Description

The 75 mile (actually about 74 mile) course with about 6,000 feet of climbing is our most popular route. From the start at St Mary's College it climbs the east side of the Oakland-Berkeley hills via Pinehurst Road, then follows the ridge up and over Grizzly Peak and into Tilden Park to the rest stop at Island Picnic Area. It then drops down alongside San Pablo Reservoir and heads north to the edge of the Bay and the Carquinez Strait to the rest stop at Crockett. From there it climbs McEwen Road for a run down into Franklin Canyon and Alhambra Valley, then over Pig Farm Hill and through the hills around Briones Reservoir to the rest stop at Briones Regional Park. Finally, relatively easy riding on Moraga Way takes you back to the start for the post-ride meal.

Alternative Car-Free Start

If you use our car-free start at Island Picnic Area, just join the regular route and you will eventually get to St Mary's College where the barbeque takes place. Enjoy your meal, then ride the 18 miles back past Island (which will be long since closed), or deviate from the course at whatever point is best for your return trip home. Use the directions on the start of the cue sheet if you need help.

Tricky Bits

• At mile 3.1 turn right onto Pinehurst Road. The 100 mile route goes left here, so be careful not to follow them.
• At mile 30.1 turn left onto Alhambra Valley Road. The 50 mile route goes right here, so be careful not to follow them. If you arrive at this point after 1:00pm, turn RIGHT instead, and follow the 50 mi route arrows to Briones rest stop and the finish at St Mary's.
• At mile 33.9 continue straight onto Tennent Ave. This has changed since prior years.
• At mile 34.7 weave your way onto Railroad Ave and then the Bay Trail bike/ped bridge. The next 2.5 miles are on a multi-use trail. Ride slowly and be courteous to other trail users (pedestrians, dogs, strollers, etc).
• At mile 40.6 in Crockett turn left onto 2nd Ave. This has changed since prior years. The rest stop is now in Crockett.
• At mile 44.1 turn sharply right onto the very steep McEwen Road. Gear down before the turn!
• At mile 60.9 turn left into Briones Park to go to the rest stop. It is on a fast descent, so easy to miss.

Map

Below is a tentative map. You will receive a final map at registration. Note that you can click on View Full Version to see more details or Send to Device to export files suitable for your GPS device.

Cue Sheet

Coming Soon.