El Sobrante Loop--27 Miles of Pain!

This "loop" is a ride I (Eric) imagined a few months ago. Since the time it first appeared in my mind I have attempted it four times and accomplished it three. The one acception was the result of failed courage in the face of a looming storm. Since I left my ark in my other pants, Sully and I decided it was best to avoid this cataract and its hurricane force winds (only a slight exaggeration) and therefore save our skins. With the winds picking up, the horizontal angle of the rain, and the top of El Sobrante enshrouded in a murky mist, it was good we turned around when we did. Kennedy Road is fun even when soaked!

So what is this ride--this loop of pain and struggle? Here is the path starting from my house:

Phase 1: From Blossom Hill and Camden ride down Camden to Hicks, Hicks to SHannon, Shannon to Kennedy. It is about 4 miles to the Kennedy Road trailhead.

Phase 2: Take the Kennedy Road fireroad all the way to the top--about 4 miles. This can get rather lonely if you go by yourself. MP3 players are a comforting friend on this interminable climb. Go past the Priest Rock trail and keep going up Kennedy all the way to the next intersection. This is about 1.5 miles of tedium--fast and short downhill runs leading to even steeper and longer uphills. At the fork in the road take a left onto the Woods Trail. About another 1/2 mile and you will reach the crest of the mountain. This is El Sobrante peak. The elevation is about 3,000 feet. The views are great too but obstructed by the vegetation. This is directly under those power line towers you can see any time you look towards the mountains in south San Jose.

Phase 3: Reward! This is a long winding downhill road. Take this all the way to the Hicks trailhead. Most of it is very fast but some sections are steep with a lot of sketchy loose gravel and some larger stones. Beware of equestrians! We dealt with a flat during this phase. Sully's 7-year-old tube finally went out on him with a bang--a six-inch tear right down the center.

Phase 4: Go straight across Hicks and into Quicksilver Park. You will hook back up with the Woods Trail immediately. Climb up to the old mining ruins at the top of Woods Trail. From here you can take any number of routes. Sully and I went straight down to the Mockingbird entrance.

Phase 5: By this time we had gone 20 miles and were dead tired. We took what I thought to be the shortest and safest route back to my house near Meridian and Blossom Hill. One thing is certain: road riding sucks!

Final stats:
27 miles
4,000' total altitude gain (a guess)
3.5 hours riding time
10 frozen toes
1 sore back
1 sore hamstring
2 satisfied souls

Altogether, it was a great ride. The temp was frigid--below 40 a lot of the time. There was frost everywhere and we rode over a 20 foot long sheet of ice in one place on Kennedy.

Many people have accomplished more difficult rides. But the noteworthy thing here is that we imagined it and then made it happen for ourselves. To picture a route in your mind and then to ride it in the flesh is a satisfying thing. Cycling is just as much mental as it is physical--and not just mental, but also poetic.