Summer fun: a 50 mile bike-ride through the East Bay hills
At the start of summer, I got a really weird obsession with the idea of biking up to Berkeley from the East Bay, a distance of almost 50 miles. When I was younger, I would bike very often, but apart from borrowing Harry's bike to get around, I hadn't biked in at least 7 years. Nonetheless, I was not deterred.
The route
The easiest way to Berkeley is nearer the coast of the Bay, where it is mostly flat, with a small climb towards the end. But in my mind, it wasn't very scenic; I wanted to get a real biking experience with hills and trees and a good view. This led me to another, harder route. The first ten miles of this route was flat biking east, with the final segment along Highway 84. From there, the route turns north through Palomares Road, starting with a 5 mile, ~1300 feet elevation gain climb. From the Palomares Road summit, it is 10 miles to 580, mostly downhill. Once you reach 580, the route then wanders north through suburbia towards Redwood Rd for something like 1.5 miles. From here, the third and most brutal segment starts, with 2500 feet of elevation gain spread across 2 climbs. The first climb takes you to an elevation of about 1000 ft over 3 miles near Lake Chabot before a long descent into Redwood Regional Park. This is followed by another climb over 5 miles to 1460 ft, which goes a bit into suburbia before peaking out near Chabot Space Center. From there, apart for some ocassional hills, a 10 mile descent to Berkeley.My first attempt
I told Harry about my ludicrous plan, and we planned to leave on an early Friday morning to avoid the heat and traffic. We met at 5:00 AM, and biked towards Palomares Rd. It's very surreal biking in the night and early morning; 84 was practically empty and the skies were very beautiful. By the time we hit Palomares Rd, I was already decently tired. I would have 40 more miles to go. The Palomares climb began, and I realized just how hard biking uphill was. I had biked small hills before at steeper grades, but they ended quickly; this was a 5 mile slog of almost uninterrupted climbing. I grew unimaginably tired just a mile in, and I had to take a long break. This I thought would suffice, but within a couple minutes of getting on the bike again, I was gassed. At this point, I realized that the full 50 miles was probably not going to happen. I had to walk my bike for a while before getting on again. Many many breaks were taken. After what felt like eternity, we approached the final ascent and climbed up. After a quick break, we began the descent. In two minutes, it made all the pain I suffered worth it. It was probably 2 miles of just continuous descent, and I'd never went so fast. From there, we slowly made our way towards Casto Valley, and then to the BART station; it was clear that I couldn't do the full bike ride. I vowed to return."I came through and I shall return"
Douglas MacArthur, after escaping to Australia from the Phillpines following the Japanese invasion during WWII , 1942
Some preparation
I took more than a week to recover and rest. I planned my return: I first started with being able to bike all of Palomares. On a hot Friday, at roughly 4 PM, I began and biked east to 84. The traffic shocked me more than the heat; I was constantly being passed by cars. In comparison, less than 5 cars passed me and Harry the first time we did Palomares. But the heat was grueling. I was quickly drenched in sweat. The only thing that helped was that I knew the trail; I knew how much more of the cliimb I had. I stopped once before the summit, but I was able to reach the peak without walking. The cool descent was very rewarding in the heat, and I made my way to Castro Valley and the BART station, far more comfortably than I had the prior time. I was very encouraged. My legs were tired, but I could still bike and function, unlike the first time. An this was in the heat, which I imagined to be a massive debuff. After a day of recovery, I decided to do the second Redwood Rd segment. This was longer and involved more climbing, but I felt undefeatible. I took BART to the Castro Valley station and left from there at roughly 8:00 AM. The first part was flat through suburbia, but I was soon hit with an unexpected steep hill. Thankfully, it wasn't too long, so I was able to push through. The descent was relaxing, and I made my way to the start of the first climb in this segment. My legs were definitely tired from Palomares, but I slowly made my way up, taking a break at the top. Unlike the other parts of this segment, this road is not surrounded by redwoods, and is not as shaded, something I did not enjoy in the heat. I was rewarded with a descent, and I was dazzled by the redwoods and ferns I saw. I had always hiked or drove through redwoods, biking through them was a unique experience. After reaching Redwood Regional Park, the climb up began. Here there was more traffic. The ascent was bad, but survivable. I emerged into suburbia, where I took a break. This was the halfway point of the last climb. The most brutal part lay ahead. It was absolutely cooked, just an unrelenting climb that seemed like would never end. I had to go down to my lowest gear and suffer my way up to the peak. At about the top, I saw goats clearing vegetation among the redwoods. This was, to me, and unusual sight, and I took a break. It turned out this was more or less the peak, and I had 10 miles of calm biking to the Rockridge BART station.The second attempt
A week later, feeling invincible, I wanted to combine the two segments. I would do Palomares, and then get as far as I could on Redwood Rd. I knew, however, that if I finished the first hill along Redwood Rd, I would want to do the second. It was a cool Sunday morning when I started biking east to Palomares, a relatively cortisol-free ride without traffic. Palomares began. I biked the entire thing without breaks, unknowingly setting my PB for the route. The climb was manageable, and I was feeling good. I stopped in Castro Valley to eat a small sandwich. That, until I reached suburbia midway through the last climb, was the only good I had the entire ride. I was actually faster on the first climb along Redwood Rd than before, and having started early in the morning, I was able to hit the redwoods before the midday heat revealed itself. The second climb began. I definitely felt weaker. Each pedal was tiring, and my legs couldn't deliver the power needed for long periods as they were able to before. I was forced to make several stops. Eventually, I reached suburbia, and I stopped to eat nuts. This was the major mistake I had made; I'd packed sufficient water, but I barely packed enough carbs. I was about to feel the price of my mistake soon. The second half of the second climb was the worst pain I'd ever experienced. I had to will myself to the top; I must have been going at a walking pace most of the time. It completely dwarfed the tiredness I felt biking up Palomres for the first time. I was completely devoid of any energy as I began my final descent towards Berkeley. Even the small elevation gain near Claremont felt impossible. By the time I reached Panda Express near campus, I felt dizzy, my hands were trembling, and I could barely order. It turns out I had bonked by forgetting to pack snacks - 60g of carbs per hour of biking - and my body was expended of energy. As I sat on a bench on campus, I felt like sleeping. After completely demolishing a bigger plate, I sat for an hour before I felt ready to bike down towards the BART station. I pushed myself to my physical limit, but I had returned.“People of the Philippines: I have returned."
Douglas MacArthur, after returning to the Phillpines following the start of the American liberation during WWII , 1944
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