The Climbing Ride,February 9th - Super Bohl(man) Sunday

Most of the U.S. will spend Sunday afternoon eating ultra-processed snacks while swilling down cheap beer while sprawled on the couch in front of a widescreen TV. If that’s your plan you can offset the damage by doing The Climbing Ride in the morning. If it’s not your plan, you can get that wonderful feeling of smug superiority that comes with real athletic accomplishment while others relax. If you want both but need to get home early, there’s a good bail-out point after we descend Bohlman.

(h/t Joshua for the ride title)

If you are not an Alto Velo member you will need to fill out your yearly waiver at https://www.bikereg.com/alto-velo-guest-waiver. And remember that 2025 is a whole new year…

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, "If you are going up hill, keep going".

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36897978
40 Miles, 5151 ft.

Climbs of note: Eden, Pierce, Bohlman/Norton/Kittridge/Quickert, Wildcat Ridge, On Orbit, Apollo Heights, Bohlman, Canyon View, Stoneridge/Bank Mill/Hayfields/Lumbertown, Back side of Eden.

Ride Safety: Don’t be stupid. For additional ride safety rules, please visit https://www.altovelo.org/riding-etiquette

What: The Climbing Ride meets at the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce parking lot on semi-random Sundays at 09:10 and leaves at 09:15. We regroup and recover after every climb; if you can do OLH in under 25 minutes you should have no problem keeping up.

Where: Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. 321 University Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022

Why: Because you’re not like the others. You’re different.

How: Remember, pace yourself appropriately, there's lots of hills to climb! Pay attention to traffic and don't hog the road. Rides are 40-60 miles with 5000-7000 feet of climbing. The emphasis is on little-traveled hills with grades of ten to twenty percent. Riders are encouraged to wear garishly colored socks, and discouraged from vomiting in people’s driveways.