Martinez to Sacramento Bike + Amtrak

Join us for a spring pilgrimage to Sacramento! (as long as the Yolo Causeway still stands.) We'll explore the regions beyond the bay, navigating our way to Old Town Sacramento. Our ride will pass through / along Benicia, Fairfield / Mankas Corner, Vacaville, Winters (short lunch stop), Davis before finally winding up in Sacramento where we will return via Amtrak.

UPDATE 4/10/24: We are going with the Rain date - Sat, April 27.
UPDATE 4/25/24: We are going to need to ride the 5 mile detour via Lake Herman road to avoid the closure and fence / guard (!) on Lopes Rd south of Fairfield. Thanks Jose and Raquel for alerting me to this.

Because this is a long ride, with few services along the way, please no beginners. Intermediate riders with good fitness ok. This is not a difficult ride, just a long one.

Distance is 82 mi. from Martinez. Elevation gain is slightly more than 2,600 ft. The route is scenic and nice. Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46380703

MEET IN MARTINEZ AT 8:00 for an 8:15 (ish) a.m. rollout. See train instructions below.

Prior meetup event and pictures from 2023:
https://www.meetup.com/bikethebaycycists/events/284438263/

Road conditions vary. In 2023, most of the asphalt was good. Some stretches, esp. around Benicia area, were a bit rugged with some potholes. There was a washout we had to "hike and bike" around mile 20. Bring spare tubes and patch kits.

I expect everyone to maintain a ride pace of 14-15 mph on flat sections, slower on uphill, with short rest stops every 45-60 minutes. Because of the longer distance of this ride and the fact we are dependent on the train to get us back home, we will not have time wait for riders who have mechanical failure. A flat tire is ok, and someone will hopefully be able to help you, but anything else, and you'll be on your own. Please be prepared to call a loved one for assistance if you get stuck or lost.

Our initial group will gather in the parking lot at MARTINEZ AMTRAK STATION AT 8:00 A.M. with planned roll-out by 8:15 a.m. For the morning journey to Martinez, you can drive and park for free at the station. There is also a San Joaquin Corridor train that departs Oakland Jack London Square at 7:12 a.m. It is a bike-friendly train, meaning you can roll your bike on board. The ride start time is dictated by this train, since I will be using it. Sorry that this means such an early start.

I expect we will complete the ride in 7.5 hours, including rest stops, which would be 3:30 - 4 p.m. There are 3 return trains to consider from Sacramento: 4:55 p.m., 6:55 p.m. and 7:55 p.m. Note that your return to Jack London Square is approx. 2 hours later. If the weather is good, I might take the 6:55 train, to allow me time to explore Sacramento a bit (with or without company.) While the end time for the event is 8 p.m., that is only an estimate. You *might* be back home by 7:30 p.m., if all goes according to plan and you make the 4:55 train. If your family needs to know a firm time, tell them 9:30 p.m. to allow for the 6:55 p.m. train.

Here is the Amtrak / capital corridor train schedule : https://images.capitolcorridor.org/trainschedule/Train_Schedules.pdf

I would like to try to ride as a group, more or less, until we get to the left turn onto Lyon Rd. at 35 mi. This is a good bail-out point for anyone needing to get back to Amtrak in Fairfield/Vacaville, 4 mi. away. There is also an Amtrak station in Davis, so if you are lagging or a problem occurs after Fairfield, you can return home using that.

Assuming we are maintaining a reasonable pace, there will be a lunch stop for the lead group in Winters for 30 minutes (bring your own food or there may be a burrito shop.) This would be an opportunity for slower riders to catch up some.

• What to bring
Tire width recommendation 25mm and above.
FACE MASK for trains, Clipper card, Credit Card or wallet, Water bottle, sunscreen, SPARE TUBE and patch kit, TIRE PUMP. FOOD (esp. protein / salty snacks / electroytes.) , roadside snacks. LIGHTS for potentially returning after dark. Potentially a HI-VIZ jacket. Your cycling computer, if you have one.

> 1 day before the event: Please DM me on meetup with questions or respond to comments below.
Day before/of the event: Please text me at 510-759-6646.