Commute of/for my life

Willy in Pacifi

The first two days of this week have been the bike comuters dream. Warm in the AM and warm on the way home. It is now light after my first half hour of riding, whereas, last week it was completely dark all the way in.

I have had to leave work around 4ish to be sure to get home before dark. Lately I have been driving 3 miles form home and parking the van near the Daly City/Pacifica border. Up above Pacifica there are a bunch of wood chip piles left by tree trimmers. I am doing a bunch of work in our backyard so each evening I ride back to the van, load up the bike, drive to the wood pile, fill a couple of trash cans with woodchips, then drive home and put empty them in the backyard.

Yesterday was a nice ride in but the conditions have changed a bit. It was a bit foggy and windy but no big deal. But you could definitely tell the nice warm conditions are over.

I had planned to ride home at 4 as usual but had a 3:30 meeting that didn't end till just before 5. I changed and got out of the parking garage right at 5. I could have taken BART to Daly CIty then ride to the van about 4 miles, or I could have riden to BART and taken a bus to the van, or I could have taken a bus home then ride the 3-4 miles back to the van. Any way you look at it I was not going to be getting any chips tonight since it was going to be dark.

Well I decided to just ride all the way back to the van and see what it would be like riding in the evening in the dark. Not a lot of traffic on the way in in the AM but there will be lots on the way home. Well this will be a good test to see if commuting home will workout in the coming months as the days get shorter.

I start hauling butt along the Embarcadero, thru Fishermans Wharf, along the Marina then turn into the Presidio. Up Arguello to Lake St then south to Golden Gate Park, West to the Old Great Hwy where I head south. I am really movin along the Old Great Hwy as I must have some humungus tailwind behind me. The Old Great Hwy actually runs parallel, and just east, of The Great Hwy with a big berm between the two to shield residents from the winds. I am heading south toward Sloat and the Zoo. With my tailwind I must be moving close to 30 MPH without much effort. I am in heaven.

I am almost to Sloat where I need to jump on The Great Hwy for about a mile to Hwy 35/Skyline. Well just as I get to Sloat, and lose the berm, I see that the winds off the beach must be blowing 50MPH. But worse is that these winds are packed with sand. I am right in a major sand storm with nowhere to go without making a major detour.

Well I decide to go for the one mile in the sand storm in the dark. I am well equiped with front and rear lights. I actually walk my bike accross the Hwy and start riding south in the parking lot so I am not on the actual hwy. This will get me down the road a bit but then I will have to get back on the Hwy.

I try riding my bike but just about get blown right off and the winds are very strong with occasional gust that you cannot anticipate. So I get off and start walking in my cleats. I am walking in the bike lane but cant walk when there is traffic since the bike lane is filling with sand right before my eyes. I am forced to walk in the traffic lane so have to wait for a break in the traffic then run about 50-100 yards before jumping back in the sand and waiting for another break. Each time I look back for a trafic break I have to shield my face or I will be blinded by the sand flying horizontily . I was trying to figure out what color I should repaint my bike as I was sure the paint was being sandblasted right off the frame.

Well I finally made it about half a mile to some protection and got back on the bike. I headed down a slight hill with a 40-50 MPH wind behind me. As soon as I was on the bike and clipped in on one side I took my other foot off the ground, lifted my remaining foot and was off like a shot. If this was a uphill I would have had to ride my brakes all the way up it.

Now it is right (south) on Hwy 35/Skyline and about another 2-3 miles to the van. This hwy is shielded to the west by a hill and a bunch of eucalyptus trees so not bad as far as wind goes. But what do you get when you mix eucalyptus trees and 50 MPH winds? A mess of branches on the road. Luckily I was on my Ritchey SwissCross bike so I just rode right over them and hoped I did not end up with a branch in the spokes.

It was slow going but at least it was "going". I am climbing up this half mile hill when it hits me that at the top it is again open to the west and there is no protection against the wind. As I get to the top sure enough the wind is back. The one benefit is that I am now a couple hundred feet above the beach so no sand is hitting me. I decide it is not worth riding along here since the bike lane is only about 3 feet wide and the wind is blowing me into the Hwy traffic. It takes me a good minute to figure out how to get off my bike. I usually lift my right leg back around my seat but if I try that now I will be blown right into traffic. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW STRONG THE WIND IS HITTING ME. Well I get a break in the wind and instead swing my left leg behind my seat. To most this seems like no big deal but most bikers swing one particular leg off first. It is kind of like putting your pants on by puting the "other" leg in first. Try it some time and see how weird it feels.

So now I have another half to 3/4 miles to the next protection (a hill). I am walking in the iceplant so I do not get blown into traffic. A few times my bike actully catches a gust of wind and it is airborne. If I did not have a grip on it it would have blown well into the traffic lane. About a third of the way to the next protection I see a mini SUV in a turnout. As I approch it I see it has a bike rack on the rear. The gal inside offers me a ride so I put the bike on back and thankfully jump in.

Just as I think my ordeal is over I get inside the SUV. Although i was the windiest day I have ever seen around here it was not particularly cold and I had been jogging a bit. As I get into the SUV it must be 120 degrees inside. She has the heat going so hard I could barely hear her speak. Plus I have a polypro shirt, SS jersey, and knickers on. Luckily we only have about 2 miles to get to the van.

Well she drops me of at the van and I don't even have the energy to take my shoes or helmet off. SO I drove home in full biking gear.

Once home I have sand evrywhere. In my jersey pockets, shoes, ears and especially my hair. I din't realize till I got home that I have a bunch of grit in my teeth as well.

Well it was quite the ordeal but not a typical bike ride home. I know a few other routes that I can take to avoid the beach but you just can't tell when the wind is that bad till you are smack dab in it. On my ride into work this morning they had the Great Hwy closed due to the sand covering the entire road.

Willy in Pacifica

Willy in Pacifi

Sorry for the long post above but I just found this web site.

The above happened on my way home from Downtown San Fransisco to near my home in Pacifica which is a 20 mile commute each way.

lumpy

Wow Willy, that's quite an adventure. I live in Pacifica and used to commute to Redwood City. I've certainly encountered the winds but never the sand. I'd be worried about your drivetrain with all that sand.

Tim

Willy in Pacifi

Tim,

Took my rear cluster and chain apart and soaked in Simple Green over the weekend then put back together. Had to air blast a bunch of sand from here and there but overall not as bad as I thought it would be.

Where in pacifica did you live? I live in Vallemar just north of Rockaway Beach. Usually start my commutes going up Sharp Park which is a real wakeup right off the bat.

Willy in Pacifica

lumpy

Willy,

I'm in Linda Mar. I always hated Sharp Park in the AM - and I was more warmed up than you are! So do you head North on Skyline from there? I hate that section - I'd always pick up glass and flat through there!

Ya know there's another way to get up to Skyline northbound that's not Sharp Park or Manor. Head up past the Pacific Manor McDonalds and start climbing past FDR school - you'll end up by Ranch 99 and Westmore.

My ride during the week was up Sharp Park and down Sawyer Camp and Canada rd. into RWC. Sundays I'd often head down the coast and go up over Tunitas Creek or up through Purissima Creek Park and into Woodside/RWC - yeah, I like my Mtn. bike with skinny slicks!

Unfortunately I'm not doing much riding lately - I had an unfortunate disagreement with a slippery patch of algae and gravity which left my knee really messed up. I'm hoping to get back to real riding soon but it looks like it's gonna be a while.

You been to the new shop at Pedro Point? Matt is really nice there.

Tim

JoeRider

Willy,

Stranded in the midwest now, but wanted to thank you for the reminder of what riding through and around San Fran was like. Kinda Weird how I can be sitting hear and feel the wind and smell the fresh breeze (and sometimes not so fresh) while riding on the pier and around the city. Makes me home sick. I still have family in Santa Rosa, so I get out there every couple of years but it's calling me back.

JR

Willy in Pacifi

Tim,

Now that I am starting my commutes in the dark I do ride thru Pacifica, past McDonalds and up thru the south Daly City residential neighborhood. I don't want to ride over Hwy 1 in the dark on Skyline. Plus I have gotten a few flats right at the Hwy 1 overpass. This routes hill is a bit shorter than Sharp Park but steeper. But I am more warmed up by then. Once up I get a few miles of pure downhill all the way to the Great Hwy. Then I take the old Great Hwy just after the zoo to MLK thru Golden Gate park. Once to the museums I head to Lake street on 8th and then down thru the Presidio. Once to Crissey Field it is a straight shot along the Bay to the Financial District. I figure it is 20 miles each way.

Rode in today and boy is it getting cold. I need to get some toe warmers as that is the only part of me that does not warm up by the time I get to work.

On weekends I usually ride the San Mateo coast and my favorite hill is Tunitus Creek. It is hard to believe you are only a few miles south of San Francisco when you are out riding these beautiful hills.

Been to the new bike shop but it is mainly for Mt Bikers. Here is a link to one of my bikes. I use it to pick up my 6 year old form 1st Grade and take the 3 year old along for the ride.

Look at the bottom of this link to see us at Rockaway Beach after our ice cream treat.

http://www.precisiontandems.com/artnevin.htm

Willy