montebello, part 3

climbed montebello for the third time in seven days - this time on my mountain bike. i was hesitant about doing it again since it takes MUCH longer to go up the paved portion on fat tires. i also felt like i've already over-exhausted montebello and wanted to cover new ground. i ended up going for it cuz i wanted to explore and finish the gravel that phil and i dabbled in on new year's eve (we had to turn around since his road bike got a flat), and i read online that the trails aren't too technical for a beginner like me.

the day ended up being perfect for a bay area winter ride. really hard to accept that i'll soon be flying back to feels-like-15° F weather. still bikeable, albeit far from comfortable. this entry'll be heavy on images - how can i resist sharing when it was so damn beautiful?


it's been a while since the sky was this consistently clear. riding days like these are best spent high up. while i was trudging up, one guy stopped his car and yelled "good job! good job!" at me - probably because fewer people go up montebello by mountain bike from the reservoir. at least this time i had an excuse for being slow and having other cyclists pass me every time - my bike was heavier!


you know those yellow grassy foothills you drive by when you take 280 towards stanford? that's what montebello becomes after the pavement ends.

a nice vista point about a mile into the trail. lots of hikers were coming through to enjoy the view too.

venturing on to unexplored territory. people say montebello trail is doable on a road bike, but it's far more enjoyable on a mountain bike. mountain biking through the preserve also gives you the option of riding on the narrow singletracks that definitely can't be taken on a road bike.

my bike clunks around a lot and makes loud swooshing sounds with its tires. probably scared a bunch of hikers who didn't expect to see me pass them.

one of mtn biking's biggest perks is that instead of cars, you only have to watch out for deer and hikers.

i took a detour from montebello rd. and rode on bella vista trail. i thought about going onto page mill and taking foothill expressway back to saratoga... as soon as i was about to get onto the shoulder, a bunch of roadies sped by and made me remember that i'd have much more fun trail-riding rather than getting passed by road speedsters.

of course, i turned around and climbed back on montebello rd, which had some mud and a few puddles leftover from the rain earlier this week. stuff like that make the trails more interesting. there was more climbing than i expected, but it made the ride a more rewarding experience. when i was making my way up, one hiker told me, "i admire you!" yay for inspiring encouragement :)

i rode through some shady parts, but the sun shined on me a lot. i layered up since i knew i'd probably be out for a long time so it got pretty hot at times. that's a feeling i'll be missing as soon as i return to dc.


came back to that vista point in time to enjoy the sunset.

amazing how far off you can see from here. the view's always one of the things that keeps me going. even when i'm cramping up.


getting back to the paved road...


by then it was getting much colder and i had to rush out to beat the sun, especially since i have no lights (don't do this!).


going downhill is way more enjoyable on a mountain bike - it's not as crazy fast as descending on a road bike, the brake levers are easier to control and you don't have to extend your arms too far out or be hunched over as much.

my ride lasted nearly 6 hours, mostly cuz i stopped a lot to enjoy everything i was riding by. the sun completely set by the time i got onto saratoga sunnyvale (took the longer but flatter way through cupertino to get back). i still felt fairly safe, even on the dark lampless pitch black roads of nighttime saratoga (don't do this!). i didn't leave as early as i had intended today since i was indecisive about where to go, but it was a stellar way to retire the montebello route until the next time i get to ride in the bay area.

ride total: ~33 mi (route approximation)