You go there by car with the bike in back. We also have nice and
pristine trails within riding distance which I use regularly. Some even
for utility rides which is rare in other areas.
Same thing by now, it all one gigantic clog.
>>
>>> Out to the coast? Old LaHonda to the coast was awesome.
>>>
https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/attachments/172370/ I
>>> still miss that. I miss Hamilton except for the crack seal. I
>>> finished first in the Mt. Hamilton Challenge (200K/>10K climbing)
>>> -- that was a great day.
>>>
>>
>> Congratulations. I never participated in a race and never will. Not
>> my cuppa tea. I am also not the top notch sports guy like you are.
>
> It is now referred to as a "gran fondo." I never did do the Mt.
> Hamilton Road Race. I knew I would get dropped by the 120lb guys.
Yeah, but you'd get'em on the way down :-)
> Have to take your victories where you can get them.
>
I've never felt the urge to achieve a victory in cycling.
>>
>>> All these places beat the shit out of Cameron Park.
>>
>>
>> They sure do not.
>>
>
> All I hear from you is how incredibly dangerous it is to ride in
> Cameron Park and the environs. It sounds like a living hell.
I never said that. I said it is risky on some roads here. Because it is.
> ... Why
> would anyone want to live there who likes to ride on the road?
Road bikers usually prefer Folsom and sometimes El Dorado Hills. There
you have much better connections to the bike path system. Some time next
year we will, too, at least such that the stretches on busy roads shrink
to 2-3mi which I find ok. There are two new large developments going in
and Folsom requires builders to provide cycling infrastructure, else no
permits. This will effectively connect the end of a long a long
singletrack (goes all the way to Placerville and then paved on to
Camino) with the American River bike path system and also provide an
easy road with bike lanes from El Dorado Hills into Folsom with same
bike path system access.
> Meanwhile, when I lived in the SCV, I commuted thousands of miles,
> raced, raced track (no velodrome in Cameron Park the last I checked),
A velodrome is the worst kind of cycling I can imagine. Like running in
a squirrel cage.
> rode through dramatic redwood forest to the ocean one day and then
> the next day road up the brown hills of the Hamilton range to a late
> Victorian observatory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lick_Observatory
> Riding through the strawberry fields near Watsonville was amazing --
> like riding through a jar of jam. I frequently rode over to Aptos and
> stayed at a friends house up in the hills, looking down at Monterey
> Bay. Not going to get that in Cameron Park.
>
Try that again nowadays.
>>
>>> ... The SCV also has a strong cycling community -- at least it
>>> did when I was there. Remember Tom Ritchey, Keith Bontrager? --
>>> Jim Blackburn (Blackburn), Jim Gentes (Giro), Mike Sinyard
>>> (Specialized), Rock Shockm( in '90s), etc., etc. Wake up and
>>> smell the coffee. The SCV was the belly-button of the bike
>>> industry and has some spectacular cycling.
>>>
>>
>> I am not into famous people, they don't matter much to me. What I
>> want is pristine nature, preferably no motor-vehicle traffic and
>> the occasional river access. A brewpub here and there can't hurt.
>
> The point I was making is that the SCV has a very active cycling
> community, a deep history in the bicycle industry and many riding
> opportunities. Riding in the SCV was a lot of "fun" for me. It would
> not be fun for you because you find road riding scary, bad, etc.,
> etc. If you're not getting run over by a car, you're dying of
> exhaust inhalation.
>
People don't die from that but they can die earlier than necessary, due
to diseases such as lung cancer. Why on earth would I put up with
inhaling Diesel soot and other particles when we have nice singletrack
all over the place? This week I have to get brewing supplies in Folsom.
I might just take the MTB and use some singletrack on the way. It's got
a rack so it won't matter which bike I take, it's just slower and tire
wear is much higher.