Trails--up the whole way UGH.

[lovelylibrarian]

It seems that so many of the MTN bike trails that I ride on are up the entire way and then down the way back. I'd really prefer a bit more up and down since I'm new to riding and I'm exhausted after riding uphill for 4 miles. Even if it's gradual, it's still up. Anyone else notice this or am I just riding the wrong trails. They are marked moderate in most books but to me, uphill for that long, is just not so moderate.

[spokewench]

Since you are in the Bay Area, that is pretty typical riding. It is a lot of steep dirt road climbing, not too technical. Try Lake Chabot over between San Leandro/Castro Valley - it is hilly but alternates quite a bit.

spoke

[lovelylibrarian]

Thanks. I'm really working on my cardio but these uphill rides are killing me. I'd like to alternate them with the up and down rides. My husband is in super shape so he just rides up and back to check on me and up again.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I don't know how long you have been riding but I used to push alot. The bike that is. I wasn't ashamed of it either. But I wasn't lazy about it either.

I hope this isn't Mt Tam you are climbing! OH my. I came out of the mountains last year because of the fire in South Lake Tahoe to ride and I went half way up Mt Tam and swore I was going up the wrong way. Nope, it's just a long crank...I think it's really interesting when you go somewhere different how you take for granted some of the trails you ride, and find that you have to adapt to a new one. I know riding here in the East is very different. I'm used to the long cranking hills in Tahoe and coming out here the pop up steep hills kill me. Happy Crankin!

[Irulan]

Hopefully you'll come to enjoy or at least appreciate climbs. There's the obvious reward of The Top Obtained... but besides that, I love to climb because-

- I can see improvement all the time in fitness ( gee, that wasn't so bad) and technical skill growth. You'll remember when it seemed like it took you all day to get up there, and now it only takes a little while
-find the meditative aspects of a long climb, and learn to appreciate them

[atombessy]

lovely librarian! I'm almost a librarian too (one class left and I'm official!)

hills can suck (especially LONG slow ones like you're describing) but the best way to get better at hills is....to climb hills It sucks now but by the end of the summer you'll appreciate all those up miles you put in! (I'm trying to be a cheerleader, but I appreciate where you're coming from, hope you find some other trails to play on too!)

[Veronica]

Where are you guys riding on the weekends?

V.

[lovelylibrarian]

The super long uphill ride last weekend was in Mill Valley in Marin County. The trail was called the Old Railroad Grade or something similar... Nice view from the top though. There is an inn up there.

Are you familiar with it?

[Veronica]

Yep





V.

[lovelylibrarian]

Great pictures! I'm going to have to try to find a group of girls to go MTN biking with once in a while. I think I'd enjoy it.

[wavedancer]

I hear ya' on the hills in Marin County! We just came back from riding there and it is very different than the riding I have done here in the East. Here it has been more short steep climbs, rolling terrain, roots and mud. I found that as long as the long steep climbs were not loose or technical I could generally find a rhythm and a gear to keep going. Throw in some switch backs or loose trail surface, and I found that I expended way more energy and had to stop more often. I have preferred the rolling, swoopy single tracks, but they usually require some climbing to get to them. I can see that riding hills will make you stronger quickly, though, so keep at it!

One place you may want to check out for some easier fun trails is China Camp in San Rafael. We did a nice 10-mile loop that had some climbing and switch-backs, but nothing that we had to get out of the middle ring for. There was enough to work on some handling skills, and lots of just fun riding.