Bicycles Are Red Hot!: Cycling From San Francisco To Sausalito

If your bike's in sorry shape, don't hesitate to rent one.

This ride isn’t for cruisers or fixies, in my humble opinion. So pay the $30 for a day on a bike with a few gear options.

Use your glutes.

Pedal through with your heels and squeeze your bum bum, or your quads will be burning before you even reach the bridge. I wish someone would have told ME this before I had to take a 20 minute break on the top of the hill to pout and eat a banana. (photo: lumrax.com)

The only real steep parts are in the beginning.

Don’t get discouraged! Once you reach the bridge, it’s mostly flat or downhill for the rest of the time. Plus the views are pretty distracting. The stint of uphill terrain in the Presidio is rewarded by a peaceful descent into Sausalito later on.

If you're afraid of heights...

…This might not be the ride for you. But try to be brave, because it’s totally worth it.

For Cycling Experts

Don’t stop yet! Try biking all the way to Tiburon. It should only take another hour or so, and there’s a ferry dock there too. Or if you’re crazy talented, you can ditch the ferry and forge back up that hill into the city. A cycling-aficionado friend of mine did this recently, and said it was one of the most challenging rides he’s ever done.

(map by: blazingsaddles.com)

Tandem biking may seem like a cute idea at the rental shop...

…But I saw a whole lot of angry people walking their tandem bikes once things got steep. Trust me, these things are hard enough to pull off on flat ground. Plus, once you get started, you never want to lose momentum. You’ll just have to keep circling as everyone else takes their requisite glamor pics on the bridge.

Fuel up.

The poor hungover girl in our group who didn’t eat breakfast was definitely a lot happier once her boyfriend force fed her some cantaloupe. Even though this is a perfect ride for beginners, it’s not a cakewalk or anything.

Hitchcock fans:

Don’t forget to take the slight detour to the base of the Golden Gate, where you can fantasize about Jimmy Stewart pulling you out of the bay.

You may spy some wildlife.

My handy map had a picture of a horse beside one of the trails. The prospect alone kept me pedaling fervently. Though we ended our journey sans horse-sighting, a member of my cycling group DID see a jellyfish in the bay. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him I thought it was just a plastic bag, though.

No need to cycle home...

I recommend taking the ferry back into the city. It’s less than $10, and you can treat yourself to another beer as you glide back into the San Francisco fog.

An Unsolicited Anecdote About Bicycles

As I was daydreaming on my bicycle on the ride over the GG Bridge, it occurred to me that it really seemed like we were defying some law of physics by gliding along on these strange machines. I thought that if someone had proposed the design of a bicycle to me before they were invented, I probably would have laughed and called this person an idiot for thinking that we could roll around on a seat attached to two skinny little wheels.

Feel proud as you ride into the sunset!

Not just anyone can pull off this ride. But finishing it will only make you want to go a little farther next time. Hiya!