Double Stinson, plus Pt. Reyes

As the Death Ride gets closer, lots of entries are starting to show up on craigslist and some of the cycling forums. Lots of people must have changed plans or are worried about their training level. In any event, today I finally scored my coveted entry to the ride and now have a new impetus for doing longer rides with lots of climbing. I'm very fired up. To celebrate, I went on a killer training ride on Saturday. I left my house in Tiburon at the very early hour of 6am and rode out to Muir Beach. From Muir I dodged death defying deer along the coast to Stinson, then up to Ridgecrest on Mt. Tam. I dropped into Mill Valley and met some friends at Endurance, then we all did the Muir-Stinson leg yet again. We followed the coast all the way up through Olema to Pt. Reyes, then an easy spin back home through the hamlets.

Stats:
Distance: 91.11 miles
Time: 5:21:01
Speed: 17.0 mph
Climbing: 9,200'

Here are a few pics from the first loop on the ride. Once I hooked up with the others, the pace picked up considerably and the camera stayed in the pocket.

Early morning on the coast just north of Muir Beach, after climbing "the hill" -- i.e., the dreaded 400' incline from Muir Beach up to Slide Ranch. This hill always hurts.

Views out towards the west shoulder of Mt. Tam. No cars at 6:30am, and a screaming curvy descent ahead!

Except for these crazed creatures that are freakin' everywhere at this hour. Deer are not as big as cars, but a lot less predictable. Anticipate!

Hmmmm, nice curves...

Looking back towards the Golden Gate. Morning foggy mist still burning off. This is an awesome stretch of coast from Muir to Stinson -- great curves, a few hills, and insane scenery. This is my favorite quick loop and can be done in under two hours from my house.

Bang a right at Stinson for a steady and steep 2200' climb up a bare hillside, then into the redwoods, then back into the sun.

Near Ridgecrest, the great city shows itself to the south. Bonus points if you can spot the top of the GG Bridge. I stitched together a few photos from this spot to create a panorama. Pretty crappy work, but you get the idea.

Looking back down at Muir Beach and Hwy 1, where I was a little while earlier.