Road Trip Ride #7; Marin County

Have you noticed the absense of postings about riding bicycles?  Ya, me too.  After three days off the bike yet travelling, it felt great to arrive at the home of mountain biking, Marin County, located just the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, CA.

Two years ago I cycle-toured past this area thinking to myself how great it would be to return with my mountain bike.  Well, here I was, with Isabelle and ready to ride!

Now, to be honest, when we arrived at the Tennessee Valley Trail-head near San Rafael, knowing that much of the trails in the area were illegal/closed to cyclists, I didn’t have particularly high hopes for an exciting, demanding ride.  Equally, knowing that many of the accessible trails were built on various fire-, dirt- and 4×4 roads, I was not anticipating that the trails would be particularly technical.  While the trails were not very technical, it would prove to be a ride to remember.

Hovering around 10C with the clouds hanging low, we geared up, threw a leg over the bike and were off…and up.  Climbing the hills of the Miwok Trail we then took a left along the Dias Ridge Fire Trail for a bit more climbing.  Finally, making our way west towards the ocean, we got paid with a long, fast, winding descent with several brake-howling switchbacks.  It was tremendous.

Spat out onto Pacific Coast Highway 1(PCH 1) we headed north and yes, up.  At one point, while stopped on the side of the road, a road rider flew past us.  Back on the bikes we started to gain on that roadie as we climbed.  While my pace remained constant, Reilly amped it up just a touch, enough to catch and pass that man on narrow tires.  It was hilarious to watch; a road rider working really hard just to stay  on Reilly’s [knobby]wheel.

Reilly chatted with him a moment and confirmed that the Coastal Trail we were heading towards was a great ride; he, too, rode a Moots mountain-bike.  After just a couple miles of asphalt, we were back on the dirt and again, climbing.  At the top of the trail, on Mt Tamalpais, we stopped to take in the view of the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Francisco to the south.  From there it was downhill!  Flying down the Deer Park Fire Road, we yelped and howled in glee.

Eventually we hit the Muir Woods Road, continued along the Panoramic Hwy and back onto that glorious trail, the Dias Ridge Fire Trail.  Smiling all the way down those hairpin switchbacks to PCH 1 and immediately onto the Coyote Ridge and Coastal Trail, we were soon back at the Tennessee trail-head where we started.

Though the ride may not have been very technical, it more than made up for it in heart-pumping climbs and descents.  It was also a great feeling to ride in the woods, next to the ocean and in one of the most renowned mountain-bike destinations in the US.  Marin County, you did not disappoint.

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Roadie killing himself to catch Reilly’s wheel!

‘Cisco on the horizon.

The Pacific Ocean

Top of Mt. Tamalpais