Bicycle Club to Kick Off Riding Series in Castro Valley

By Melne of Team Alameda

Start:  Leave from Kaiser at 8 a.m. (2417 Central Ave, Alameda, CA 94501)

Description:  3-4(?) (unknown roads!)/C/50-70.
3-4000' of climbing

Castro Valley Dead Ends :

This will be the first of a pair of exploratory rides visiting some of the dead-end roads and canyons in the Castro Valley area.

We'll be exploring these dead-end roads: Cull Canyon, Bollinger Canyon, Eden Canyon and Sunnyslope Avenue.

We'll ride our usual route out to Castro Valley, then begin our out-and-backs on the dead-end roads until we leave Castro Valley via Norris Canyon and drop over to the Dublin side of the hills, where we'll explore the Southern side of Bollinger Canyon. After that, we'll head to the Pleasanton BART station for a hill-free ride home.

Connecting climbs include: Fairmont, Seven Hills Road. 

This is a HILLY course. Possibly very hilly. Could include some steep climbing — I haven't ridden most of these roads, so I don't know what they're like either! According to Map My Ride, the route contains a 3133' elevation gain. 

BRING: Two water bottles, power bars/gels, a sense of adventure.

Bailouts: This is a very adaptable route — from 30-70 miles depending on how many canyons you climb. At the bottom of any of these canyons, you can choose to take (or ride home) for a shorter version. Or you can skip Bollinger Canyon and go straight to Pleasanton BART after we descend off Norris Canyon.

Mark your calendar for the second ride in this series (Orinda Dead Ends) on Nov. 19! Same concept, different area, in which we'll visit the North side of Bollinger Canyon!

MapMyRide route map: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/46367654

For more information on Team Alameda or this route, visit the club's website.