Ride Report: San Jose, CA to Patterson, CA and back (long)

I wanted to do backside of Mt. Hamilton for a long time. Decided it will be this July

4th weekend. Based on weather forecasts, picked Jul. 3rd - cooler of the 3 days.

On Jul 3rd, woke up at 2:30 am, after getting ready, decided to ride to Milpitas and then

start the ride. I also wanted to see the sunrise from the top of mt. hamilton. If i were

to leave from home at 3am, i will be late. So, drove over and parked my car near Park

Victoria Blvd and Landess and started the ride at 3:30am. After the some warmup on flat

roads, started on Mt. Hamilton Rd, the road was dark and i could only see the area

lighted by my Cateye EL300 (mounted on the handle bar). Few cars passed by, but i got to

notice lots of animals - like coyotes or similar, i am not good at zoology to identify

the exact types. Other than that it was uneventful, very few cars (only 3 totally) and no

bicyclists that early..

Reached the top at 5 mins to 6. Even though the road to the Lick Observatory was closed,

i rode by that sign and took some photos of the sun rise (on the East) and also the sun

lighting the west. The temperature on the top wasn't cool at all - may be the sun -

probably not because it just came up. anyways, i headed east on Hwy 130 (San Antonio Rd).

Descent was good. as soon as i reached the bottom portion, i felt the chillness in the

gair - atleast 10/15 degrees lesser than what was on the top. after the few rollers, ended

up at Junction Store, which wasn't open yet. I proceeded east on Del Puerto Canyon Rd.

[this is the first time i riding this road]. It had a small climb and then mostly

downhill and the air was heating up slowly, but i didn't feel the heat at all. Towards

the East end of Del Puerto Canyon Rd it becomes rollers and ends in Diablo Canyon Pkwy ?

very close to I-5. I went under I-5 and decided to proceed towards the Patterson City. I

wanted to eat a good breakfast at a locally owned restaurant, instead of the Chain

Restaurants. There are good set of these 'chain' restaurants right at the exit from I-5.

I went east on Sperry Ave and ended up in Hwy 33, then back tracked a little to get to

the centre of Patterson, i roamed around and found 'Mills Bar & Grill'. Sat down there

for my second Breakfast at 9:30. After a waffle (today's Special), i topped my bottles

and left on my return route - which is exactly the reverse of my onward route. Big

mistake: I had some Accelerade (Electrolyte) drink mix, which i decided to use it at the

Junction. So, i pretty much filled both of my bottles with water and left Patterson at

10am.

Now, the sun was at its full blast, there was a slight wind, so it eased up the sun a

little bit, but when on Del Puerto Canyon Rd, i felt the heat of the sun. I drank two

bottles of the water since Patterson till the Junction. I should have eaten some of the

bars i had and also should have had some electrolytes. Del Puerto Canyon Rd, after

crossing the Frank Raines Park, the road became steep, i wasn't prepared for it. Note i

mentioned on the when heading east, there was one climb and then mostly downhill, i

somehow forgot all about that over the breakfast and thought it was short, but it kept on

coming and by the time i reached junction it was 12:10 pm. And i wasn't feeling 100%

because i skipped on eating my bars and lack of any electrolytes.

At the junction, had a Mtn. Dew. I have taken Mtn. Dew on few organized rides (towards

the end) has always helped me ride on 'Hyper drive' the last 20/30 miles. And lots of

water. It was 10 past noon and the sun was at its prime. filled my bottles, now one of

them had accelerade and another one was just plain water. Poured some water on myself and

ate half Clif bar. And on i went towards Mt. Hamilton on 130 West at around 12:30pm

During the section from Junction till the base of the climb (Isabela Creek), i wasn't

feeling good at all, drank some water, ate rest of the clif bar, it was the heat getting

to me. Actually this all started on Del Puerto Canyon, but i wasn't paying attention.

Reached the base of the climb at 1:30pm. BTW, all the water i poured on myself back at

the Junction store was all gone in may be 10/15 mins. Also something noticeable was that

the bitumen (tar) on the road was boiling - the bubbles bursted when i rode on them. it

was like riding on bubble-wrap. I noticed only one or two cyclist coming down from Mt.

Hamilton. i hadn't seen any cyclist until now go in the direction i was going

anyways, on isabela creek, i got to the creek and drenched myself again and headed for

the last 5 miles. i was counting on the distance being 5 miles and the caffine kicking in

any time soon. As soon as the climb started, i was down to the largest (slowest) gear -

30x25. And i was struggling, after mile 4, i stopped in shade and drank some water and

accelerade mix. then continued further, couldn't get much beyond mile post 3. Again shade

and again water/accelerade. This time i emptied a cliff shot. I should have done all this

before getting to the climb. Still the climb was steep, i also was running short of

water. When i was stopped just past mile point 3, i thought of asking passing cars

whether they have water. i waved my empty water bottle and pointed to them in a motion of

asking whether they have water. Either my signs were not right or the people just didn't

want to stop in the middle of nowhere to help out someone they do not know or they just

didn't have water to share... none of the cars stopped. Anyways, with very little water i

proceeded on further, i had an urge to stop at mile point 2, but decided against it,

because the sooner i get out of here, the better - because of low water condition.

Just after mile point 1, i decided to ask for water while riding the bike... one fine

gentleman stopped and said he has water to share. He said that the top wasn't too far,

but i wanted to respond 'how high was the top' - meaning i was able to see a big steep

(atleast to me) climb ahead. I asked to fill only half my bottle, i didn't want complelty

drain his supply of water. Thanked him and proceeded. Then only it occured to me that i

should have tried to offer payment, but too late. Soon, the half bottle of water vanished

too but i struggled/crawled my way to the top, i didn't check the time, but i think it

must have been 3pm or so - essentially 1h:30 for the 5 miles - pathetic, but true.

By this time, my head was feeling slightly heavy - i guess it was due to the

heat/dehydration. i had no intention of climbing the short road to get to the

observatory. Instead decided to get the water at the base of that road, there is a nice

bench as well. Sat there and caught my breath and drinking little water at a time, tried

in vain to recover for heading down Mt. Hamilton Rd. which has two short climbs (not

steep).

Three guys rolled in coming in to get water - they came in from San Jose and were headed

down the same way. Chatted with them, good company. I hung around till 4pm and then

headed down. I was feeling a little bit better, but nowhere close to normal. i was able

to spin on some of the straight-aways on the downhills, so the two climbs was peaceful

without any cramps. After getting down, rode to the car, stretched and got back home.

Called Walgreens and they suggested to recover from dehydration just drink Gatorade,

which has electrolytes. So, here i am sipping gatorade and writing this report.

Stats of the Ride:
Distance : 142 miles
Elev. Gain : ~12000' (first time i doing this much in a day).
Riding Time: 11h:30m
Total Time : 15h

Post Mortem Analysis:
I decided to do the max. climbing on a hot day. Also, put the hardest climb at mile 112.

Althought my original intention of climbing the back of mt. hamilton much before it gets

hot (my guesstimated time was 11am), but due to poor planning, ended up doing it at Peak

sun. Also i should have carried an extra water bottle - in anticipation of running out of

water when on the climb. And should in future take the electrolytes/food etc much before

the climb. And ofcourse work on developing my climbing. The max i have climbed in a day

was ~10000' that was spread over 200 miles (Eastern Sierra DC).

I will be posting some of the pics, shortly, will send the url as soon as i am done.

happy riding,
ravi

PS: This is my first ride report. I always wanted to write for my earlier rides, but
procastination is the root cause. This time, i writing this as i am resting after the
ride. So, please feel free to comment on the format also and pardon any errors that may
have creeped in.

"Ravi" wrote in message
...
I wanted to do backside of Mt. Hamilton for a long time. Decided it will
be this July


I can relate. I've done the backside of Hamilton twice. Both times were
brutal. Both were on the Devil Mountain Double.
http://www.quackcyclists.com/Dmd05/DMD2005.htm I think we hit it at around
mile 125-130. I climb a lot of steep roads, but both times on the DMD that
climb has been as painful and slow as it gets.

Nice report, Ravi. The ride to Patterson and back is a deceptively
tough one. I use it as a gauge of my long distance fitness. The
climb out of Del Puerto Canyon is a killer, that always seems to sap
my strength. I don't know why, either. It's not that long.

When I'm in good form, I do that route in about 8 hours. 8:30 if I'm
not. Hydration and electrolytes are super important, as the return
climbs are always hit.

There is usually water on the back side of Hamilton, near the 3-mile
marker. I rode by it last Saturday, but I didn't notice if it was
still running water. If I drink plenty at the Junction and fill both
bottles, I can make it to the top of Hamilton with only two bottles.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

Terry Morse wrote:

There is usually water on the back side of Hamilton, near the 3-mile
marker. I rode by it last Saturday, but I didn't notice if it was
still running water. If I drink plenty at the Junction and fill both
bottles, I can make it to the top of Hamilton with only two bottles.

I had two bottles, but a third (smaller) would have just done it i think.

A hydration related question: does breathing thru the mouth make one
loose water more quickly ?? I somehow felt that is the case, is it true?
Especially on a hot day ?

thanks,
ravi

I never tried the back side of Hamiton. I rode the front side 3 times in one
day for Deathride training. But the backside looks much worst than the
frontside. At least you can get water on Grant Ranch on the front side
before getting to the top. I rode Mines Rd from the junction to Livermore
and that is a long stretch to make with 2 large bottles in the 100+ heat.
The Hamiton to Livermore rides made me buy a small camelback about 40oz
side. That with the 2 large bottles get me through the worst sections in the
heat. I remember drinking over 3 gals of water on a ride once.

By the way where is the water stop at mile 3 on the backside?

cel


"Ravi" wrote in message
news:1120602378.154927@sj-nntpcache-3...
Terry Morse wrote:

There is usually water on the back side of Hamilton, near the 3-mile
marker. I rode by it last Saturday, but I didn't notice if it was
still running water. If I drink plenty at the Junction and fill both
bottles, I can make it to the top of Hamilton with only two bottles.

I had two bottles, but a third (smaller) would have just done it i think.

A hydration related question: does breathing thru the mouth make one
loose water more quickly ?? I somehow felt that is the case, is it true?
Especially on a hot day ?

thanks,
ravi

Ravi wrote:

A hydration related question: does breathing thru the mouth make one
loose water more quickly ??

Yes, although breathing solely through the nose is usually not an
option when cycling. Unless you're going quite slowly, or descending.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/