My Biking journey - Davis to San Francisco

I was never the one to be excited about biking. Biking was just a tool to get from place to place for me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect it to become my favorite hobby. It all changed as I returned to Davis to pursue my master's degree.

I vividly remember the first time I rode to the campus and back. I was so exhausted by it. It was not even a long ride, it was only 10km (6 miles) in total. Going from that to being able to ride from Davis to San Francisco (150km or 93 miles) has been an interesting journey.

The Beginning

When I arrived in the USA, I was intrigued when I saw Mike (my host) working on bikes. We started having conversations about different things related to biking. Then he along with Cee (my other host) decided to gift me a road bike that fit me. It is one of the best presents I have ever received. I have never had a bike that fit me properly and never a road bike. That is where my biking as a hobby began.

I started riding around Davis with Mike. Being in Davis, a bike-friendly town helped enhance my experience. Somewhere along the way, biking had gone from just being a means of getting where I needed to be to something that I actually enjoyed doing. I started riding more often and seeing my interest in biking, Mike helped me upgrade the bike and introduced me to biking gear that helped improve my experience much more.

The plan

Eventually, I started biking to places outside Davis towards the end of 2021. As 2022 was approaching, I made it my goal to bike from Davis to San Francisco during the summer of 2022. I wanted to start training for it consistently. I started riding further each time and more regularly. As I rode, I got to go through some nice routes to places like Winters and Dixon.

As spring break approached, I was feeling ambitious and decided to attempt going from Davis to San Francisco during the break. It was very ambitious for me as I had not even gone half the distance on a single ride before. I just decided to attempt it, thinking that the worst thing that could happen was me failing it. I decided to go for it as I saw it as a win-win situation, no matter what happened. If I didn't make it, I would know how far I could go and how much I had to improve to accomplish the goal.

bike route from Davis to SF

The journey

I decided to attempt biking from Davis to San Francisco on March 21st, 2022. It was also helpful that my friends decided to drive down to San Francisco to pick me up and drive me back to Davis. I slept early the previous night so I could start early in the morning. I left the house at 4:50am and started pedaling towards the destination.

Biking early in the morning

The first 3 hours of the journey were very smooth, I had gone a little more than a third of the way passing Dixon, Vacaville, and reached Fairfield. The roads were pretty good although it was mostly farm roads. As I reached Fairfield, my rear tire had a puncture and I almost decided the ride was over. But as it was to be, the ride was not over. Mike drove up to me and helped me get back on the journey.

After I got past Fairfield, the terrain changed from being fairly smooth to being hilly. It was where the ride started being challenging. Hills and bridges have always been my least favorite place to ride. My motivation to make it to San Francisco made me climb the uphill slopes. My effort in climbing the uphill slopes was well worth it as the reward of being able to coast downhill was both exciting and terrifying. I got to descend at around 64kmph (40mph) at some places. The roads were not the greatest and therefore I had to start slowing down when riding downhill for my own safety.

As time went along, it was interesting for me to note that I wasn't feeling tired cycling but the biggest problem was the fact that I had packed too much into my backpack. It was becoming rather uncomfortable as I had to bike leaning forward. It is a lesson that I have learned that will help me in the future. I had carried too much food thinking I would need it. Google maps didn't help my cause much by leading me to a road that was closed and also leading to a trail via a dirt path.

I was slowly making it towards San Francisco when disaster struck again. I was in the final stretch and my rear tire blew up again. I was within touching distance, I was 12 miles (20km) from the Golden Gate bridge. Although I was pretty confident and energetic about making it, I had to end the ride due to the unfortunate circumstance. The ride came to an end after 8 hours of riding excluding breaks. I was then picked up by my friends. Then, I made it to San Francisco, although it was by car and not by bike as originally planned. I still see the trip as a win. The day ended with us grabbing dinner and spending some time in San Francisco before returning back to Davis to complete an eventful day!

Ending the day at SF with my friends

I want to give my special thanks to David and Crystal for deciding to drive down to San Francisco and then pick me up when I needed it. You guys are lifesavers. From having met not so long ago to driving to San Francisco to help me out, I am glad to have met you. I also want to give a big thanks to Mike and Cee from the bottom of my heart for helping me find my passion for biking and making it possible for me to pursue it.

It was a fun experience and I learned a lot along the way. It was an entirely new experience and my horizons have expanded giving me the confidence to ride more.

Pedaling onto the next destination!