And what do I think of the other side of Palomares

Distance 86.4mi
Moving Time 6:55:19
Elevation 6,936ft
Avg Speed 12.5mi/h
Max Speed 36.7mi/h

I thought yesterday was a lot of climbing. Today's ride was led by Mark with Co-Leaders: Kathryn Chess, Judy Gerber, George Harrison, Bob Golden, Rachel Carl, and Hugo Sosa - Mary Beth and Nicole were Rest Stop/Sweep support.

Boy, oh boy, oh boy. We climbed upper Pinehurst to Skyline Drive for a break at Sibley Park. After our break at Sibley, we rode south along Skyline Drive, past the Oakland Zoo, and around Lake Chabot to Castro Valley for our lunch break. From there, we cycled east over the Dublin Grade, then headed south to Sunol for another break. After that, we cycled along Hwy 84 before turning right to climb Palomares (the reverse direction from yesterday) on our way back to Castro Valley, then up, up, up Redwood Road, up and over lower Pinehurst, then up and over Moraga and finally to Orinda BART.

The climb to Palomares yesterday seemed challenging, until we went up the other side today, which had no respite from a continuous incline. At least yesterday, there were a few flat spots. So after 86.4 miles of riding today, I thought I was going to ride for another hour for over 100 miles. The need for a new a - - after the 86.4 miles made me head on home to celebrate the holiday with John, which was a much better idea.