I did the Three Bears!!

Today was a gorgeous day, and my friend and I did the Three Bears loop from her house in El Sobrante - 20 miles. I made it up mama, baby and papa bear hills without stopping (and up all the other "bear relatives" also!). That downhill after papa bear is sooooo fun (I hit my lifetime max speed so far! 37.9 - :eek: )

The only drag was a wicked headwind on San Pablo Dam Rd back to Castro Ranch - we were working hard to get 12 mph downhill!

So my repetoire of East Bay Hills is growing, and I'm looking forward to enjoying these hills in the cool weather over the next few months.

W went around clockwise, but I saw lots of people going counter-clockwise, which seems like it would be way harder... Any opinions from you any of you 3 bear experts out there? (CindySue? TomGrrrl?)

Sounds like fun! Lemme know when you plan go again.

Well - maybe next weekend! There were tons of cyclists out there...

Way to go, BZ! Sounds like that ride was perfect! Not too easy, not too hard, but jussst right! :D

today I died on the hill up to Lands End, just past Sea Cliff, after dying on the Arquello hill. I've *got* to work on hills. I *dream* of riding the Three Bears. Good for you!

today I died on the hill up to Lands End here in San Francisco, just past Sea Cliff, after dying on the Arquello hill. I've *got* to work on hills. I *dream* of riding the Three Bears. Good for you!

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Originally Posted by bikerz

We went around clockwise, but I saw lots of people going counter-clockwise, which seems like it would be way harder... Any opinions from you any of you 3 bear experts out there? (CindySue? TomGrrrl?)

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congrats on tackling the bears and on your record descent!!!!!

I've gone both ways. If you approach the three bears from San Pablo rather than from Alhambra Valley Road (I'm assuming this is what you mean by counter clockwise), you climb "pumphouse hill" (rather than descend it like you did with your record speed). I didn't think one way was much harder than the other. I guess if you are returning via Wildcat Canyon, it might be easier to do the reverse route (from San Pablo) and then coast a bit before climbing wildcat rather than tackling the three bears then being slammed soon after with wildcat.

But now you know that the Bears are easier than some of your other accomplishments - easier than the Mt. Diablo junction, easier than Pinehurst... what's a hard hill we can find for you? :)

I really like riding the Bears too, and combining them with Pinehurst or Wildcat makes a nice longer loop.

You know - I have never done the bears.

V.

Way to go Z! You picked a perfect day for it. I just missed you, rode that route yesterday....I have done it both ways and I think it's kind of a wash....I think Mama Bear going clockwise is for some reason the hardest....harder than Papa in my mind.

I was also happy to see yesterday that someone had actually cleaned up all the big trash on the route!!! The couch and lazy-boy recliner were gone. Perhaps someday us TE gals can take my pickup and do a trash pickup for all the other little crap that lines the route....particularly Alhambra Valley Road (for some reason).....

At any rate, Z, you added another notch to the o'l belt!!!

Thanks gang!

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Originally Posted by tomgrrrl

Perhaps someday us TE gals can take my pickup and do a trash pickup for all the other little crap that lines the route....particularly Alhambra Valley Road (for some reason).....

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I'd love to do that - there was a lot of glass along the road, and plenty of road kill (but nothing like that Lodi ride!).

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Originally Posted by aka_kim

what's a hard hill we can find for you?

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Ha! They're all hard! From what you all said in another post about South Park, I think we can say it would be a really tough on for me. My main accomplishment yesterday was not having to stop mid-hill - otherwise, I have a long way to go with hill-climbing - I am so unbelievable slow! :o I think agree with TG that mama bear is the worst - I just looked at my front wheel the whole way up - everytime I looked up to the top, it seemed as far away as it had been before - so depressing! And at my sloooow rate of speed (3.5 mph on that hill, I think!), it really did seem to take forever. The main thing now is to keep dropping the weight so I can go just a *little* faster up those hills!

But you all were right - hills hills hills, and everything (including the hills) gets easier!

So, I think now I can plan a tough route "out the door" from my house - through temescal and up Tunnel rd, skyline to redwood, along canyon, through orinda, onto the "Dam rd", around Alhambra and the 3 bears, up wildcat cayon ( :eek: :eek: ) then along grizzly, or back through orinda and up pinehurst ( :eek: ) , back along skyline and down snake to home. That will be a long ride, with a lot of climbing! One day!

And Shadon, take it from me, just like the TE girls hill climbing mentors say - just keep riding and it will get (a little!) easier - plus, get teeny-weeny front touring chainrings and whopper back chain rings, and you'll be all set! :p

Hey BikerZ,
Way to go! You really are an inspiration. From zero to the bears in less than a year. Amazing!

:D I like that - "From Zero to Bears" :D

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Originally Posted by helga

Hey BikerZ,
Way to go! You really are an inspiration. From zero to the bears in less than a year. Amazing!

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Biker Z- Good job!!!! I think the way you did it is a bit easier. I've done the Bears your way as well many times. We come from Benicia so we do a lot of climbing before we even get to the BEARS!!!! I've also done the Bears one way and then turned around at the top of Papa Bear (the one before that long down hill) and gone backwards to Mama and Baby plus other hills to get home. I think the reverse way (counterclockwise) is a bit harder, but maybe that was because I was already a bit tired. At some point I will go down to San Pablo Road, turn around and go back up. Maybe I could call that ride the Double Bear ride!

Your next route sounds pretty challenging! As others have said- the more you do the same route, the better it will be for you. It's not necessarily going to get a lot easier, BUT, you know what to expect and for me anyway, that makes a big difference. I'm out that way most Sunday mornings so if you ever want to meet up, I'll do those "Bears" with you! (That goes for anyone else as well!!!)

VERONICA- We definitely need to initiate you! You could start in Martinez (just down the freeway from you). I'd love to do that ride with you!

Pick a day Nancy. Has to be a weekend or a holiday. I've got stuff going on both days this weekend. But after that I'm free. Well, maybe not free ...


V.

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Originally Posted by tomgrrrl

Perhaps someday us TE gals can take my pickup and do a trash pickup for all the other little crap that lines the route....particularly Alhambra Valley Road (for some reason).....

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If you want to organize this, count me in. I don't understand the mentality behind dumping one's garbage in beautiful, natural areas :mad:.

A neighbor of mine just gave me another good route "out the door":

Tunnel rd to skyline, north on skyline to grizzly peak, down wildcat canyon, left on SP Dam rd, castro ranch etc, for the 3 bears, left on SP dam rd, back through Orinda, along canyon and UP pinehurst. Whew!

Now if I could just steady my hand enough to get an accurate route drawn on my topo! program, I could get actual mileage and elevations! (The routes I try to draw on the TOPO screen with my mouse would have me rolling down canyons and crawling back up - the lines are all over the place!)


And I'd love to ride anytime with you guys, but (ahem) did you notice my uphill speed? We'd start out together, and then you all would have time to take in a movie, have a couple of lattes, or something before I got back to the starting point!

Don't underestimate yourself. Uphill speed doesn't really translate well to other terrain. A slow hill climber can be a powerhouse on the flats or rollies where momentum becomes a factor. If a hill is significant enough to be named, everyone is going to slow down on it.

I'm a conservative downhiller, so everyone catches me. You couldn't tell that I can do decently pointed upward if you saw how slow I go downward.

Your downhill is getting faster too Sarah. With all the climbing you've done this year, you've had a lot more downhill exposure.

Ain't it grand to have friends to push you? :p

V.

Oh, I just thought you saw me as a target! Look, girls! Potential roadkill! :p

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Originally Posted by Veronica

Your downhill is getting faster too Sarah. With all the climbing you've done this year, you've had a lot more downhill exposure.

Ain't it grand to have friends to push you? :p

V.

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ahhhhh so she's going faster coz you're pushing her Down hill!!! and all this time I thought ppl were being pushed Up hill!! :rolleyes:

CorsairMac "ahhhhh so she's going faster coz you're pushing her Down hill!!!"

SK deserves the downhill, she pulls us uphill ;-) ;)

Naw, you have me confused with Kim. She's the skinny blond.

Rats - here I was so jazzed about all these hills, and now it looks like I'll be off the bike for a little while... :mad:

Last night my SO and I were in a car accident - our car and the other car are both probably totalled - thank goodness everyone involved is fine - me included, except I am "hecka"-briused (as the kids say...) I got a big 'ol seatbelt-shaped bruise from the right shoulder to the left hip, a very sore sternum, and a humongo bruise on one of the "gals". I tried bending over in cycling position and it wasn't a very pleasant sensation...

These 4 kids in someone's grandma's car decided to gun it and try to make a left turn in front of us as we came through an intersection and they just slammed right into us. Police say they were at fault (which they totally were!) so hopefully there won't be any insurance hassles. We'd only had our used Volvo wagon a couple of months, and had just put $1800 into it for new tires, various mechanical things, sunroof repair, etc. Grrrr.

So this is my first injury since taking up cycling this year - I really want to be back riding in less than a week. :mad: :mad: :mad:

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Originally Posted by bikerz

Rats - here I was so jazzed about all these hills, and now it looks like I'll be off the bike for a little while... :mad:
Last night my SO and I were in a car accident - our car and the other car are both probably totalled - thank goodness everyone involved is fine - me included, except I am "hecka"-briused (as the kids say...) I got a big 'ol seatbelt-shaped bruise from the right shoulder to the left hip, a very sore sternum, and a humongo bruise on one of the "gals". I tried bending over in cycling position and it wasn't a very pleasant sensation...
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Hey Bikerz - thats no good. Glad that you, your SO and the others were ok.
Make sure you rest plenty and take the time your body needs to get over the accident.

Get well soon mate, Im hoping we can catch up for a ride together in the New Year. :)

Oh no!!! Say it ain't so!! At least the pretty Audi was safe at home.

Those air bags pack a punch, huh?

Ouch, ouch, ouch. :(

Glad you're both OK. Take it easy and recuperate for a bit, the hills will still be there once you're better.

Yep - the hills never go away. Get better soon.

V.

((hugs))) oops, bet that hurts. OK, virtual hugs then ;-)

you needed a rest week anyway. You'll come back stronger than ever.

rest up, take care, get some arnica, nice hot baths.

glad you're both ok.

Are you seeing a doctor? Some damage takes time to show up.

Thanks all -- sneezing is the worst! (sounds like "ahhh ahhh ahh CHOOO -OW!")

Good to know the hills don't go away! (But don't they erode just a little bit once the rains start?? :p )

You know - the airbags never exploded - that was a little worrisome... They're going to look into at the body shop.

And yes - thank goodness the little Audi was safely parked at home! We decided at the last minute to take the Volvo - the whole thing may not have happened if we had delayed and gone back into the house to get the other set of keys... or taken the other route we debated ... or... (but you can go crazy thinking these things, and really, compared to the terrible things that happen all the time, this is definitely on the "inconvenience" side of the the scale!)

Arnica - I'll check into that!

I appreciate the get well wishes! I hope I don't lose any uphill "momentum"!

My sensei swears by Arnica, you can take it internaly, externaly, I found it does not do much for me, but lots in the dojo keep it around all the time. Aikido is an impact sport, sometimes a colision sport...with the ground with all the falls involved. Injuries are rare but the wear and tear adds up...so it seems to help some.

If you feel otherwise decent and Dr says ok, if you can't lean over can you do base miles on a trainer? Always need more of that. But rest up, you'll be better soon and it'll all come back.

One of the what ifs is that if you two weren't in such great shape, willing to bet your injuries would have been worse.

Wow...I'm so sorry to hear about your accident but am so glad everyone is ok. Sounds like you collected quite a few bruises....take the time to heal and don't push it. As others have said, those hills ain't going anywhere.....but after this I think you deserve some nice level riding for a bit....Pt. Isabelle anyone? Take care and heal quickly.

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Originally Posted by bikerz

So, I think now I can plan a tough route "out the door" from my house - through temescal and up Tunnel rd, skyline to redwood, along canyon, through orinda, onto the "Dam rd", around Alhambra and the 3 bears, up wildcat cayon ( :eek: :eek: ) then along grizzly, or back through orinda and up pinehurst ( :eek: ) , back along skyline and down snake to home. That will be a long ride, with a lot of climbing! One day!

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The route you describe above isn't too much different than the longest route of the Bike Against the Odds except of course starting and stopping at lake Merritt. That ride is 65 miles and 6000 feet of climbing. Here's the route:

Starting at Lake Merritt we'll climb Broadway to cross Highway 24 where it picks up Tunnel Road. We'll take Tunnel Road to Skyline, and continue left on Skyline at the intersection of Joaquin Miller. We'll turn left onto Redwood Road for a descent through the Redwood forest. From there, we'll turn left onto Pinehurst Road. There is a one mile climb on Pinehurst before descending to the intersection of Canyon Road. Turn right on Canyon for a short climb and descent into Moraga. Turn left on Moraga Road, which turns into Camino Pablo when the road crosses under highway 24. Continue on Camino Pablo/San Pablo Dam Rd. and ride on gently descending hills into El Sobrante. The route then turns right on Castro Ranch Road and climbs through a residential area and descends to a right turn on Alhambra Valley Road. The next turn is a right on to Bear Creek Road which climbs “the three bears”, and returns to the intersection of Wildcat and San Pablo Dam Road. We'll cross San Pablo Dam Road and climb Wildcat to Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. Continue on Wildcat to a left turn onto South Park for a VERY STEEP climb to Grizzly Peak Blvd. Turn left on Grizzly Peak and stay on it as it climbs through Berkeley into the Oakland Hills. Continue on Grizzly Peak until it ends at a left turn onto Skyline Blvd. Stay on Skyline to Snake and descend into Oakland via Mountain and Park Blvd.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I'm a conservative downhiller, so everyone catches me. You couldn't tell that I can do decently pointed upward if you saw how slow I go downward.

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haha - yeah so she says until I was the last one down the hill of Mt. Hamilton..... :D

hope you feel better soon Ann!

Z, poor bunkie !! {hug} I'm really really glad you & yours were not hurt badly.

Like everyone else said, give yourself time to rest & heal up, and don't push yourself too hard when you get back on the bike. Sad but true, it's amazing how fast your hard-won fitness seems goes away even when you're off the bike only a couple of weeks, but the good news is, it seems to come back a lot quicker the second time around (and third, and fourth :rolleyes: )

- Jo.

I dunno SK, you seemed to me to be going down Hamilton at a pretty good clip !

There were a lot of blind corners, especially near the top, so it would not have been a good idea to go down that top section at full-throttle (that said, I'm probably glad I didn't witness V's descent :D :D )

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Originally Posted by TomGrrrl

but after this I think you deserve some nice level riding for a bit....Pt. Isabelle anyone?

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Yeah! But with the wind these days, I think even downhill into it would feel like uphill! It felt like our rof was going to blow off yesterday - it must have been a tough day to be on the bike!

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Originally Posted by jobob

I dunno SK, you seemed to me to be going down Hamilton at a pretty good clip !

There were a lot of blind corners, especially near the top, so it would not have been a good idea to go down that top section at full-throttle (that said, I'm probably glad I didn't witness V's descent :D :D )

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I never go out of my own lane. And you have to be really careful on Hamiliton because the middle section has lower pavement for the snowplows. At least I think it's for the snowplows.

I think of myself as a quick, but sensible descender. :p

V.

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Originally Posted by CindySue

Continue on Wildcat to a left turn onto South Park for a VERY STEEP climb to Grizzly Peak Blvd.

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Ummm, I was hoping to avoid the dreaded South Park climb :eek: ! (at least this time around!)