On my day off, I headed south on the coast in search of some mixed-terrain riding. I knew of some fire roads between Pacifica and Montara, so I decided to start there. The trail head was in the parking lot at Grey Whale Cove, where some single track traversed the coastline south before meeting up with the North Peak Access Road, leading all the way to the top.
The beginning of the fire road was broken pavement. Trees lined the road making the climb shaded and pleasant.
As I began to break above the tree line, I looked over my right shoulder and caught a nice view of the coast. To the right is Montara Beach, and in the distance to the left is Half Moon Bay.
As the once-paved fire road gave way to dirt, the grade of the ascent increased dramatically. This climb was at the limit of my ability. Although the road was hard pack, climbing out of the saddle was not an option because my rear wheel would lose traction, so I stayed seated and tried to make my pedal strokes as smooth as possible.
As I increased in altitude, I approached the cloud ceiling. In the distance, the summit is completely socked-in with fog.
Finally, the road leveled-out, and the summit came into view…barely.
There was no view from the summit, only 30mph winds and thick fog. I put on a coat, my gloves and helmet, and prepared for the descent.
On the last pitch of the descent, I overlooked a set of ruts in the road. At about 30-35 MPH, my front tire took a serious side load and the bead separated from the sidewall. It did not explode immediately, so I avoided a crash.
Overall, this was a fun ride. The treacherously steep climb was eased by the breath-taking views, and the anticipation of a long and fast descent.
