Quadsweep said:Hi all.
I have a job offer in Santa Clara and San Rafael. Which is the better area to live and train? My housing is paid for by my employer so cost of housing in not a factor.
Thanx a million
I agree with your assessment of the terrain in the peninsula, however I hope this one loop you are talking about is about 200 miles. Los Altos is where many clubs start their weekend rides. From there you can head south on Foothill to either go up 9 to boulder creek or south on 9 to Los Gatos to Kennedy to Hicks to Uvas or you can head west on Page Mill to Skyline then to the coast and the options go up from there or you can head north on Foothill to do either Portola Valley and go to the coast via Old La Honda (then meet up with those folks from Page Mill on 84) or you can go farther north and choose Canada or Kings Mountain/Tunitas or 92 to Half Moon Bay or Skyline or El Camino and if you wish continue to Sausalito.achtervolger said:While there are a lot of cyclist in the south bay and peninsula, and there is actually some fantastic terrain, I actually find the terrain somwhat limited. There are some great rides around Palo Alto, but they all tend to branch off the same loop, and it can get repetitive. The other limiting factor is that the hills available are all fairly severe in steepness, which is a great option, but kind of a drag as the only option, especially in the early season. You're either doing flat or rolling terrain or cranking up 7 degree + (and emphasis on the plus) hills. The ridge that separates the valley from the coast is filled with fantastic rides, but they are not easy or short.
I think you get much more varied terrain and more options both in Marin and the East bay. You can't go wrong with Marin, it's just gorgeous, and if your housing is paid for you're livin' the life as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, the weather is termendous and if I was back in Seattle I'd just be thinking about the bike now, and I've been on it for 2 months already.
Early season observations from a relatively new to the bay area guy. Maybe someone with more experience can correct me?
Every climb you mention goes over the same ridge, and all of them originate within 20 miles of one another in the San Mateo/Palo Alto/Los Altos area Yes, they all fan out to very different areas from Pescadero to Santa Cruz, but they all originate in the same area, and all are on or a short ride from "the Loop" a well known designation for the loop roads around Woodside/Palo Alto. So no, I'm not talking about a 200 mile loop.Woofer said:I agree with your assessment of the terrain in the peninsula, however I hope this one loop you are talking about is about 200 miles. Los Altos is where many clubs start their weekend rides. From there you can head south on Foothill to either go up 9 to boulder creek or south on 9 to Los Gatos to Kennedy to Hicks to Uvas or you can head west on Page Mill to Skyline then to the coast and the options go up from there or you can head north on Foothill to do either Portola Valley and go to the coast via Old La Honda (then meet up with those folks from Page Mill on 84) or you can go farther north and choose Canada or Kings Mountain/Tunitas or 92 to Half Moon Bay or Skyline or El Camino and if you wish continue to Sausalito.
ChesterY said:I think it's really more about whether you'd consider yourself a South Bay sort of a guy or a North Bay sort of a guy, regardless of the riding. In the end, overall lifestyle/environmental issues are probably going to create more pronounced distinctions.
I was tempted to ask this, too.Quadsweep said:Tell me more regarding this. I think you have hit on something that I have not really thought about but that is actually very important.
Quadsweep said:Tell me more regarding this. I think you have hit on something that I have not really thought about but that is actually very important.
Totally. I'm often ashamed to even be alive living here on the Peninsula.friedmikey said:In Marin, we're a bunch of elitists. Everywhere else... well, they just suck.
Now if you're going to get all paranoid on us - on a typical weekday, the morning fog over Santa Clara Valley is brown when I look at it from the Santa Cruz mountains. On weekends it's white.Quadsweep said:Someone mentioned air quality. Tell me about the air quality on the Peninsula. Is there smog in the Santa Clara area ?
There's the theory about local tendencies towards choosing a career over childbearing in their twenties...Woofer said:...OTOH, Marin supposedly has the highest rate of breast cancer in the country. Somebody splain that....
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