I am stoked to present volume 1 in a multi-volume photo collection of my on-going bike adventures around the Bay Area and beyond this year. You can always find me out riding any given day, but man do you really get going when the weather’s prime and those sun rays are beaming- this is California Dirt Dreamin’
If you’re looking for SF’s best local singletrack trails, then Mt. Sutro’s interior greenbelt and Twin Peaks are probably at the top of that list. Roughly scattered around the Sutro radio tower in the geographic center of San Francisco, lies a surprisingly fun network of trails to link up and ride. It’s pretty awesome having our own lush forest to rip around in, just a few miles away from most people’s homes.
Here’s a Trail Forks map you can peep if you want to check the trails out for yourself (and you should!)
The Northern Sierras of California are a quite a special place and even more so… if you mix in gravel bikes. I’ve known about the Lost and Found race for awhile but hadn’t felt 100% ready to tackle the 100 mile gravel grinder until this year and man, was it totally worth it.
The race kicks off in a mass start for everyone in the 102 mile format (there’s also a 67 and a 35 mile format). This mass of cyclists is lead at the very front by highway patrol eventually leading us to our first gravel road. We’d spend the next 8 1/2+ hours peddling through what seemed like every type of gravel mountain terrain imaginable. It had been raining heavy yet sporadic in the Sierras leading up to the race, providing ample mud pits with even snow still present on the course in numerous areas.
What up fellow Riders! Spencer here, the newest contributor to Wheel Talk. I wanted to introduce myself, go over my love(s) for riding, and provide a scoop on what you can expect to see from me in what’s shaping up to be frickin’ awesome year for bike riding. So let’s get into it.
I’ve been riding bikes for well over 12 years now, with the past 9 years residing in San Francisco, California. I was fully convinced I’d be able to push my limits and grow as a rider after diving straight into a truly fast paced topographically-rich city. And… I was right.
My first bike love was (and remains in many ways) forged on the urban track bike. I specifically say ‘urban track’ because I am not a velodrome track racer or possess (much of any) traditional track hardware on my current fixed rig. I always found myself firmly split between doing tricks and charging down hills, slashing thru car traffic to be my own personal bread n’ butter.