since it’s on the way (and air conditioning, WiFi, etc). Had some rock cod, Thai noodles, salad and chatted with some coworkers. Rode on the brand new Bay Trail that just opened last weekend after years of construction.

Arrived in Mountain View around 3 pm. It was warm but not too hot. Made some tweaks to my bike since I haven’t actually ridden this bike in months (and haven’t ridden it loaded with bag weight in ~2 years). Had Thai for dinner downtown with Nikhil and our buddy Mahanth.

Overall difficulty today: 3.5/5. I recently quit caffeine completely, so might’ve been a little easier if I had some.

Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 60 miles (97 km)

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Karen PoretCongratulations on making it this far despite the hiccups at the beginning! Thank you for this poignant photo of Pac Bell Park at a time when we can root for two teams from Texas (!) Dusty or Bochy!
Hopefully no more big potholes for you to encounter…
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1 year ago

Mark BinghamLooking forward to following along!
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1 year ago

Kathleen JonesWhat part of the Bay Trail just opened? Is it in Foster City? I’ve done about 70% of the trail, and always looking to add to it.

You should have a great ride.
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1 year ago

Andrew LamTo Kathleen JonesYes Foster City. The section just north of the Hayward bridge just opened October 7th. The section south of the bridge opened back in July.

https://fostercitylevee.org/

Thank you!
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1 year ago

George (Buddy) HallQuitting caffeine is no fun! I quit drinking coffee 6 weeks ago, but hopefully it's only for a few more months. Life is too short to be totally caffeine free (ditto with alcohol). Best of luck, anxious to read the rest of the journal.
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1 year ago