Leave it to me to pick a hot and windy Saturday to ride 215 kilometers in the South Bay! Starting in Fremont, we rode down to Gilroy, looped around the other side of the bay for a control in Woodside, then crossed the Dumbarton Bridge back to where we began. I managed to convince TBO to ride with me again — mostly because he’s excited about his brand-spanking new Breadwinner “Arbor Lodge” porteur bike and was keen to put some miles on it.

We had plenty of sun slowing us down during our randonneur adventure and missed a few turns along the way — so we ended up riding just over 138 miles in 12 hours (two beer stops en route helped us survive, however.) The East Bay was filled with long, sweltering stretches through San Jose suburbia and Morgan Hill. After lunch we fought headwinds, ascended gentle climbs past Chesbro and Calero Reservoirs, then found some respite from the heat in the the shaded, picturesque foothills of Los Altos. TBO spent many years of his childhood in this area and reminisced about his youth as rolled through these neighborhoods: “There’s my old elementary school…and that’s where I’d go fishing…and that’s where I learned to drive…”

By the time the sun had set, our skin was still glowing from the day’s summer-like warmth as we traversed the Dumbarton Bridge. The evening temperatures were cool and comforting as we made our way to the finish under the light of the full moon.

Note: I took only a few photos as I didn’t bring my regular camera; I think the heat warped my iPhone photos as they’re a tad blurry.