Climbing Mt. Tam (Alpine Dam Loop)

Today, our gang of 12 riders set out for some Marin County climbing. Our journey began with a teaser climb up Camino Alto and cool descent into Corte Madera. The sun was bright and the fresh San Francisco Bay air was crisp as we made our way towards The College of Marin. We turned onto Kent Avenue and into the quaint town of Ross. The roads were in pristine condition (unlike Sonoma County) and recreational cyclists abound. We noticed many San Francisco Cycling Club jerseys (Velo Girls, Golden Gate Cyclists, Different Spokes, Yellow Jackets, etc). We pacelined through Downtown San Anselmo and headed towards Fairfax. We turned on Bolinas-Fairfax road for a tough 5 mile climb to Alpine Dam Bridge. The dam was beautiful and the sound of crashing water calmed our collective spirits (see photo). What a beautiful place to regroup! We then took off on a 2 mile steep climb to Ridgecrest Blvd. Sarah warned me that we had to deal with a series of rollers called the “seven sisters” (actually, she called them the seven bitches). These unrelenting rolling hills were small, but the grades were exhausting. After the sixth “bitch”, my legs cramped up! I’ve never had this happen before and the sharp sensation actually prevented my legs from bending. Luckily, Paul came to my rescue with a handful of Hammer Endurolytes and a forceful leg massage. After about 5 minutes, my electrolytes were replaced and I was ready to climb the remaining “bitch”. We arrived at the Pan Toll Station, atop Mt. Tam, where the bay views were spectacular. After spending some time chatting, eating, drinking, and just enjoying our accomplishment, we began the wild descent down Pan Toll Road and merged into Panoramic Highway. The remainder 8 miles of the route was flat as we navigated SR1 back to Camino Alto. Today’s Marin County trek up Mt. Tam took us 32 miles with 3,400 feet of climbing. What a great day!