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Jan 4, 2021

Cycling in the Motherlode




A POPULAR CYCLING DESTINATION

SAN ANDREAS, CALIFORNIA


There are very good reasons why cyclists ride in the Motherlode and Sierras.


The winding, narrow, quiet roads are perfect for bike riding. The scenery is superb, ranging from High Sierra pine trees, to shady oak forests at lower elevations; from rolling meadows of grasses and wildflowers to wild rivers running through deep, steep canyons.


The Motherlode is steeped in the colorful history of California’s Gold Rush. Featured in this post is a 35 mile route starting in San Andreas and climbing Jesus Maria Road to Mountain Ranch. The ride passes through several Gold Rush towns offering cyclists a glimpse of the historic past of Mother Lode mining and settlement. In fact, one of the roads you’ll travel, Jesus Maria Road, was named after one of the original settlers, a Mexican farmer who supplied produce to local miners.


And best of all, several roads on this loop have recently been resurfaced, and the smoother surface and sometimes wider shoulders make road riding pure bliss.


RIDE DESCRIPTION

A Hill Climbing Beast of a Ride!

Jesus Maria Road Hill Climb and Old Gulch Descent


36 Miles; 4,745 Elevation Gain; Jesus Maria Grade: 6.5%


This is one of the classic rides of the Motherlode, which takes in a legendary climb on the backcountry road, Jesus Maria.


This bike route is not for beginners. You will need a good level of fitness and a good attitude—including a fondness for climbing and descending—to enjoy this challenging bike ride.


Start and end your ride at the San Andreas Government Center. It’s a good staging area with ample parking and a public bathroom at the Calaveras County Library during business hours. Leave time to stop at the Red Barn Museum to enjoy their exhibits of agricultural history in the Mother Lode. After the ride there are several restaurants in San Andreas or only 8 miles north in Mokelumne Hill.


The first 10 miles of the route head north along Highway 49 to Highway 26. At the hilltop market in Mokelumne Hill, take a right on Highway 26 and ride about two miles to make a right on Jesus Maria Road.


This road has been used by cyclists for over 40 years and recently was resurfaced. The 12 mile road is uphill and views of Valley to the west and the Sierra to the east reward cyclists when they take a break from climbing.You’ll probably want those rest opportunities: the average grade is 6.5% and several 8-12% grades will make your legs burn. Strava segments range from 49 minutes to 90 minutes along this 12-mile epic hill climb.


The ride from the top of Jesus Maria Road ends at Rail Road Flat Road, where you’ll hang a right towards Mountain Ranch Road and the small community of Mountain Ranch. This historic town is a good place for a mid-break stop. Stop for a snack at Sender’s Market or Heart of Gold Cafe, and take a picnic to the county park where you can see the memorial to the victims and survivors of the Butte Fire that swept through this small community in 2015. Leaving Mountain Ranch, spin through town and cross Mountain Ranch Road to make a left onto Michel Road. You’ll pass through open ranch land on the ride to Old Gulch Road; they might remind you of many of best bike roads in Europe.


After about 2.7 miles, take a slight left onto Old Gulch Road. Old Gulch is not signed. It’s an unmarked Y; take the left arm of the Y If you find yourself at Michel Road and Mountain Ranch Road, turn around and go back to the Y!


Old Gulch Road was recently resurfaced, and the descent is heavenly. . At the bottom of Old Gulch Road, turn right onto Calaveritas Road to return to the San Andreas Government Center.




Location of San Andreas



More San Andreas Road and Gravel Bike Routes featured soon!


Jesus Maria and Old Gulch Loop

Calaveritas Road to Angels Camp

Calaveritas to Sheep Ranch and Murphy’s

Pool Station Road

Gold Strike

Mokelumne Hill to Jackson

Government Center Bike Trail


Gravel Road Routes


Hawyer Road to Jesus Maria

East Murray Creek Road






Dec 31, 2020

TOP TEN BIKE RIDES IN CALIFORNIA



My favorite locations to ride a bike today and someday soon!




San Francisco Bay Bridge West Span Path


When the new Bay Bridge East Span opened in 2013, pedestrians and bicyclists fell in love with the 15-foot-wide shared-use pathway that stretched initially from Oakland to the iconic single tower and, since 2016, all the way to Yerba Buena Island.


BATA, Caltrans and a multidisciplinary team of engineers and consultants are currently studying whether we can eventually extend this path—enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors every year —around the island and across the West Span of the bridge into downtown San Francisco.


In addition to providing a continuous bike/pedestrian route from Oakland to San Francisco, helping to ease commute traffic as people switch from cars to bicycles, the project also would improve access to the West Span for Caltrans maintenance crews, thereby reducing the need for lane closures on the historic bridge.


Davis Bike Loop


The Davis Bike Loop is an example of how including biking and walking into a city’s design can enhance the community. The approximately 12-mile route connects ten interconnecting parklands known as The Greenbelt in the college town of Davis. The path is suitable for walking, jogging or bicycling through the parks and quiet residential neighborhoods.

The route was designed to be safe and pleasant, but not fast, and easy enough to navigate that parents can send their kids across town for a music lesson on a safe, easy-to-follow route. It is suitable for casual bicyclists, who don't mind going slow and yielding to pedestrians, young riders, old riders, and new riders. It is also great for experienced riders who want a slow, comfortable ride on a sunny day. It connects the town regions and creates a sense of community.


Sacramento, American River Bike and Johnny Cash Bike Trails


The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail (or American River Bike Trail) is a 32-mile long paved multi-use pathway that runs between the confluence of the Sacramento River with the American River, just north of downtown Sacramento, California, and Beal's Point at Folsom Lake, north of Folsom. Not only is it a major recreational destination that goes through oak forests and grasslands, but it’s an artery for commuter cyclists, helping reduce fossil fuel usage and air pollution. The trail is considered one of the longest paved purpose-built bike trails in the country.


Oakland Slow Streets


The best antidote to sitting at home worrying about the pandemic is to get outside and get some exercise. Slow Streets in Oakland turned neighborhood streets into safe zones for kids and adults to play while keeping safely socially distanced. They also served as crucial connections for essential workers to commute safely by bike. Californians rediscovered how joyful their neighborhoods could be once speeding cars were taken out of the equation. We suspect they will not want to go back to normal.



San Francisco, Market Street


The Better Market Street project in San Francisco’s business district, is an exciting vision of how repair and replacement of old infrastructure can lead to a renaissance of an area.

When the 2.2 mile-long project is complete, Market Street—San Francisco’s busiest pedestrian street, bicycle thoroughfare, and transit corridor—will be transformed. A renewed Market Street, designed for cyclists and pedestrians to be key users, will anchor neighborhoods, link public open spaces, and connect the city's Civic Center with cultural, social, convention, tourism, and retail destinations, as well as Salesforce Transit Center, the regional transit hub. It will be a place to stop and spend time, meet friends, watch people while sitting in a café, or just stroll and take in the scene.


San Rafael Bridge


The bicycle and pedestrian path across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened on November 16, 2019, enabling cyclists and pedestrians to take in breathtaking views of San Francisco Bay while traveling on the upper deck of the bridge between Marin and Contra Costa counties. With the opening of the new six-mile path, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is now part of the San Francisco Bay Trail, connecting the Bay Trail between Contra Costa and Marin counties, and adding another link to the future 500-mile bicycle and hiking network benefits for residents in both counties.



Shasta Bike Depot and the Downtown Connector Loop Trail


Take a bike tour and experience how active transportation and clean mobility are being employed in a transformative way to build prosperity for all people in Redding and Shasta County. In recent years local agencies and community organizations have come together like never before with remarkable public-private-nonprofit collaboration. The scope of new projects is transformational, deliberately centered-in and serving low-income people in a designated Opportunity Zone. The coordinated investments include two of the state’s largest Sustainable Community grants with complimentary affordable housing, active transportation, transit, and urban greening improvements, funded by California Climate Investments.


Shasta Bike Depot serves as a bike station, offers trail tourism activities and will soon offer Redding Bikeshare with a full fleet of electric bikes. The Depot is located adjacent to the Redding Transit Center, soon to be connected to the Sacramento Transit Center and beyond with clean, electric long-range buses. The Depot is on a protected urban trail loop that seeks to connect more than 68,000 people in and out of Downtown walking and biking. This part urban-trail, part river-trail is also the backbone of the Redding Cultural District, featuring a Calatrava-designed Sundial Bridge enticing visitors and residents to walk and bike over the Sacramento River.


The California Central Valley Bikeways Project


This project will facilitate a safe and equitable bike network system in California’s Central Valley. It will provide easy access to future high speed rail stations and further the goal of providing sustainable mobility throughout the state. Although it’s still in the planning stages, the promise to connect rural areas to urban transportation hubs is exciting..


San Diego Bike Share Program


Hopping on a bike in San Diego will get easier in 2021. In a multi-year agreement, Discover credit card company will sponsor program operator DecoBike in a program that will transform the city’s public bike share program. Expect a new mobile app, an enhanced membership fob, and, most important, more bikes!


“The actions we take today will make a big difference tomorrow,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer. “Discover’s support of the San Diego bike share program will enable improvements to the system and allow for its continued expansion. Increasing commuter bicycling opportunities is an important goal of our Climate Action Plan. Also, the concentration of bike share locations in the urban core will play an important part in the Downtown Mobility Plan, which will enhance bicycle safety and increase ridership.”


Napa Vine Trail


The Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition is a grass-roots nonprofit with a vision to build a walking/biking trail system to connect the entire Napa Valley--physically, artistically, and culturally. The goal is to build 47 safe and scenic miles of level, paved, family-friendly, dog-friendly, free-access Class I trail, stretching from the Vallejo Ferry to Calistoga.









Dec 27, 2020

40 Years of Cycling the California Alps



In a normal year, thirteen bike events are held in Caltrans District 10, in the Central Valley, Motherlode and the Central Sierras. This year only one bike event was held before Shelter in Place.

Prior, to the 2020 Covid Pandemic the bike events held in Caltrans District 10 included, Mr. Frogs Ride, RideandWalk4Art, Party Pardee, Delta Century, Pedaling Paths to Independence, Mom’s Ride, Almond Blossom Century, Golden Hills, Ebbett’s Pass Century, Alta Alpina Challenge, Best Ride, the Death Ride and Tour delle Vigne.


Bike events support and encourage cycling tourism in the five Bike Valley to Sierra county partnerships. Bike events use local bike routes that become popular bike riding destinations before and after the event is held.


This summer, CalBike, the Motherlode Bicycle Coalition and Cycle California Magazine held three virtual meetings with Caltrans District 10 Bike Event Organizers to discuss rescheduling bike events post Covid 19. At the August meeting, USA Cycling presented a risk assessment tool, Covid 19, guidelines to design event protocols for rescheduling bike events.


The most prestigious bike event In Caltrans District 10 is the annual Death Ride. This ride is celebrating it’s 40th year and is scheduled for July 17, 2021.


The Death Ride started in 1978 when five cyclists decided to bike ride the California Alps in one day, with just the support of friends and family following along in a vehicle. The event quickly grew to worldwide recognition in the cycling community, and is a sought-after event for those looking for a serious challenge.Today, the ride still caters to the elite mountain cyclists, but also offers a range of challenge levels, from one pass to up to 5* mountain passes. The event is not only a sought-after cycling venue, it is the primary fundraiser of the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center, whose mission is to promote business prosperity, tourism marketing, and a healthy community for Alpine County and its neighbors.



This year the Death Ride Director is Bike the West Director and Death Ride veteran Curtis Fong.


The Death Ride contributes important revenue to Alpine County. Additionally, cyclists visit Alpine County during summer, spring, and fall to cycle the California Alps. Strava bike riding data showed that Alpine County had over 3,000 cyclists ride 9,000 bike rides in 2020. Ninety six percent of the cyclists were visitors to Alpine County.

Bike events generate a large influx of cash in a short period of time. Bike event participants often stay before and after the bike events staying in local hotels, campgrounds, and rentals. Participants in the one-day America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride circling Lake Tahoe spend an average of 2.5 days and $641 per day.

However, bike events bring their share of complications. Permitting from local counties is an issue, depending on the size of the event, the impact of the desired route, and the agencies involved. And now, with the Covid Pandemic public health department’s will be part of the permitting process.

All bike events raise funds for local charities and share proceeds with local nonprofit organizations.

RideandWalk4Art raises funds for public school arts education programs, the Delta Century proceeds support important Stockton Charities and the Death Ride in the past contributed $90,000.00 back into community businesses and nonprofits, including the Alpine County Fire Safe Council and Alpine County Fish & Game.


Bike Events Held in Caltrans District 10


Most bike event organizers have set dates for rescheduling in 2021, see bike event links below for updates.






Pedaling Paths to Independence, https://www.pedalingpaths.com/





















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