Palo Alto: The riding is never boring

It was a fantastic day for riding today in Palo Alto, Calif. The temperature was 20 C with the sun shining. I decided to ditch the knee warmers as I left the house and it was the right decision. But it could have gone the other way.

What is so amazing about riding down here is the climatic variability. While it may say 20 C on the thermometer, it doesn’t mean that it always feels that warm. With the ocean sitting just over a row of hills, you can get some breezes that bring a chill to the air. Fog and low cloud coming across from the ocean can also cool things off. Then, once you start riding up into the hills, you get the variation that comes with the changes in vegetation, from dark pine-covered roads out into open brush with lots of sun. Something as simple as a river alongside the road brings the temperature down significantly, moisture into the air and onto the road, and totally changes the riding experience.

Today’s ride was a perfect example of the variation you can come across. Having decided to ditch the leg warmers, I was a bit nervous about the temperature, but was happy when the Garmin showed 20 C shortly into my ride. With a bit of a sweat going, this was some real springtime riding to enjoy. Then I turned into the hills and headed up Redwood Gulch. Brrr. In the space of 10 m, the temperature plunged down to 4 C.

Redwood is a notorious road around here. Steep and hard as a climb, and always cold and damp. There is a river that runs alongside it, keeping the road slick with a damp sheen, and the air filled with a biting chill. At this time of the year, the sun never gets into this part of the valley. With chattering teeth (not quite), I started the climb proper, riding up out of the valley, and turning a corner was suddenly warm again as the sun came down through the trees and the temperature returned to normal. Wow, such sudden changes. Sure it’s cold for a moment but the variation makes for very interesting rides with things always changing.

You can read more about the riding in Palo Alto in the next Canadian Cycling Magazine, on newsstands mid-March, in which I’ve written about holding a training camp down this way.