This being the last training weekend before the Wine Country Century, I decided to double up and do a short hilly ride on Saturday and then a longer hilly ride on Sunday. The Saturday ride was just a short jaunt up to the East Bay Hills ridgeline and down through Berkeley.. about 3000 feet of climbing in 20 miles. Sunday I decided to do a hilly version of the CFGFC loop.
The original CFGFC route was designed to be the flattest century possible in the bay area. Since I've developed better climbing legs, I've been thinking about ways to incorporate more climbing into the route. This modified route begins by climbing over the east bay hills (rather than going around them) and incorporates the challenging Palomares Road climb at around mile 60. From Castro Valley the route heads up past Lake Chabot and drops you into San Leandro, at which point you once again realize that it's impossible to avoid riding through the Oakland ghetto. Sigh.
The weather was very pleasant this weekend, with sunny skies and warm temperatues. However, once mid day hit it really started roasting out there. The climb up Palomares was a bit challenging given the heat, but surprisingly I seemed to be fairing better than some of the other cyclists on the road. Maybe all of this training is starting to pay off.
Past Lake Chabot I decided to forgo the additional climbing along the foothills and stick to the flats. Too bad the flats are through some of the worst parts of Oakland. I sped right through the last 15 miles and hopped on BART at Fruitvale station. I didn't feel great, but I could have done a few more miles if pressed. I'd say I'm ready for the century this Saturday.
Total distance: 82 miles
Total elevation gain: about 4000 feet
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