Bikepacking, TheCommute, Travel - October 28, 2014

Epic Rides: TheCommute Day 6

Photo by James Adamson – dropmedia.tv

Starting last Sunday, a group of three intrepid mountain bike explorers lit out from North Lake Tahoe heading west through hundreds of miles of known and unknown singletrack, double track and the occasional bike lane on their way to the ultimate destination of San Francisco on a ride dubbed simply “TheCommute.” Our very own Angry Singlespeeder (AKA Kurt Gensheimer) is one of those explorers and we will be posting mostly visual updates throughout the week as the group makes their way west with the towns of Nevada City, Auburn, Folsom, Davis, Cache Creek, Calistoga, Novato and finally San Francisco pencilled in on the route.

Below are photos and descriptions of Day 6’s segment from Santa Rosa to Marin, Calif. You can look at their Day 6 Strava Tracks here.

Photo by James Adamson – dropmedia.tv

The Commute Day 6

Day 6 of TheCommute took us from Santa Rosa to Marin, covering 58 miles and 5,200 feet of climbing. Although it was one of the less strenuous days, for the first time on the trip I really felt the suffer. Climbing Rough Go at Annadel State Park wasn’t too bad, but once over the ridge, the long climb to the top of Jack London State Park simply wore me out after an especially brutal Day 5. Our guides Kent, Nick and Scot showed us some top drawer singletrack, and after a refuel in Glen Ellen, we hit a long and unfortunate 30 mile stretch of road to Marin.

Photos by James Adamson – dropmedia.tv

Seeing the throng of commuters lined up on Highway 37 in Friday afternoon traffic was an eye opener. After nearly a week of nothing but riding, eating, sleeping and meeting new friends, I am resolve to never again live a life where I must waste hours a day sitting in a car amidst gridlock. Life is too short for that nonsense. As we approached Justin’s stomping grounds near the base of Mt. Tam, he has come alive with energy, powering up every hill, and on the way to staying at his parents’ house, cruelly taking James and I up the steepest hike-a-bike we’ve encountered on this trip. It was so steep I just started laughing. “Welcome to Marin, boys!”, Justin shouted from the top.

Tomorrow we ride over the Golden Gate and into San Francisco. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better pair of mates to experience it with. – Kurt Gensheimer