80 at 80

Published Cycle California, May 2020, vol. 26, #5

So put me on a highway and show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time

The Eagles

My friend, Jym Clendenin, upon turning 80 in the summer of 2019 expressed to his biking circle about wanting to do 80 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing. That would be the equivalent of twice biking Mt. Hamilton Road up and back from Alum Park Road. Biking to the observatory once is a challenge—twice in the same day would be very tough and without any guarantee of success. None of his biking circle, several of whom have also reached 80, were even interested in the distance, much less the elevation. I suggested let’s just go for the 80 miles. Jym agreed but none of his other friends signed on, many of whom I’ve also biked with. Of course, this was all before Covid-19 arrived in California.

Knowing I was familiar with the flat roads south of San Jose, Jym asked me, a decade younger, to pick the route. I wanted a course with flat thoroughfares avoiding stoplights, using bike paths where available and having convenience stops along the way. I offer this recap in recollection of a time that we assumed would always be and that I hope will return soon.

The Monday morning in mid-August began with Jym biking from his house in Menlo Park, 6 miles to mine in south Palo Alto, arriving at 8:30 a.m. Central Expressway from the Palo Alto border is 10 miles to the San Jose Airport, where a gap in the fence allows for bikes to enter an access road. The expressway commute traffic was noisy with cars rapidly exiting and entering from on side ramps. But the shoulder was wide and intersection stoplights far apart, allowing for our fast pace. Most of commute traffic has now of course gone into sheltering.

From the airport, the Guadalupe River Trail continues to Willow Glen. We stopped at a Starbucks and then then detoured through the Oak Hill Memorial Park. Jym sought the restroom inside the spacious office as I waited outside. He returned chuckling, and told me that he thought the office staff was very sedate, not realizing the office was for a cemetery.

We took Monterey Road, once known as Blood Alley, before we soon turned onto the Coyote Creek Trail. The paved trail wound slightly before crossing under Highway 101 and reaching Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill after about 10 miles of welcomed car-free biking with the day was now heating up.

Cochrane Road had a Starbucks where, just before noon, we stopped for ice water, sandwiches and other drinks as the outdoor temperature soon reached 95 degrees.

Our next turn was back north on Santa Teresa Boulevard, lightly traveled two-lane road with almost no traffic. The sun was bright, the breeze against us and the pavement cooking, like biking on a frying pan. We turned into a roofed Spina Farms fruit stand on Bailey Road and had, of all things, ice cream bars, practically melting as we ate them.

The road then crested into a mixed urban neighborhood of houses and businesses was ahead. We stopped at the Santa Teresa Golf Course for more ice for our bottles and non-diet Pepsi fountain drinks, now halfway to our target distance.

A line of residential streets, all with little traffic, parallels Santa Teresa Boulevard and includes Brenda Lee Drive, which set “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” playing in my head in spite of the heat. We finally got away from blistering surface streets as we crossed Highway 17 on the bike bridge into Los Gatos Creek Park. Our next Starbucks ice and water stop was at Quito Village on Cox Avenue—our water bottles were too hot to drink otherwise.

From there, we continued to Foothill Expressway, stopping yet again at the El Rancho Shopping Center Starbucks (of course), now within spitting distance of the end, if only we had enough saliva to spit. In celebratory mode, we called our wives to have them meet us at The Alpine Inn, aka Rossotti’s, which had just reopened after months of being remodeled by the new owners. We couldn’t just let this grand adventure end without a fitting finale.

But first we had to negotiate a couple of significant climbs on hilly Arastradero Road, never easy under the best of circumstances. It was the shortest way but we both barely had enough left. This little detour allowed Jym to make 90 miles, still 6 miles more than me. Yes, the wives did meet us and oh no, the Alpine Inn is not open on Mondays. Sigh, but no matter, we went to the Ladera Shopping Center for cold beers.

And so, as the sun set, Jym had his 80 miles and then some, at age 80. He let all his octogenarian pals know. Three Mondays later on Labor Day, biking with four pals (I was away) on the otherwise innocuous Stevens Creek pathway, a walking group that was enjoying the holiday emerged from a side path causing the lead biker to sharply brake as well as the string behind. Caught by surprise, Jym swerved, fell and broke his hip, requiring surgery and an implant. After doing half of 90 miles in severe heat, Jym was taken out while on a mild weekday bike path ride.

It was his first time experiencing broken bones. The fall caused him to miss his registered half-marathon run set for early September as well as possible backpack trips. But his recovery went well and his being very fit has no doubt helped. He’s back to biking. The challenge for everyone now is not hills or distance by Covid-19. It can strike any age group but older is classified as more higher risk. Bicycling as a life-style, and avoiding spills, may be critical if encountering Covid-19. His peer group no longer bikes together. Instead of zooming on their bikes, they do so on their computers.