Tag: Group

A casual day of bike riding, picnicking, and wine tasting around the Livermore area. The initial interest in this many-times-rescheduled ride and the good weather made me think 15 people might show up… but it was a group of 31, word of mouth through three degrees of separation. Thanks for being great, everyone. Riding a few miles through Sycamore Grove Park– interesting trees on either side, bridges to ride over, and almost no cross-streets or signs of other people: ...

120+ miles, a group of 15 great people, sunny weather, lush farmland and shady redwood forests, a few exciting hills, the kindness of strangers, good beer, and an action-movie just-in-time finish… easily one of my favorites. Read on for a longer than usual writeup in story form, with photos and details… Back in December I’d floated the idea of an overnight ride up to Russian River Brewing Co during the two-weeks-a-year Pliny the Younger release. Interest blossomed, we hashed out logistics, and by the day of the ride we were a group of 15(!): people I’d done long rides with as well as new friends-of-friends, on loaded touring bikes and sporty road bikes, people who’ve ridden centuries and people who’ve rarely biked more than 40 miles… and even someone who hadn’t biked more than 7 or 8 miles in a stretch (I’ll admit, I was a little worried, but he was a natural). ...

The SF -> Russian River Brewing Company overnight ride I mentioned is on! I sent email to everyone who told me they were interested with more logistics details that I won’t bore people reading this with. The quick summary: Feb 11th -> 12th (rolling out *early* Saturday from Four Barrel) A 65-70 mile route roughly like this (doing a 40+ mile practice ride beforehand if you haven’t been riding in a while is recommended – I might organize one a weekend or two before) Early lunch break along the way (probably in Fairfax) Arriving late afternoon, drinking some Pliny the Younger and other beers, being flexible if we have to wait a long time, getting food… Staying the night at the Flamingo Resort ($99/night via this web site for a room with two doubles, it’s up to you to reserve your own or pair up with someone – it’s fully refundable up until 2 days beforehand) Biking back Sunday It looks like it will be somewhere between 6 and 12 of us, including a few friends or significant others driving up (carpools might be possible)

Looking ahead– biking to Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa (about 60-70 miles each way from SF, some hills) is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. And hey– they’re serving Pliny the Younger for 14 days in early February. The plan: ride up either Saturday Feb 4th or 11th [edit: we’re doing it the 11th], early, hang out at the brewery, get a hotel/motel/airbnb for the night, and bike back the next day. With stops for lunch and so on. ...

The (first annual?) Fiets & Frites, a casual bike ride and tour of french fries around San Francisco: Starting out at Frjtz: Three orders of fries (too many!), curry ketchup, wasabi mayo: Bike rack as condiment tray… Ride maps: ...

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Today was my 4th or 5th Port Costa / Carquinez Scenic Drive ride over the past four years and it was a good one (and with no flats or infected bee stings). Seven of us met up at Pleasant Hill BART and headed out for a late afternoon casual-pace 29-mile ride and picnic. For variety, we took what looked like a side path along Alhambra– but it rapidly rose above the road and turned into a rough dirt path. ...

Met and rode for a while with a friendly group of 10 folks from Limburg (in their 50s/60s, taking a 3-day ride and staying at hostels)

A few weeks ago, I did something I’ve wanted to do for years– a bike camping trip to Point Reyes, self-supported (carrying everything, no car support). I wanted to camp in Point Reyes National Seashore itself rather than nearby in Samuel P Taylor, to be somewhere more remote that wasn’t drive-in. I picked Sky Camp (based partly on this SFgate article), managed to get two nights reserved, and we ended up with a hardy group of 11 (friends, friends of friends, riders from last year’s SF RAGBRAI contingent). ...

on the road with our luggage, on a beautiful day