Euclid + Grizzly Peak Road + S. Park + Wildcat + Wildcat (again) + Spruce

After a profoundly delicious and body-fueling breakfast on Saturday, I started out on a bike ride that would take me up through the Berkeley hills, loop around the east edge of campus, take me up to the south end of Tilden Park, go through the middle of it, and come down through to Berkeley hills again to deposit me back at home. Little did I know this quick, easy-to-intermediate, 12 mile jaunt was going to turn into an almost 21 mile, getting lost out near San Pablo Dam Road, legs turn to jelly uphill battle. But in a fun way!

Map for reference.

I left nervously, cellphone, camera, and carefully (or so I thought) written directions in my fleece pullover pockets, nervous about riding in my running shoes but too impatient to bother with learning to use my new cycling shoes (YET!), water in my Sports Basement bottle (complete with "Go Vegan or Die" sticker now slapped on it). But as I road down Milvia and then Virginia, both familiar parts of my commute, worry slipped away and I shifted into an easier gear as the climb grew steeper.

And steeper.

And STEEPER. Fuck. ME. Once I turned and started huffing and puffing up Euclid, I looked down repeatedly to check and make sure I was in the easiest possible gear. That was the only time I've regretted having a double instead of a triple crankset; I also regretted not taking the time to set up my cycling shoes and learn to use them; I could definitely see how having your feet firmly connected to the pedals AND having the upstroke of your leg pulling while the other pushes, would be way more efficient. I would regret this later, too, but for different reasons.

I had to stop once the road got a little flatter to catch my breath, and the view was gorgeous:



That's the Golden Gate way off in the distance there, straddling the peninsulas.

This picture gives a better perspective on how far up I was (and that was by no means the highest point).



I only took a few pictures at a few points. I wish I'd taken more, but the view was just so gorgeous that I felt like my camera couldn't contain half of how beautiful and wide and majestic it was, or how exhilarated I felt.

Once I got onto Grizzly Peak Road the route flattened (slightly) and I moved along at a faster pace, but stopped more frequently to check out the view to my right. As I went up, the houses and cars got more luxurious (read: expensive), but honestly, you could have a lot up there with a cardboard shack and it would still have the best view in the bay and sell for one bajillion dollars.

In addition to increasingly nice property, as the neighborhoods fell behind me and I passed above the Lawrence Hall of Science and well above the Bears stadium, the tall, fragrant eucalyptus trees multiplied...as did their tree litter of leaves, bark, and nuts, making riding on the shoulder more perilous, believe it or not, that slightly into the road. Luckily most of the automobile drivers up here seemed prepared for sharing the road: going the speed limit, giving other cyclists and myself a wide berth, etc. However to the owners of the infrequent mercedes, BMWs, and Lexuses (Lexii?), y'all can get bent. The peasants don't care that you PAY for the right to careen around corners in your huge autos; I'm not slipping off the edge of the road for your convenience, however much you honk at me.

I was amused though that I get many more "hello"s and appreciative nods when I'm on my snazzy bike with tight black pants on. It's like I got into the club.

It was all worth it though, as I came around a corner to a lookout point and was treated to a gorgeous view:



That brown, circular-ish area at the treeline near the center is the stadium.

I went on, and the road grew less inclined, and I finally saw my turning point onto S. Park Road into Tilden Park, which is closed to automobiles from November to May. I was nervous as I dismounted and edge my bike around the gate with the big "ROAD CLOSED" sign on it.

'Great,' I thought, 'this is how horror movies start. There's probably a wild pack of non-vegan cannibalistic hippies in there waiting to devour me.'

Luckily, no such fate awaited me, but I was pretty terrified. S. Park is a nice long decline about a mile and a half long until it comes to another closed gate and meets up with Shasta Road and E Wildcat Road. What I was not prepared for is how fast my bike goes even in the slowest gear. I was grasping the brakes with a controlled deathgrip as I flew down the hill, snot dripping from my nose, a tear leaking out of my eye, wind shrieking around me as I passed (for now) empty picnic grounds. I'm pretty sure I was going at least 30 mph. I felt like I was in one of those dreams I have where I'm driving but going too fast and have no control. At least this time, I had control, but I damn near had a panic attack...and I want to do it all over again. The scenery was lovely, it was like descending into a cool green valley just for me. There were some equestrians (BOO) and some hikers, but for most of the way, it was just me, Lola, and the wind.

At the bottom of S. Park, I took a detour. Instead of turning left, as I should have, I turned right, and ended up almost 5 miles off course, out on San Pablo Dam Road. Some cell-phoning got me back on track, but unfortunately back-tracking most of those 5 miles was a grueling uphill climb, much of which was a 6% incline. I got to visit Inspiration Point twice, once on the misguided way down and once on the reluctant and grumbly way back, but I was rewarded with this lovely view both times:



Once I got back on track on E Wildcat Rd, it was smooth sailing, mostly flat or downhill. Exiting Tilden and going back into a residential area was kind of lame, because the road quality was AWFUL; Lola is not meant for off-roading, god damn it! This was the other point I regretted not having my cycling shoes; the bumpiness made it hard to keep my feet glued to the pedals, and as such my knees are pretty sore from not staying straight the whole time.

I turned down onto Spruce as the sun came out a little, and had to do some more death-grip braking as I made my way down the hill until Eunice St. A few quick turns and I was back at home, heaving my bike up the stairs and collapsing into a pile of jelly on the couch, where I devoured a bag of vegan German gummi bears and an orange.

Lessons learned:
(1) READ THE MAP
(2) Learn to use cycling shoes ASAP
(3) Invest in padded shorts or pants, and a pair of gloves
(4) READ THE MAP!