Mount Hamilton
Route Review:
I parked at the corner of Alum Rock Ave and Mount Hamilton Road and took Mount Hamilton Road all the way up to Lick Observatory.
Mount Hamilton Road was almost a perfectly paved, smooth road that provided a near-constant 6-7% grade on the climbs. There were two descents on the way up, one lasting almost two miles and another that lasted one mile. The views were fantastic the entire way up, first of the city of San Jose, and the latter half of the Diablo Range.
Because I started so early, there were almost no traffic on the road. On the way down, there were a few cars and motorcycles, but they were well mannered and I appreciated the space they gave me.
What I Learned:
I need to bring more snacks on remote bike rides. I had eaten through the three pastries that I had brought by the time I got to the summit, and I was hungry for food.
I found out at the summit that although the gift shop wouldn’t open for another 4 hours, that they had vending machines! Unfortunately, it only took cash, and I didn’t have any bills on me. I was so very sad that if I had known this, I would have enjoyed a bag of Doritos and a can of Coke.
Even on mostly downhill, I just shouldn’t attempt to do hard rides when it is above 75 degrees outside.
I forgot my earbuds, which made the grueling bits of the ride that much worse.
I was so glad that I biked with a long sleeve sun shirt and running shorts. Although I was a tiny bit chilly at the start, I was feeling comfortable just a few minutes into the ride (it was 60 degrees at 4:30am).
What Happened?
37.4 miles, 5 hr 41 min, 5314 ft of ascent
I woke up early and started the ride at 4:30am. This was my first night ride in a very long time, but I actually enjoyed the tranquility of being alone on the road. The lack of light didn’t bother me at all, which was a little surprising. Another surprising fact was that I actually maintained an average pace of 5-6mph, and felt great for the first two hours. Also, the lack of entertainment (due to forgetting my earbuds) wasn’t bad at all, and actually enjoyed listening to the various sounds on the trail—of note were the roosters that started their morning call around 5am.
Starting around the two hour mark was when I started to feel a bit fatigued and the ride started feeling monotonous due to how constant the grade of the road was. The mountain also looked so close, and so climbable. But I swear, until I was about 20 minutes away from the top, I felt like I was stuck in a look with each corner looking more and more familiar. The last hour was mentally tough—with my achilles aching, I really just wanted to give up and turn around. But I persevered and got to the top at the 4 hour mark.
I took a well deserved break at the top of Lick Observatory, taking lots of pictures and refilling my water bottles. Because I was so hungry, I decided on a shorter-than-expected rest and started my descent.
The first half of the ride down wasn’t much fun (compared to other mountains like Diablo), as I had to ride my breaks due to the sharp corners that required me to slow down to a crawl. The two climbs were also just draining. Especially the last one, where the ambient temperature was already above 75 degrees. I felt a bit nauseous and I believe it was due to a bit of heat exhaustion.
I enjoyed the last half of the ride down as I could go fast and there weren’t too many sharp turns. I did however, feel really sleepy. But I managed to stay awake and get back to my car without any issues. I then headed off to eat a large breakfast.