San Francisco Newbie

One option would be to check out the AIDS Ride (SF to LA). The ride organizers have lot's of pre-ride training and you're sure to find groups that ride/train together for other events.

If you jump over the Golden Gate bridge (use the west side, the east side is filled with tourists and foot traffic), then turn west on Conzelman, you'll meet a lot of riders training for events.

The climb up Conzelman or McCollough to Hawk Hill attracts a lot of serious riders.

The map here:
home.nps.govmap mahe.pdfOpen ↗

It's good training spot and it's got some of the best views in area.

Ken,

Did you give the Conzelman Loop a try?

The crowds on the GGB were much worse than typical on Sunday (5/25).

Weekends means crowds of novice riders on the bridge. Sunny holiday week ends bring out big crowds. I like to see people touring by bike rather than car, but a crowd of novice riders turns that part of the ride into a video game.

Very few do the loop or even the first part part (the climb up Hawk Hill). The ones that do are almost always from Europe. Its fun to talk to them; they seem to think that it's normal to jump on a bike and go touring.

A friend who regularly runs the loop (yup, she runs 18 miles a day) said that the crowds on Sunday was about the worst that she remembers.

Runners must use the east side of the bridge. That makes it a lot safer for everyone, but it's got to be a major PITA for the runners. They've got to pick their way through crowds of visiting tourists both on foot and on bikes (bikes can use either the east or the west side).

If you like wild life. stop at the south tower and look down to the bottom of the tower. If you see birds fishing then you'll likely see harbor seals and sea lions. If you stop at the north tower you have a fair chance of seeing harbor seals. Some times we see pods of dolphins at the north tower (or just slightly south of that).

Its rare to see a whale from the bridge. It's been almost a decade since I saw one swim directly under me when I was on the bridge. It takes a moment to get a sense of the scale of the thing. The deck of the bridge is 200 feet above the water, suddenly you figure out that a creature the size of a city bus just went swimming by.

Week ends are pretty busy on the first half of the loop. But if you're riding the loop at quiet time, keep an eye open for bob cats - particularly down by the stables. They're shy but they do sometimes wonder out onto the road or lay out in the sun. The DirtDevils frequently see them on the trails.

If you're really lucky you'll see a mountain lion. They're very shy and farily uncommon. I haven't seen one for almost a year.

GP,
Thanks for the info. and the reply. I thought I would get a lot more responses, but I guess everyone is out riding. I haven't tried that route, but it does look fun. My wife and I drove it in the care a while back. I did get out, but just along the marina area. The path from Fort Mason to the fort below the bridge. We were going to climb up the hill and cross he bridge but my wife had enough. She isn't into riding like I am, and it was our first time out for the season. If you think of any other routes or groups, I would appreciate it.

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the reply.

I can understand that your wife might feel a bit intimidated by the Headlands. I expect that many people probably feel that way at first. Now days it feels like our backyard but at first it seemed like a big deal.

mapmyride.com may have some rides that will work...> mapmyride.comsearchOpen ↗

Maybe a quick ride down from Twin Peaks, through the GG Park, then north on the bile lane along Arguello into the Presideo would be a good fit. Once you get into the Presideo you can follow a more-or-less level path along Washington out to the Fort Scott and the GG Bridge.

From Fort Scott, you can head west on Lincoln, drop down to Baker Beach (great views of the GG Bridge), roll out of the Presideo on Lincoln, turn left on 25th, turn left on Lake, and ride back to Arguello.

If you wanted to add a small climb, don't turn left on 25th. Lincoln changes its name to El Camino del Mar. Follow that for a few blocks. Its a teriffic neighborhood called Sea Cliff. Wave to Robin Williams when you dogleg left. He's got the cool house on the right at the corner with the flag pole -- and about 30 bikes in his collection.

Follow El Camino del Mar up the hill through the golf course. The views are amazing. At the top of the hill is the Legion of Honor. It's my favorite museum in SF.

Take the road on the north side of the museum that looks like parking. It leads down to a very short path that connects to the VA hospital. Walk your bikes up the path and then ride the back parking lot along the cliff. The views are a well kept secret. At the West end of the lot look for the paved path, it drops you down through the pine trees to Point Lobos -- another little gem.

Now your're almost at the Lands End.

Turn south on Point Lobos and you'll be at the major cross street that takes you to Lands End. Check out the park on the other side of the street.

After you check out the park (and the park at Lands End) you can ride down the hill to Ocean Beach.

At Ocean Beach your're 1/2 a mile from the bottom of Golden Gate Park. You can ride back home through the park, or you can ride out along the mixed use path that runs along the beach. That trail takes you back to Lake Merced (and the Zoo).

On a bad day the wind along Ocean Beach can be a killer on a good day it's a breeze.

There are lots of great places to grab a bite. Check out the Beach Chalet

beachchalet.combeachchalet.comOpen ↗

PS, there are nice paths along the cliff that lead from Point Lobos back east to Sea Cliff. Those paths are mixed use but they're not so good for bikes. At least that's my opinion. They make a nice walk but I wouldn't recommend them for a ride.

PPS, I just checked out some of the rides on mapmyride.com that are a lot like the one that I just described. Those are good but there's a problem. The map database that mapmyride.com is using is wrong. It shows El Camino del Mar as a street that runs all the way out to Point Lobos. It doesn't do that. Check out maps.google.com; they got it right. If you look at the satellite view you can even see that path that comes up from ECdM and hooks up with Veteran's Drive.

PPPS, If you want to toss your bikes in the car, you can head down to Canada Road on Sunday, it's closed to motor traffic during the morning,
chainreaction.comcanada road.htmOpen ↗

Mike at ChainReaction has some good sources for rides and clubs on his site.

Also, Crystal Springs is about 2 miles north of Canada Road. The ride on the mixed use trial at Crystal Springs is fine for a novice. The frist three miles will drive a more advanced rider nuts because of all the foot traffic.

If you're looking for a serious bit of climbing up through the Redwoods, check out the climbs up from the town of Woodside (at the south end of Canada Road). Kings Mountain road is a favorite with the locals. In my opinion it's a safer ride that Old La Honda. Old La Honda is great but it's harder and it's a lot more narrow.

Try climbing up Kings Mountain, shoot across Hwy 35 over to Old La Honda, descend Old La Honda and loop back to Woodside.

Personally I don't much like the traffic on Hwy 35. It's beautiful but I don't think that it's safe -- and it's not for a novice rider.