Adobe Creek Loop and Alviso Slough Loop

MVP:

Continental Terra Trail Tires—I put these tires in just a few weeks ago, and they’re already proving to be amazing. I swear, with my old tire, I would have suffered a flat or had other issues, but with these new tires, my bike feels brand new, and they’re as reliable as can be. I love them.

Trail Review:

Both Adobe Creek Loop, Alviso Slough Loop, and the SF Bay Trail that connects them are just really awesome trails to bike.
There is no shade to speak of, the roads are a mix of paved, firm sand, or hard packed dirt, but I love the wildlife and the interesting sights you get to see.
Alviso Slough Loop offered the most interesting views, but the worst trail conditions. The trails were hard packed dirt, but bumpy.
Adobe Creek Loop, down to Moffett was either fully paved or flat hard packed dirt, and was the best for road biking.
There were so many birds at Adobe Creek that I was astonished at just the numbers of them starting to wake.
There were restrooms at several points in the trail, though I did not use them, so I don’t know how clean they were.
The trail traffic wasn’t too bad. Near Shoreline Park was the busiest, with the rest of the trails being pretty empty.
On the way back, the winds picked up and I faced 10mph headwinds, which really sucked. I was already tired, and it made these flat trails feel like I was doing an uphill climb, but without the fun downhill part. I wish I started at Alviso, so that I could have enjoyed the winds on the way back.

What I Learned:

I had only planned to do Adobe Creek Loop and bike down to Moffett, but I had so much energy, I said screw it and went all the way down to Alviso. The last 3 miles were really difficult, especially with the head winds.
I can bike 30+ miles without too much issue! I hope to build muscle and in a few weeks/months try for a 50 mile ride.
I should have brought more water (I only carried 800ml, as I thought I was doing a shorter ride). Also, snacks would have been nice.
I forgot to put my phone in power save mode, so my iPhone ran out of power, with about a mile to go. Coincidentally, my AirPods ran out of power at around the same time. Still, for longer rides, I might want to bring along my cell phone charger, as it was disorienting not having a map.

Fears Overcome:

Athleticism—Can I really bike 20+ miles without lots of pain to my legs and my butt? Yes, yes I can. Not only 20 but almost 40! I mean, my legs are very tired, but not painful!

Media Consumed:

Agent Sonya—finished!

What Happened?

I didn’t think I would be biking a second time this weekend due to the brake issues I faced on Saturday, but it turned out that the issue was a simple fix. REI, during the maintenance, had installed one of my rear brake pads the reverse way, such that the pad wasn’t being used. I simply turned it around, and it was all fixed.

With that, I looked for a ~20 mile bike ride to challenge myself, as the SF to Tiburon ride was the longest I had done. And I thought I could do a few more miles.

I started off at Shoreline Park and completed the Adobe Creek Loop without breaking a sweat. The trails were paved, or hard packed dirt and I made quick time of the short loop. I then headed to Alviso Marina County Park with a quick loop at the Sunnyvale WPCP East Pond. When I got to Alviso, I felt fresh and was surprised that after 18 miles, I wasn’t any worse for wear. Well, that surprise lasted a mile, as once I turned north-west on Alviso Slough Trail, I suddenly felt a bit tired. Then heading southeast on Alviso Slough Trail, I got my first taste of headwind. Siri told me it was 9mph, but I powered through it, knowing that this same wind would help me back to Shoreline Park.

Well, as luck would have it, the wind direction changed almost 180 degrees so that I faced headwinds all the way back to Shoreline Park. This really tired me out. Siri said that it was the same 9mph wind, but, I felt that at times, it was much more, maybe even up to 15mph.

When I got back to my car, I was pretty tired, but feeling elated that I had finished the longest bike ride of my life! Next time though, I’m going to bring more water, more snacks, and more confidence.