RFA and I are signed up to do the Mt. Tam Hill Climb on Sept. 27. The climb is 12.5 miles with about 2000 feet of climbing. We don't do much riding in Marin and have never climbed Mt. Tam. We wanted to do a reconnaisance ride in advance of the race and met up with our friend Geoff who would lead the way. The drive on Highway 1 from Sausalito to Stinson Beach (the start of the race) was winding and spectacular but no bike lanes. The weather was in the high 50's but only a light overcast - no dense fog. This was our first time to Stinson Beach since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. It would be a tough commute to South San Francisco (where I work). The first leg was a flat 4 1/2 miles along the lagoon and Geoff led a strong pace - we were going over 20 miles an hour with a tailwind and I was just sitting back in the draft - sweet. We turned right to Bolinas-Fairfax Road. We stopped to take off our windvest and arm warmers before the climb. Since we stopped, I had to walk my bike over the cattle grate and am not looking foward to riding over this on race day. I took this next leg pretty easy - there were some steep parts exceeding 10% grade but some gentle grades to allow for recovery. I had a close call with a skateboarder who came careening right at me - I think he sort of lost it after that - he went off the road but was OK. Total elevation gain along this section is about 1500 ft. Next the Seven Sisters - we had to go through a wooded area with wet pavement and wet leaves - another thing to watch out for on race day. Took the Seven Sisters at an easy pace and finished in about 1:06. My goal on race day is 55 minutes. The ride down was uneventful; going down Bolinas-Fairfax was bumpy and my hands were sore from braking. The three of us had a nice lunch in the Stinson Beach picnic area.
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