Alto Velo Club Rides

• The Sunday A Ride. A long, aggressive ride, often with significant climbing. The route frequently goes out to the coast and back, so if you are unsure about your fitness, we'd recommend trying the B Ride first. Though the pace may be fast at times, the ride always regroups at the top of significant climbs. The group meets at Peet's Coffee in Los Altos at 9:00 am, Sundays. If the web page is not up to date, Check the AV list on yahoogroups for the latest route.
• The Saturday B Ride. The pace of this ride is slower then the A ride, with an emphasis on a steady pace with short regroups. If you need to really hammer, go on the A ride. The B Ride meets at Peet's in Los Altos at 9 am on Saturdays. If the web page is not up to date, Check the AV list on yahoogroups for the latest route.
• The Wednesday Ride. The Wednesday Ride is typically an epic ride through the coastal mountains led by Dave Stahl. Local pros often use this ride as an opportunity to get in some steady, easy miles, and this is a great opportunity to ride with them. It meets at Peet's in Los Altos at 9:00 am and leaves at 9:10 am - arrive early if you want coffee.
• The Egan Ride. If you have to do intervals, the Egan rides is one of the least painful ways to do them. It leaves from the Egan Middle School in Los Altos at 6 pm on Tuesdays once day light savings time takes effect. The route typically winds its way through Los Altos Hills in a serpentine roller coaster of climbs and descents designed to generate a deep lactic acid burn in even the strongest riders.
• The Juniors Ride.  Alto Velo now supports a juniors program.  They will meet the first Sunday of the month.  Check the AV list on yahoogroups for the time and place.

Other Local Group Rides

• The Spectrum Ride. The Spectrum Ride officially starts at the Starbucks at the corner of Hollenbeck and Homestead in Sunnyvale, but often picks up additional riders as it motors along Foothill expressway toward Palo Alto. The route has changed somewhat over the years, and now winds its way through Portola Valley, and out Canada road through Woodside. Riders typically contest hot spot sprints at the Woodside town line, and the end of Canada road. This local classic starts each Saturday at 9 am, and typically rolls past downtown Los Altos around 9:15.
• The Noon Ride. For those that desire a bit of interval work, the noon ride at Page Mill and Old Page Mill road at 12:00 PM sharp is worth the aggravation of getting there. Pick up the pack about 12:06 rolling past the Park and Ride on Page Mill Road. There's always a 1-hour loop back to Page Mill and Foothill, with longer options on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The loop is about 22 miles.
  
  Doing the ride a couple of times a week will leave you with the sense that you're participating in a cycling epic. It's also good training for road racing, with an occasionally unruly pack that demands good bike handling skills. Frequently unfolding like a road race with surges and little attacks on the hills, you'll contest sprint points in the middle to the end.
• The Morning Ride. This fast group ride meet at the downtown Palo Alto Starbucks (on University Ave) early in the morning at 6:25 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This ride travels opposite of the Noon ride around The Loop: Sand Hill, Portola, Alpine.
  
• The Wednesday Ride (aka The Valley Ride). This popular group ride departs from the Los Altos Peet's around 6 pm each Wednesday once day light savings time kicks in. A true hammer-fest, with many local elite riders using it as their hard, midweek training session between weekend races. The route takes you through Woodside and Portola Valley, with an intermediate sprint at the Woodside town line. The climax of the ride is the KOM sprint at the top of Huddart Park, but riders also contest the sprint for the Addison-Wesley sign on Sand Hill road and the sprint for Page Mill road.
• The "Alviso" Ride. This ride leaves at 12:00 sharp on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the Santa Clara Golf Course parking lot.  Depending upon conditions, the ride will either do a 3 laps around Alviso with a sprint near the end of each lap or it will be a simulated criterium in a nearby parking lot.  Each ride is approximately 20 miles and both are fast.

Beyond the Bay Area

• Sacramento Saturday River Ride Meets behind City Bicycle Works at 2419 K St at 10AM. It is a fast ride it picks up in pace in the Garden Hwy. Description: Meet behind City Bicycle Works (24th & K Street) and roll out at 10:00am. The ride cruises through downtown Sacramento and out to Garden Highway. The ride picks up in pace and begins to settle in after the long right hand curve. The ride pace is fast and furious with plenty of attacks. The ride sprints for the Yolo county line and then turns around. The pace on the way back will also be fast with a final sprint for the Sacramento county line.
• Folsom Ophir Milan - Coffee Republic Ride
  
  • When: Saturdays - 9:30am PDT to about 12:00pm
  • Where: Greenback and Auburn Folsom Blvd in Folsom (the parking lot of Coffee Republic & McDonalds
  • Route: The ride winds through towns like Granite Bay, Auburn, Penryn and finishes back in Folsom. The pace is moderate up to the half way point, which is mainly up hill. On the way back, the pace is fast with a rotating pace line.