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Wooded ride suggestion, in/near SJ for non bicyclist?

919 views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  IAmHolland 
#1 ·
Ok, need some suggestions folks. My brother in law is in town, and wants to do one more ride before he leaves on Sunday.
He's a strong guy, but way lacking in cardio, doesn't EVER mountain bike, or any kind of bike.

Earlier this week I took him to Santa Teresa and did the Bernal Hill, Joice, and vista loop, loop from the main parking lot, then a quick up and back on Fortini trail. Took us about an hour, he had to walk a couple of the steeper spots, and the man who never naps was out cold when we got home, lol. It's all fire-road so he didn't seem to have any problems with the terrain.

So, with the above in mind, I was hoping to change up the scenery for him and hit some wooded trails, maybe a little single track. I just don't want to put him in any situations that could put him in the hospital the day before he gets on the plane. And want to keep it to an hour ride(slow/moderate pace).

Any suggestions?

I was thinking Saratoga Gap, but maybe it's too hilly? dangerous for the inexperienced rider? Or maybe I'm being too cautious?
 
#2 ·
Saratoga Gap isn't a bad idea as long as you can provide him with some heads-up to dismount and walk at the few technical spots. It otherwise matches your criteria of singletrack, wooded, and lack of climbs fairly well.

What I'd consider ideal for your purpose (other than being singletrack, which it's not) would be Old Haul Road, actually. But, I'm not sure if that would fit your definition of being "near San Jose".

A few other "partial matches" could include Fremont Older (Seven Springs Trail is a gentle, wooded, singletrack descent from the Prospect Road entrance, but is short enough to require a few repetitions to add up to one hour), Harvey Bear Ranch (the eastern half of the loop is a nice and wooded flat meander with lake views, though there's some earlier climbing to be done to even get there), and Berry Creek Falls (again, if you'd consider its location to be within your range).
 
#3 ·
So, with the above in mind, I was hoping to change up the scenery for him and hit some wooded trails, maybe a little single track. I just don't want to put him in any situations that could put him in the hospital the day before he gets on the plane. And want to keep it to an hour ride(slow/moderate pace).

Any suggestions?

I was thinking Saratoga Gap, but maybe it's too hilly? dangerous for the inexperienced rider? Or maybe I'm being too cautious?
Not really too hilly, but rolling with sprint spurts will really wear one out. The lollipop may have him cramping at the end, but only one way to find out.

Yes, dangerous for a n00b. The roots and rocks could end badly if he has more balls than skills or hits the root drops and rocky switchbacks at speed cause he's not looking and endo's and launches off the trail. Going to the Gap would never be an option for a n00b.

No, not too cautious. Try doing the Long Ridge loop only. This would be my third option. It's what I do with my son. Start from the section where you exit the Gap and cross over, or drive over to the Grizzly Flat parking location. The former is about 6 mi, the latter is about 4 mi. It's has a bit of tech, and can be a bit fast/sketchy for a newbie around the turns.

Take him to Fremont Older, would be my second option. Do the Toyon trails. Some steep bits, but less technical. You can loop it. Toyon 3 is the nicest and the furthest out, but also the steepest. Toyon 2 might be doable for him, and Toyon 1 for sure. There's also some single track, I think off of Vista Loop, but out by Toyon 2 and Toyon 3 that runs into the Vista Loop trail. It's a short stint, but you have options to connect with fireroad.

If he's feeling stronger, the 7 springs loop is nice, more of a 1.5 track than a single track. Do it clockwise, for the climbing in the shade. Counter-clockwise, IMO, has more sun on the climb and is a bit harder.

There are also some nice options at Arastradero, which would be my first option as it's the easiest to do, but you need to link it right. It's a bit further of a drive. You can also tool around at the bowl a bit, or watch.

The STCP ride you described in 1 hour is probably too fast. Take it to 1.5 hrs with breaks and snack and water. People, especially new riders, may forget that heat is relatively dry out here. Getting knocked out after a ride can be more than just physical exhaustion. Heat exhaustion, and dehydration can play into it. I've been riding for a while, and even I get heat exhaustion and dehydration by going too hard and not taking in enough fluids with minerals to replenish what I sweat out.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all the help! I've got 3 to 4 good suggestions to look into. I totally forgot about fremont older, I always here about it, but have never been there myself, so I'll def. look into this option.
Old Haul and Harvey Bear also sound like good options, depending how far away they are. I've never heard of either.
I considered Long ridge, but it's kind of the same dry rolling hills as ST.

The STCP ride you described in 1 hour is probably too fast. Take it to 1.5 hrs with breaks and snack and water. People, especially new riders, may forget that heat is relatively dry out here. Getting knocked out after a ride can be more than just physical exhaustion. Heat exhaustion, and dehydration can play into it. I've been riding for a while, and even I get heat exhaustion and dehydration by going too hard and not taking in enough fluids with minerals to replenish what I sweat out.
Good point. This just may be what happened. I wasn't keeping track of his fluids. Just asked, and he said he only took two drinks the whole ride, lol. I suck down so much water I never think about other people not knowing about heat stroke and dehydration.
 
#4 ·
There's also the Los Alamitos singletrack. It's short, but you can connect it to STCP and then go all the way to the other end of STCP to hit Ohlone trail. Ohlone is in a bad spot, steep climbs out on both sides, but you can drop down and climb up Bernal Rd.

Lots of goatheads on Los Alamitos, though.



Here's Old Haul Road. I didn't ride all the way to the end, but it's not much further. It's also not singletrack.



Here's Long Ridge from Grizzly Flat.



Here's Long Ridge without Gap.



Here's an Arastradero ride

 
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