When I lived in Palo Alto, I used to ride a lot. Partially because I had time, and partially because Arastradero Open Space Preserve was so close. Well, yesterday, I decided to head to Santa Teresa County Park for my recovery ride and discovered it has a lot of potential to be my new mountain bike park.
I also decided that after riding my tailored-to-me road bike, my ill-fitting mountain bike might need to go.
On the road
I hit the road on my mountain bike because Monterey Hwy is littered with all kinds of tire-eating, tube-puncturing debris. I could have taken the Coyote Creek Trail, but it would’ve been longer and I wanted to explore this new destination. The first thing I noticed was a stiff tail wind. Good for the ride out, but it would be hell on the way back.
As soon as you get to STCP, you are greeted with a long climb to the top. Garmin says it’s about 500′ of elevation gain in a little over a mile. If I were on my road bike, that would be it; there are no other roads on the hill. But I was on my mountain bike, so not only did I have the low gearing to make the climb realistic for a recovery ride, but I had the tires and suspension to explore some actual dirt trails.
Off the road
SCTP butts up against IBM’s Almaden Research Center, so while the road at the top continues onto their property, it’s closed to the public. I was about to turn around, but the mid-morning sun pouring over the green, spring-like hillsides below inspired me to explore a little.
I took off on a steep descent right out of the parking lot. In my prime, I would’ve just dropped in, but it’s been a long time since I rode dirt on a regular basis, so I descended rather cautiously. On my way down, I passed a girl on a mountain bike who was obviously scared of the descent. Her father (?) was also stopped on the trail encouraging her. So I had to pass them hard on the brakes, on the verge of losing traction. There were also equestrians and hikers/dog-walkers on the trail, so polite trail-sharing is essential. That’s the one problem with this park: narrow trails and popularity. But it’s a small price to pay for having such a nice park so close to home.
After every descent is a climb and this place has a few. Fortunately, they’re short. It’s early in the year, but the trails seemed to be in good shape, too. That makes climbing easier.
On the way back
All cyclists hate head winds. Why? Well, I averaged about 16 MPH on the way to the park. I averaged 11 on the way home. But it’s all good. I did about 17 miles in two hours, got some climbing in, and discovered some great trails close to home. The only downside? I was not liking my mountain bike’s fit. I have to figure out if I want to invest money in tailoring it to my body or start fresh with a new mountain bike. A quick look on Specialized’s site says it’ll be more expensive than my road bike. Hmm, decisions, decisions.