Mixed terrain…

When I moved here, I did some internet searching for rides in the Marin area. What I found were a few personal websites/blogs that seemed to favor my favorite type of rides. They called them mixed terrain rides – combining paved roads and trails and dirt roads and trails. I like riding my bike wherever I want to regardless of what’s under my tires. As chance would have it the three sites I found that touted mixed terrain rides were three friends and riding partners. Jim E is cyclofiend, JimG is sfcyclotouring, and It Followed Me Home is Carlos. Carlos also has a nice mixed terrain ride descriptions and downloadable cue sheets. And as by another chance would have it, they’ve all visited the shop independant of my finding out about them.

Recently on cyclofiend, he posted a link to some photos from the infamous Jobst rides that Jobst Brandt led. These rides rambled all over the Santa Cruz mountains usually from Palo Alto. Fortitude, perseverance, and determination. All of these rides were done on their road bikes and involved a healthy dose of dirt. I don’t think many of today’s road riders would be too happy on a Jobst ride that was even half as tough. Heck, it seems that there’s already a lot of those folks who won’t even ride their road bike through my dirt parking lot.

Up at the top of Mt. Vision.

Looking back towards the bay. I like this orange Ibex wool jersey.

Looking out over Drake’s Bay and Drake’s Estero.

Time to put the camera away and pay attention to the trail.