Stage 1: Three Bears

Contrary to the traditional Tour de France start of a flat stage, the Tour de Berkeley begins in true East Bay fashion with a hilly stage, the Three Bears. As you can see in the elevation profile, the route favors a strong climber:

Fortunately for the pure sprinters in the group, there are plenty of points to be had on the flat and gentle rollers leading up to the Bears. For a better visual depiction of the route and a points explanation go here: Three Bears Map. (thanks Google maps!)





Logistics and Course Description:
Distance: 36 miles
Climbing: 4482 ft.
Time: 2-2.5 hrs.

Sprint/King of the Mountain Points
1) Inspiration Point Sign
5 Points First
3 Points Second
1 Point Third

2) Horse Crossing Crosswalk (not the sign)
5 Points First
3 Points Second
1 Point Third

3) Corner of Alhambra Valley and Bear Creek Road
5 Points First
3 Points Second
1 Point Third

4) Top of Papa Bear
8 Points First
5 Points Second
3 Point Third

5) Stage Finish: Top of Wildcat at Inspiration Point Sign
13 Points First
8 Points Second
5 Points Third
3 Points Fourth
2 Points Fifth
1 Point Sixth

The Three Bears refers to the section on Bear Creek Road which has three climbs called Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. Starting from Alhambra Valley Road, we will confront Mama Bear first, followed by the smaller Baby Bear, and ending with the long climb up Papa Bear (careful of the false summit).

Remember, we meet at Kroeber Fountain at 5:0opm on Wednesday July 11th. We will roll up Spruce for anyone who wants to meet us along the way.

Below is the route description, courtesy of the Cal Cycling web page.

Mile 0.0 - Kroeber Fountain to Spruce. Start climbing up Spruce. We will roll up as a pack and begin the

Mile 3.05 - At five-way intersection, continue straight onto Wildcat Canyon. The road winds gently up to Inspiration Point.

Mile 6.49 - Inspiration Point. First sprint points of the 2007 Tour. We regroup here before descending down Wildcat Canyon.

Mile 8.96 - Turn left on San Pablo Dam Rd. Thus we enter the Three Bears loop. This is a fast road which tends downward. However, there is a lot a traffic so stick to the shoulder. The second sprint point is available here at the Horse Crossing Crosswalk (not the sign).

Mile 14.33 - Turn right on Castro Ranch Rd. There are a couple of short steep rises.

Mile 16.56 - Turn right on Alhambra Valley Rd. This is a pleasant rolling road with almost no traffic.

Mile 19.29 - Third sprint. Turn right on Bear Creek Rd. and get ready to tackle the Bears.

Mile 21.35 - That was Mama Bear.

Mile 21.96 - That was Baby Bear.

Mile 24.61 - That was Papa Bear and the fourth sprint points. Tuck in for a super fast descent.

Mile 27.75 - We will regroup at the light before beginning the trek up Wildcat Canyon for the climb back to Berkeley. The finish of this stage is at the Inspiration Point sign.

Mile 33.63 - At the 5-way intersection, head left on Grizzly Peak to descend via Euclid.

Mile 36.00 - Berkeley Campus.

See you all on Wednesday