Old La Honda and Cañada, Pics from Last Week

Last week I brought my camera with me on a 35 mile ride that included a climb up Old La Honda and a stroll through Arastradero Preserve:



The map view is pretty neat too. These photos might help explain why anyone would want to spend 2-3 hours sitting on a bicycle seat :)

Today I went on pretty much the same route with an extension down to the end of Cañada and back.

The route.

It was between 60 and 70 degrees and overcast with a few sprinkles of rain until the sun burned through while I was on Cañada. I beat my previous best time up Old La Honda by about a minute, making it up in 24:36. As it has gotten cooler, it's been easier. I burn less calories per mile, and drink a lot less water. When I get home, I'm tired, but not completely wiped.

Distance: 49.3 miles
Ride time: 3:15
Speed: 15 mph avg, 31.5 mph max
Heart Rate: 142 bpm avg, 182 max
Calories burned: 2423

Old La Honda

On Sunday I took a ride through the usual Woodside / Portala Valley area. There were two novel things about the ride though. The first is that I climbed Old La Honda Rd for the first time, and the other was that I rode pretty early in the morning, leaving around 7:45 AM, instead of the usual 11 AM. Old La Honda is a beautiful shaded climb. It has a similar grade to Kings Mountain Road, though about three quarters of a mile shorter. It's a perfect climb for a shorter ride, as it spits you out on Skyline pretty near La Honda, the best way to descend back down. Overall, a nice way to get a solid climb in without being gone for 3+ hours.

The route.

Going early was kind of nice. It was between 55 and 60 most of the ride, which surprisingly didn't feel too cold, and in fact was kind of welcome after last week's insane heat. It was before the sun had burned off the morning fog, making for a beautiful view at the top of the climb where beams of sunlight were starting to peak through. I need to start bringing my camera.

I did the climb in 25:39, which, judging by some times posted by a local cycling organization, isn't particularly impressive given that I would have barely beaten the dude on the unicycle. By the way, I came across that guy last week on Cañada road and forgot to mention it, he was hauling ass! Anyways, I'm glad I found some benchmark times, I'll see how I do in the coming weeks.

Distance: 33.4 miles
Ride time: 2:13
Speed: 15.0 mph avg, 32.5 mph max
Heart Rate: 147 bpm avg, 179 max
Calories burned: 1815

O Cañada!

Last Sunday Matt and I wanted to go for a long ride, but wanted to avoid going up to Skyline to avoid the crazy holiday weekend traffic. To get the distance, we basically took the route from the week before through Woodside and Portola Valley and extended it by going all the way down Cañada (according to everyone around here, pronounced 'ken-yada') and back, and then up Page Mill and back down Moody.

The route.

I liked going down Cañada well enough, it was nice to go right past the Crystal Springs reservoir I usually go by in my car on the way to Half Moon Bay. Plus, on Sunday's the park service closes down a stretch of it from cars.


Too Hot For Hills

It was a really hot day, in the high 90s and low 100s. For some reason, I was feeling pretty good though about 35 miles, which is why when we reached the Arastradaro and Page Mill intersection, I agreed to go up Page Mill to Moody rather than simply heading home down Arastradaro. Bad idea. Though I think going up Page Mill then down Moody is easier than the other way around since Moody rd is so steep, it was enough to do me in on Sunday. Part of the reason 100 degrees is tolerable when cycling is I'm usually going between 15 and 20 mph, and the breeze keeps me somewhat cool. When climbing a hill at 5-6 mph, not so much. And of course that was the hottest part of the ride, topping out at 108! I didn't realize how pooped I was until I got to the top and got off my bike, at which point I felt kind of dizzy. The piss warm water in my bottles provided little comfort. I asked Matt how much he would have to be paid to try to climb up the rest of Page Mill, and he thought for a moment before uttering, "a million dollars."

Luckily, it was mostly down hill from there to get home, and after 20 minutes with a bag of frozen peas under my neck laying in front of the air conditioner, I was feeling OK. I'll have to remember though not to do any sort of climbing when it's 100 out.

Distance: 51.1 miles
Ride time: 3:20
Wall time: 4:00
Speed: 15.2 mph avg, 35.4 mph max
Heart Rate: 148 bpm avg, 187 max
Calories burned: 2629

woodside / portola valley / arastradero loop

I'm planning on going for a ride tomorrow and remembered I hadn't even logged the ride from last Sunday.

the route

Though this loop doesn't have any steep climbs, I noticed the stretch up Sand Hill and on Portola road to Alpine were both tough nonetheless.

Distance: 29 miles
Ride time: 1:47
Speed: 16.2 mph avg, 34.7 mph max
Heart Rate: 141 bpm avg, 172 max
Calories burned: 1310

Moody Again

Friday after work I did the ol' Moody Road loop again, with Wanli this time. The climb took me 14:50 this time, 10 seconds slower than the last. Wanli was waiting for me patiently at the top :) He rides to work 30 miles each way 3 times a week (including Friday; joining me was apparently a fun little detour for him on his way back to San Mateo), so I don't think I'll be keeping up with him any time soon.

The stats:

Distance: 24.3 miles
Ride time: 1:29
Speed: 16.3 mph avg, 35 mph max
Heart Rate: 141 bpm avg, 180 max
Calories burned: 1188

Moody revisited

I was on vacation last week, and did the same Moody Road loop as I have before just before leaving.

I didn't bother jotting down all the stats, but I do remember I did the climb in 14:40, a modest improvement over the previous 16 minutes.

West Side of Old La Honda

Yesterday I rode with friends Matt and Wanli on a beautiful loop that started up Kings Mountain Road, continued down La Honda on to the west side of Old La Honda road, which we climbed back up to Skyline. As I rode to meet up with them in Woodside, I was getting nervous about climbing Kings Mountain, remembering how exhausted I was the last time I did it. However, once we started going up, I was struck by how much easier it was this time. It wasn't actually easy, but my heart rate was under control (under 170 most of the way up), and I completed it in 32 minutes, about 5 full minutes faster that a few weeks back. I think Page Mill was good preparation. Kings Mountain road is a steady challenging climb, but has only a few very steep parts, and is mostly in the shade. Page Mill has probably ten or more standing-up-while-in-the-granny-gear inducing stretches, and leaves you mostly out to roast under the sun. Anyways, I'm excited that Kings Mountain isn't so daunting any more, it's such a beautiful way to get up to Skyline.

The route.

Going up the west side of Old La Honda was awesome. It's a narrow winding road with barely any traffic that leads through redwood forests and opens up now and then to give views down towards the ocean (though some fog prevented me from seeing all the way). When we got back up to Skyline, I was still feeling good. However, by the time we descended Portola Road and got to Alpine, I was getting damn tired, and knew it was time to head home (still about 10 miles left at that point). Matt and Wanli hadn't had enough, so they split off and climbed Alpine to where it dead ends for fun, talk about maniacs! Anyways, by the time I was almost home, my odometer was at 49.5 miles, and I was determined to make it to 50, and circled the block.

The Stats:

Distance: 50.1 miles
Ride time: 3:26
Wall time: 4:15
Speed: 14.5 mph avg, 36.3 mph max
Heart Rate: 151 bpm avg, 185 max
Calories burned: 3044