Dumbarton Bridge Loop
Trail Review:
I parked at the Sunnyvale Baylands Park and rode the Bay Trail in a clockwise direction over the Dumbarton Bridge. When I met Highway 237, I rode the Highway 237 Bikeway until it connected back with the Bay Trail.
The peninsula-side of the Bay Trail was pretty with views of the bay lands and the wildlife associated with that. The trails were either paved, packed dirt, wooden bridges, or gravel. Despite the recent rains, there were no pooled water and easy to ride. There were a healthy amount of people on the trail, but not enough to make the ride stressful.
The Dumbarton Bridge was the highlight of this ride. The bridge has a gentle slope, so the ride was less strenuous than I thought it would be. The cars are on the other side of a waist-high concrete divider, so I felt safe, but it was definitely loud. The views of the old train bridge was the best part.
The ride on the east-bay-side was all street bike riding. There was a bike lane the entire time, but there were lots of cars and office buildings. On the plus side, there were gas stations and fast food restaurants within a block of where I rode, so if I needed it, it would have been easy to take a food break. I saw almost no other bikers or even street walkers on the east side of the bay. I only started seeing people once I rode past the small town of Alviso.
There is zero shade on this ride.
Surprisingly, there are only a few facilities. Basically, they only exist when the trail happens to pass a park.
What I Learned:
Although the bay lands are pretty in their own way, there were only a few spots where I couldn’t hear car traffic. A peaceful ride, this ride was not.
It had been a while since I rode my bike last and I definitely struggled in the last 5 miles, but I still made it with minimal rest.
I need to put more gear in my bike med kit. I didn’t have proper equipment to help give a full assessment.
I assumed that parking at Sunnyvale Baylands Park would be free, but alas, it was $6. At least the facilities were clean.
Media Consumed:
A Rover’s Story—finished!
Foundation
What Happened?
37.6 miles, 3 hrs 42 mins, 913 ft of ascent
I’ve been meaning to bike across the Dumbarton Bridge for a few years and I’m very happy to have done so. I had biked large parts of the Bay Trail on the peninsula-side, and it was as nice as I had remembered it. Actually, it was even nicer than previous times since there was much less wind today.
One part I won’t forget was after Dumbarton Bridge—I was riding at a good pace on Marshlands Road when a fellow cyclist passing me fell and skidded on the road 20 ft in front of me. I panicked or half a second (that felt much longer), then pulled over to the side of the road. I immediately went over and asked if he was okay. There were two other cyclists he was riding with and they stopped as well. After seeing that the injuries were just surface injuries, we got him and his bike (it was so light compared to mine) off the road. I went through my first aid kit in my bike and didn’t find gloves. Since he was standing/walking just fine and I didn’t have gloves, I didn’t give him a full head to toe exam. I did fish out antibiotic ointment and some alcohol wipes for him to start cleaning some of the scrapes. Because he was going 15-20 mph, he had big rashes/scrapes on his knee, hips, fingers, forearms, upper arm, and face. After a few minutes (or maybe 10?), his friends told me that they had called his family to pick him up, and he told me that he was totally fine and that I should go. I think if he were alone, I would have stayed and waited with him, but I felt that he was in good hands with a good plan, so I continued on my bike ride.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. I will say that with about 5 miles to go, my energy level totally dropped and those 5 miles had to be earned. Although that didn’t feel great, once I got back to my car, I felt good. When I had left Baylands Park, it was quiet—when I returned, the parking lot was completely full with hundreds (if not more) of people enjoying the good weather. It was really nice to see, especially given the terrible weather we’ve had the previous few weekends.