Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Bike Trial

  In Marin, there are scenes of egrets and ducks like this And egrets and egrets like this So that when I ride my bike, I can look and stop and take a picture or just keep riding fully expecting the same picturesque scenery the next ride. There are paved roads, plenty of clearly marked bike lanes and multi-use pedestrian/bike/horse paths. On today’s route through China Camp, I had my choice of at least 6 public restrooms roughly one every 5 miles. In Marin, there are plenty of places to stop for a snack of fresh fruit or water. Many of the cars that pass have bike racks or other sporting equipment attached to a new rack on the back.  The weather is mostly mild, with a little bit of gear like a good rain jacket and bag, a light and thick socks for the winter months, you can bike all year. There are groups to join. The biking is easy.  

  My first bike commute to work could have been a marathon if it was measured in agita. I remember being hot, scared of the cars, hungry, unsure most of the ride. That was five or so years ago and I've been regularly commuting since. My first organized ride, The Tour of Novato, was only 30 miles. I fretted about it for weeks in advance, full on jitters the night before and fell at an impossibly slow speed on one of the turns from overthinking it. Now, I regularly ride 25 miles or so on the longe route home from work. My first century, El Tour de Tucson, gave me all kinds of nerves including an urgent trip to the porta-potty just before the start and shaking arms the first mile or so. Crossing the finish line I thought, is that all there is? I finished all of these restrospectivley small hurdles, without much trouble beyond dealing with my own anxiety around each. The Marin Century is just around the corner. I thought about doing it once a couple years back until we drove the route ...