rch427

Well, I had planned to attend L'Eroica, but it looks like the Italians had other ideas. By the time I found a caregiver to take care of my 90 year-old mother-in-law while I was away, the organizers closed registration by Italian-time on the 13th, rather than US time.
I have to admit that I wasn't feeling all that enthusiastic about doing the same lame Hwy. 1 short ride that I did in 2019; A-B-A rides are never very exciting, and having to share the road with cars to that degree just isn't much fun. (OTOH, I LOVED the 2018 Eroica in Paso Robles; a fantastic course!)
But I'd spent the past few weeks building-up a bike specifically for Eroica, and now I'm all dressed-up and I've got nowhere to go (as someone once sang). So I am thinking about doing a sort of circuit of SF, and am curious if anyone else is interested in coming along on Eroica-qualified bikes.

Here's what I have in mind: There would be 9 waypoints, starting with meeting at South Beach Park (just north of the Giants' stadium). From there, riding along the Embarcadero to Plaza de California (a park just east of Pier 39) and from there to the Palace of Fine Arts. Then to Fort Point, under the GG Bridge, and from there to Mountain Lake Park in the Richmond District. Then to the Legion of Honor, which might be a good place for a picnic, or at least a rest break. From the Legion to the North Windmill in GG Park, and thence to Rideout Fountain in the middle of the Concourse between the deYoung and the Cal Academy of Sciences. From there to Alamo Square, then down Valencia to Smitten Ice Cream, for a refreshing scoop (or whatever), and finally back to South Beach Park, via the Lefty O'Doul Bridge.

A thoroughly San Franciscan route, with loads of places for photo ops, and no more than 3 miles between any two waypoints, for a total of about 24 miles. From what I can recall, just about all of that route has dedicated bike lanes or sharrows, and none of it is very steep. (Please note that the blue route shown is not exact; I couldn't get GoogleMaps to accept my custom routes.)

Thoughts?

jetboy 

the 17th - what time? I might be up for it though i have ABSOLUTELY not been training for anything.

my centurion equipe should qualify. .

rch427

I wouldn't worry about whatever condition you're in; I'm 60, and it's not like I'm capable of having done either of the longer Eroica routes.

What time? I dunno; nothing too early. I'd want to be done by 6pm, so there won't be any need for lights. Maybe 11am start time? Let's see if others are interested and if so, we can come up with a consensus time. When works for you?

bikingshearer 

Sounds like fun. If I wasn't in Cambria for a ride put on by some fly-by-night operation< I'd be there. If you do it again . . . .

repechage

fortunate you do not own a prized race horse.

rch427

Thanks, bikingshearer .
And even if it turns out that I'm the only rider in this "group ride", it'll at least be a good exploratory foray in preparation for setting-up something more structured in the future. The Bay Area needs more group events for C&V riders.
I hope that L'Eroica defies everyone's expectations and turns out to be great fun (and safe).

jetboy 

I could do: how about I meet you at the Ferry building around 11? I am coming from the east bay so that is easier for me! I may have to peel off at some point as I got to meet a friend back at my place in the afternoon but we can get a path somewhat figured. i'll be on the stock equipe and it is NOT geared for hills. so i'll be having a good time and a good work out!

rch427

That would be fine with me, but just to give you a legit out, should you want/need to take it: there doesn't seem to be much interest in doing this, beyond you and I (not surprising, being at the same time as L'Eroica, such short-notice, only "advertised" here, etc.) So I'm thinking that what I'll do is a leisurely reconnoitering of the route, with frequent photo-stops, to prepare documentation for a future ride that can hopefully include at least dozens of folks, instead of just two. And full disclosure: my ride du jour will have (like all my bikes) a 3-speed hub, so no matter what you're riding, its gearing will be far more suited to climbing hills than my bike! I'm hoping to chart-out a route that will be the easiest for all, for the future ride. Also, since I am just now finishing the build-up of this bike, there's every chance that something could go mechanically wrong. I'll bring tools, but I'd hate for you to get stuck waiting for me to fix whatever's gone wrong.

If this still sounds interesting to you, you're welcome to join me at the Ferry Building (say, on the north side -- see below), at 11am. Look for the tall white guy with short gray hair . . . on a purple "Flying Gate".
If it turns out that you can't make it -- no harm, no foul. Hopefully you can make it on the "real" ride, in the future. I'll hang-out there for a bit and then continue to the next stop if we don't connect, or I don't hear from you. Either way, I hope you have a pleasant Sunday.

-Robert

jetboy 

I am in! I am a 6'+ tall dude with a silver centurion equipe. I am pretty sure there won't be more than one- the bike is more distinctive than myself.

rch427

BTW, if you need to contact me en route, feel free to text me at [ 4 1 5 ] 9 3 9 9 9 5 4

mech986 

You guys should consider making something like this a regular vintage ride, like every X (not Twitter) Saturday morning of the month. Figure out a good, maybe friendly, safe but not super challenging route, one that has a bit more space between waypoints so more riding and less stops, 24-30 miles with a nice lunch or food stop.

location can be practically anywhere - SF, San Rafael, Berkeley, South SF, Palo Alto, Etc. Just have the route set and make it a regular thing. Pattern it after the Velo Retro ride in Pasadena, Calif. get a bunch of regulars on a list like FB, GroupMe, or similar comm system.

You could redo this current ride with more notice (3-6 weeks depending on date you want it to repeat on) and I’m sure you’ll get plenty of takers. And build up another bike with more gearing so you can tackle a bit more challenge. But friendly.

Good luck!

jetboy 

Good ride! We took it easy and basically were getting oriented on waypoints. Sunday morning is a good one for me if we want to do more- like a once a month thing.

I do wonder about adding in the Golden gate bridge- lunch in Sausalito? But that adds some hills (nothing too serious) and time. Maybe we do that and truncate other parts as an alt route.

mech986 

If I was visiting to be on the ride, a lifetime highlight would be riding the Golden Gate Bridge both ways and into Sausalito. Just being up there so high over the Bay would be breathtaking and majestic, plus seeing the Bridge towering (literally!) overhead. The only issue is having dedicated bike lane, the traffic, wind, occasional weather, and being safe. If that’s satisfied, plenty of good places to stop and enjoy a leisurely break on the north end.

I know there’s some other twisty roads to the west of the north end of the GG that goes up into the hills and then go down to the old Nike missile site on the coast, but they are two lane and maybe narrow so a bit more dangerous?

jetboy 

GG has a dedicated bike lane- it's old but fully removed from traffic and has great views. Once you hit the headlands you have to make a choice - one way is for the ironmen- to the left. For the rest of us, go right and enjoy a taco in Sausalito.

Korina

Hope you had a good ride; you might get more takers if you post in the Northern California sub-forum as well.