Have bike; Will travel
While the Washington, DC area went back into a return to winter of sorts this weekend, I took my new traveling Dahon break-away bike on its first airplane trip this weekend – to San Jose, California, where it was in the comfortable 70s. I can report very few problems in transit (although the airline wanted to charge me an extra $80 on the way back for the bike, when it was forcefully pointed out to them that this was contrary to their policy regarding bike cases that are within in the size and weight limit, they relented). Happily, I also seem to have learned the art of putting together and disassembling the break-away within the time frame the manufacturer predicts. But before I get into the bicycle-related aspects of my reconnaissance in California on behalf of the Union, a few non-bicycle related matters to put it all in context:
Much of the San Jose area where I stayed looked like an office park. Not necessarily offensive – in some places even nice – but nothing particularly adventurous either. This is certainly true of the area where Rob – the reason for my visit – works. Clearly, there’s been a lot of growth here – not too different from parts of Northern Virginia in that regard. On the other hand, there were some really nice older structures in the downtown area, and in an area of what I think was Santa Clara, which I wandered into while getting (intentionally) lost on my bike ride on Friday.
This is why Rob has to always go to San Jose??!
Another structure, not old at all, in downtown San Jose was HP Pavilion, where we saw the Sharks play the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night. Unfortunately, the Sharks lost the game, though it was close and they’re heading for the playoffs anyhow. We were rooting for the home team, of course, but it’s nice to see a hockey game where you don’t feel too emotionally invested in what the outcome is – it certainly makes it easier to appreciate the good hockey played by both teams. To this transplant from the Upper Midwest, it’s totally bizarre to see a hockey arena that serves sushi surrounded by large palm trees. Still, the fans there seemed far more enthusiastic then they do here for the Capitals (even when the Caps are playing well). An enthusiastic sell-out crowd was on hand for the game, albeit in a smaller arena then “The Joe” in Detroit or ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa.
Go Sharks! (Except for when they play the Red Wings, of course….)
In the world of cycling, I was very much impressed by San Jose’s facilities, with lots of various accommodations for bikes in the infrastructure. Although I remain suspicious of the true utility of bike lanes, there were a number of streets where bikes lanes seemed an absolute necessity in order to legitimize the presence of bikes – for instance, the “expressway” which ran by our hotel. There were also “shallows” on some side streets, markings on the road indicating that bikes are present but not marking out a specific designated lane for bikes. I’m pretty sure I spied a few trails as well, though I didn’t ride any. For the most part (with one exception), I found motorists to be generally respectful of the presence of bikes. I don’t know if that experience is representative of cyclists in San Jose as a whole, but it’s notable as I was traversing the roadways in part during late rush hour with other comrades on two wheels heading to work.
From time-to-time, the topic of bicycles on the Metro system comes up on the Wash Cycle blog, most notably whether the authorities should lift the ban on bikes during rush hour (the answer is “yes.” See http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2007/02/dr_gridlock_dis.html#comments). In this regard, it’s interesting to note that the light rail system in San Jose not only allows bicycles on board the trains, they also have a special spot where you can store them. Very civilized! When the revolution occurs, this model will be emulated throughout the land. Although I hasten to note that the light rail system in San Jose doesn’t seem to have the volume of passengers the DC area metro has, it still goes to show that a large metro area can handle such as concept. The buses out there also have the same kind of front-end bike racks with which Metro buses here are equipped.
Cool! Bike racks on the light rail!
In doing my research for the trip, I had hoped to join in on a local group ride. I found a number of rides in the area, but none on the full day I had free for me and my bike. So, a local cyclist who spent some time in the Washington area clued me in on a route I couldn’t refuse to try. A popular ride, apparently, with local cyclists, it was a road which climbs a hill to the east of San Jose – in fact, during the Tour of California, this climb is the KOM for the San Jose stage.
The route is roughly the reverse of this route: http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Calaveras-Loop -- instead of climbing up Calaveras, I was advised climbing the Sierra Road side first would allow for a better descent – not as steep, thus affording a chance to enjoy the scenery more. The “down side,” of course, is that Sierra is steeper then going up Calaveras. If I had time, I would have done both on this trip, but I took the advice and took Sierra Road up. Bikely.com says that the total climb is 674 meters, which puts it at 174 meters higher then the ride up from downtown Luray on Route 211 to the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive. I think Sierra Road is steeper, however. (As another point of reference, the Tuesday afternoon Hill Ride, according to http://www.ncvc.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=4, has a total climb value of 1650 feets, which works out to about 503 meters.)
Well, Jens Voigt I’m not! (as if you needed to be told that…) But, despite that, it also wasn’t quite as hard as I had anticipated. It certainly would have been easier had there been some Racing Union colleagues there to egg me on – or at least some other cyclists. None were to be found, until my descent, when I saw a number of cyclists making their way up the other way. Sadly, the weather wasn’t ideal, either. Had I been thinking, I would have waiting until later, as, again, my descent found much better weather – towards the city, it was grey and cloudy; towards the east, it was inspirationally blue. Thus, the second half of the route was much more photogenic on this day, and is where most of these photos are taken. Some sections reminded me of the Tour de France when it heads through sections of the Pyrenees (this was a Tour of California Stage 1 climb, I hasten to add -- of course -- thatit’s not even close to as high as the Pyrenees).
Given the proximity to the route to downtown San Jose (I think one could easily do this on a good lunch break), it was surprisingly undeveloped. Cows and horses were hanging out all over the places, grazing on nice green vegetation (which must turn brown in a month or so, I would think). There were a few modest farm-type buildings, and a scattering of ostentatious estates, but I was impressed by the relative tranquility of the place.
Before heading down Calaveras when it met up with Felter Road, I took a right and enjoyed some more, er, “rolling hills” before turning around and heading back. Maybe it was the time of day, or maybe it’s always like this, but I couldn’t believe how few motorists I encountered on this section. In all, I doubt the full loop was much more then 20 miles, though I added some heading up Calaveras so I’m not positive.
Calaveras Road back closer to Piedmont (the cross road in the valley) went through a bit of a gap that felt almost canyon-like in some sections. Then, flatness. Maybe it’s all the development, but the valley there doesn’t seem anything like the Shenandoah Valley, which is undulating all over the place. Well, I had the time, and it wasn’t lunchtime yet, so off I went wandering around the flat valley. Not being equipped with a map, I just headed up and down urban streets to see what I could see, first back to near my hotel, then past it to what I believe ended up being “downtown” Santa Clara. It’s odd to me, but I never really noticed any signs telling me where I was. In any case, I got lost, got re-found again, and headed back to the hotel where I enjoyed a late lunch followed by some nice Peet’s coffee. I’ll definitely have to use Rob’s job as an excuse to get my bike and I out there again!
--posted by Chris