I'm going to just leave this here...



You can check out the updated route and info here: https://www.radtrail.com/blog/2020/5/6/san-francisco-amp-points-north-ultra-cruise

For now please only attempt this if you live close to the start and have experience doing really long rides. As sashax mentioned none of the camp sites along the route are currently open so this is going to have to be done all in one go for now.

All the Trails and roads along the route are currently open for people who hike or bike in.

I've been toying with the idea of riding the entire Bay Area Ridge Trail. Anyone know the fastest time anyone's done it?

I've been pretty bummed about all the races getting cancelled because of the current virus situation and have been kicking around the idea of creating a locals only ultra endurance challenge that starts and ends in San Francisco. The idea is that I would share a route that people could time trial at their leisure and then post the results to a website as they come in. It would be open to people who live within riding distance of the start who complete the challenge solo. Riders would be required to be completely self supported and self contained (as in no stopping at any businesses along the route).

For the course I've mapped out 145 miles of mostly dirt that uses as much of the bike legal trails/gravel in the Marin Headlands, Mt Tam watershed and Point Reyes as possible. It could be done in a single day but I think some people would take two. See tentative route below.

https://www.strava.com/routes/25585253  

Would anybody here be interested? Is it even ethical to do something like this in the current climate?

I get it. dropping trow with bibs sucks especially if its cold and rainy

I'm really liking the Patigonia nether undershorts. The chamois is thinner and denser than most shorts I've seen if that makes sense. I've also had some luck with some cheapo Pearl Isumi triathlon shorts that have a very minimal chamois. I prefer a minimal but not non existent chamois so take my opinion knowing that.

Hey Carpediday,

You certainly could tackle the SRMR with no previous racing experience but I wouldn't recommend it. The SRMR is arguably one of the more difficult bike packing races out there and the investment of time and money it takes to train and compete in it shouldn't be underestimated. I'd recommend you try your hand at backpacking racing somewhere closer to home first. You'll learn a ton and when you finally do line up at the start of the SRMR you'll have good experience to draw from.

I don't want to dissuade you because the SRMR is a really fucking cool event but it's also seriously difficult. Over the course of the race I cried tears of joy and pain, shit my pants more than once and saw the most beautiful sunset of my life. Good luck and enjoy the journey to the start line weather it be 2020 or 2025!

Some points of reference.

- Kurt made it to Silverton at 6:15pm two years ago.  This year he made it to Silverton at 4:45.
- Scott Sidener made it to Silverton at 10:30pm two years ago. This year he made it at 7:15pm.
- Two years ago, 8 people made it to Silverton before 10pm.  This year, about 20 people will have passed through by 10pm.

Impressive riding this year for sure but this may also have something to do with how crappy the weather was day one in 2017

Thanks Erin. I'm glad you liked it.

In hindsight it's easier to know the best time to do the route. You got heat on the Corizzo plane I had to walk my bike through snow for miles to the bottom of Mount Pinos.

Hey ya'll. I just got around to posting my report of the ride. You can check it out here.

https://www.radtrail.com/blog/2019/5/6/a-racecation-through-the-los-padres-mountains

 Hopefully I can leave with the group next year.

Hey Greg,

It was my first time on the rout so I don't know how the road condition compares to previous years but it seems that the winters rain had taken a tole on the road up by Big Pine Mountain. There were quite a few rock/mud slides many of which I had to walk my bike through also quite a few downed trees. Once I got past Big Pine mountain the road improved quite a bit but there were still a few tricky rock slides to navigate. The decent down from Little Pine to Camuesa was super fun, fast and rocky. I actually slashed my tire sidewall hitting some of the rock slide too fast and had to tube it. Here's some pics.

Wow that was one hell of an adventure. I'm still buzzing from it a day later. Anyone who hasn't ridden the rout yet is in for a treat.

Thanks Erin and Wes for meeting me at the end. That was a pleasant surprise and the beer tasted great after eating nothing but peanut butter all day.

 I'm putting together a detailed recap and will share it when I'm finished. Also, if anyone has questions about the trail conditions feel free to ask.

-Ben

Good idea. I'll leave Saturday instead of tomorrow.

Thanks. That's a good resource even if it's somewhat less optimistic than the website I was looking at.

I'm just gonna go for it weather be dammed. I've set up my spot to ping a buddy to come get me if I need it. I'll let you know how it goes.

-Ben

I dunno. The rain today wasn't enough to definitively make up my mind yay or nay. I'm going to see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. If I do go I'll be the only one out there ya?

Hmm... I guess I'll keep an eye on the weather and see how much actual precipitation comes down Wednesday & Thursday. I have some serious PTSD from peanut butter mud but this is my only open weekend for awhile...

I don't mind riding in the rain but is the rout just not ride-able if the trails/roads get too damp? I guess I'll sign up a couple days before when the weather forecast is more accurate. I'm 100% in for the 22nd start as long as the weather isn't peanut butter mud inducing.

I'm hoping for a march 22 start. I won't be able to make the later dates but I understand if it makes sense to push the race back.

Thanks for the update. On the bright side there may be more water out there for the drinking. I'll keep an eye on the forum and keep my fingers crossed.

Hello Everybody,

I'm planning on coming down from San Francisco for the race and I'm getting pretty excited about it. We've been having a pretty rainy winter up here. What's the word on the street as to weather the race will happen as scheduled on the 22nd?

I designed and 3D printed this stem cap mount. It survived the CTR this year and all the training leading up to it but would probably break with a good wack.





https://www.shapeways.com/product/ULEEGC8QK/garmin-gps-stem-cap-mount?optionId=62413194

I guess this is kind of a late reply but maybe it will help somebody out. When I did this rout last year I added a day at the end of the rout to road ride to Eugene where you can catch a bus with a bike back to bend. Be warned the bus only runs once a day and probably can only fit one or two bikes but I was solo and it worked out for me. The pavement riding was actually a pretty nice wind down after all the awesome single track.