It was a beatiful morning here in the Bay Area today and I got in one of the best climbs around, Soda Springs. The climb is 2400 feet in about 5.6 miles. According to ACTC Billy Goat list its the 7th longest climb of 145 they list and the shortest in miles at 5.6. The next one in the list is Bohlman on Orbit with 2337 feet of climbing in 4.75 miles. I consider this one of the best climbs around as their is no traffic, the views are great and the gradient is perfect. According to the Unofficial Stanford Cycling Page the climb averages 8% over the 5.3 miles. While it never felt that tough today, we were not pushing it that hard. This is one of the only climbs in the bay area that lasts for over 5 miles without any flat sections. The descent is pretty hairy and it seems to take forever to drop to the bottom. Do yourself a favor and hit this bay area sleeper when you get a chance. I only wish it was not so far away. Its kind of a pain riding on Los Gatos Creek trail to get to the base, but its definitely worth it. I plan on hitting Montevina next. The insane 11 goat day of 06 where Jason and I did Soda Springs, Wrights Station, Stetson/Skyland,Mt Bache, SJ-Soquel, Rodeo Gulch, Granite Creek, Mtn Charlie, Redwood Estates, Bear Creek, Black Road, Montevina still burns in my mind. 15,000 feet of climbing in 107 miles. It has never been done before I bet by anybody sane. I might need to do a day like this to prepare for RAO.
Comments