Different Spokes San Francisco

Ride Recap: Katsu Got Your Tongue?

"Can you sink any lower when your motivation to do a ride is just to get a great meal? Or, is it the other way around: an exquisite meal can elevate any ride? Such was the case with David’s joint desire to go to Treasure Island by bike and to get another meal at Jungdon Katsu in Emeryville. When David broached the idea of this ride with me, he admitted as much: the tonkatsu at Jungdon is ‘omigawd good and I wanna go there again’. Since David hadn’t ridden his bike to Treasure Island heretofore, that became the cover for our chow-down.

I had never heard of Jungdon Katsu but I’ve eaten my share of tonkatsu. Tonkatsu is everywhere in Japan although originally it was an importation from Europe. It’s an adaptation of a breaded veal cutlet or schnitzel given a Japanese twist and using pork instead. We don’t give a second thought about adopted foods because almost all American food dishes originate from somewhere else. But Japan has a long, autochthonous culinary history that has choosily but warmly accepted some imports from India, China, and now Europe and the Americas. Karē raisu (curry rice) is now a Japanese food even though it came from India; gyoza are nothing more than a Japanese version of potstickers; Japanese milk bread or pan is derived from Portuguese bread. What makes tonkatsu Japanese is the use of panko breading for an exquisitely crunchy crust."

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/05/07/ride-recap-katsu-got-your-tongue/

📸: David Goldsmith


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ANNOUNCING: Join Ramping Up Red Ribbon Ride Saturday, May 23rd!

Come and join in for this fun little ride celebrating a great training season! Whether or not you've been on a Ramping Up ride before, have a red dress, red jersey, or nothing red at all, we want to see you as we make our way through San Francisco looking like a red ribbon! ??

Ramping Up is a progressive series of rides from Jan through May to prepare for multiple day rides (such as "Cycle to Zero" or "NorCal AIDS Cycle"). We start off with a 17 mile ride and build each week until we are doing a 100 mile ride. If you consistently take part in this series, you will be ready for just about any ride! Not only are the rides epic, but the scenery and the people are too. We are a warm and welcoming inclusive group of cyclist of all ages and shapes.

DETAILS:
Miles: 13.1
Elevation: 1003
Terrain: Rolling Hills
When: Saturday, May 23rd
Meetup time: 9:00 AM
Ride out time: 9:30 AM
Rain Policy: Heavy Rain Cancels
Location: McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park

Event Contact(s)
Reilly Andrews, Leader
Chris Starr, Co-Lead
Alex Unger, Co-Lead

Register:
https://dssf.org/red-ribbon-2026
Or go to the DSSF link in bio.

From the ChainLetter blog: The Russian River Weekend [4/28/26 update]

"I wrote the following article some years ago after attempting at least two frustrating efforts to revive the club’s Russian River Weekend. After reaching the same impass–the difficulty of finding a suitable venue–I shelved the project. After some thought I’ve come to the conclusion that not only is the Russian River not a great place to host a getaway weekend but that the concept of a getaway weekend is dated. Why isn’t Guerneville a good site? It’s très gay and has city amenities like bars and clubs. But like the Bay Area everything in G-town is expensive now. Of course ‘expensive’ is relative. If you don’t mind forking over $300 a night for a place to stay, then it’s not expensive. Members are no longer interested in camping and even camping isn’t that cheap anymore. At this point in history reviving the Guerneville/Russian River Weekend is a losing cause and like a bad high school reunion would be a feeble effort to relive past memories to everyone’s disappointment. The economics just don’t make sense anymore. Also members aren’t interested in collectively creating a shared weekend other than to Venmo the cost and expect someone else to do everything: organize, sag, cook, clean. Although the riding may be just as beautiful as it was 40 years ago, the population of the club has changed and with it the expectations. With Cycle to Zero literally decamping to the Russian River for its fundraiser there is little interest in our community for ‘replicating’ the event. Wait…who’s replicating who?"

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/04/28/the-russian-river-weekend-4-28-26-update/

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Ride Recap: April Happy Hour in the East Bay

“After the summer-like weather in March, this month’s Happy Hour returned to normal spring temperatures much to Roger S’s disappointment. Hoping to escape another typical day in San Francisco, he scooted over to join our East Bay fun group for another short ride on the Lamorinda MUP with a concluding dinner at El Talpense in Lafayette. He wasn’t the only member from afar: Peter, who resides in San Jose, endured the commute traffic to join us! That’s the “problem” for the Happy Hour ride: unless you live in the East Bay, you are probably in for some hellish traffic to get to Lafayette and you will need that ride and the food coma afterwards to reset your mood and blood pressure.

Roger S dealt with the commuter crush by (a) coming over early, and (b) using BART. The latter is not Roger’s usual means of transport but on a weekday at commute time, the bridge is a hopeless mess. BART was the wiser choice. Plus, he was able to get in a longer ride and then met us at Moraga Common. So it was a win-win. This was also not Peter’s first rodeo. He knew the routine: head out way earlier than you think you’ll need to get somewhere at commute time. He got to Lafayette with time to spare and indulged his other interest by going into the flyfishing store next door to El Talpense to kill time.”

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/05/01/ride-recap-april-happy-hour-in-the-east-bay/

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Happy Hour in the East Bay reschedule for Wednesday, April 29th!

Distance: about 10 miles
Pace: A/B (easy to moderate, occasional stops)
Terrain: 1 (mostly flat, easy grades, suitable for beginners)

A short, easy 10-mile ride on the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail starting at El Talpense Restaurant in downtown Lafayette just a couple of blocks away from the BART station. This multi-use regional trail for pedestrians and cyclists runs between Lafayette and Moraga. Since this was originally a railroad right-of-way the average grade is less than 2%. We’ll take the trail to Moraga Common before turning back to the El Talpense where you’re welcome to have some post-ride refreshment. This will be an easy paced ride. You don’t even need to be in bike drag! Like all the local multi-use paths e-bikes are allowed but please respect the speed limit of 15 MPH. Did I mention that the trail is for cyclists and pedestrians only? Yes, no cars except at the street crossings!

Meet in front of the El Talpense at 5:15 PM with a 5:30 PM departure. We should be back a little after 6:30 PM.

If you’re coming by car, parking in the area can be busy. But there is no fee after 7 PM on weekdays. Or, you can park in the nearby BART parking lot as there is no fee after 3 PM.

Please bring a lock but we'll be able to keep our bikes close by.

Meet in front of the l Talpense, 3576 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549

Please check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. Note that sunset is around 7:19 PM. Bring bike lights if you're going to eat with us and then bike home.

Note: You must preregister to join this ride. If you do not plan to ride but want to attend the post-ride happy hour, email us instead. (See below, please.)

If you'd like to come to hang out and have dinner but not ride, please RSVP by sending us an email so we know the number attending.

Date and Time
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 5:15 PM until 7:30 PM

Event Contact:
Anthony Moy

Register here:
https://dssf.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=17789&item_id=2943031

Happy Hour in the East Bay continues on Wednesday, April 22nd!

Distance: about 10 miles
Pace: A/B (easy to moderate, occasional stops)
Terrain: 1 (mostly flat, easy grades, suitable for beginners)

A short, easy 10-mile ride on the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail starting at El Talpense Restaurant in downtown Lafayette just a couple of blocks away from the BART station. This multi-use regional trail for pedestrians and cyclists runs between Lafayette and Moraga. Since this was originally a railroad right-of-way the average grade is less than 2%. We’ll take the trail to Moraga Common before turning back to the El Talpense where you’re welcome to have some post-ride refreshment. This will be an easy paced ride. You don’t even need to be in bike drag! Like all the local multi-use paths e-bikes are allowed but please respect the speed limit of 15 MPH. Did I mention that the trail is for cyclists and pedestrians only? Yes, no cars except at the street crossings!

Meet in front of the El Talpense at 5:15 PM with a 5:30 PM departure. We should be back a little after 6:30 PM.

If you’re coming by car, parking in the area can be busy. But there is no fee after 7 PM on weekdays. Or, you can park in the nearby BART parking lot as there is no fee after 3 PM.

Please bring a lock but we'll be able to keep our bikes close by.

Meet in front of the l Talpense, 3576 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549

Please check the weather forecast and dress accordingly. Note that sunset is around 7:19 PM. Bring bike lights if you're going to eat with us and then bike home.

Note: You must preregister to join this ride. If you do not plan to ride but want to attend the post-ride happy hour, email us instead. (See below, please.)

If you'd like to come to hang out and have dinner but not ride, please RSVP by sending us an email so we know the number attending.

Date and Time
Wednesday, March 22, 2026, 5:15 PM until 7:30 PM

Event Contact:
Anthony Moy

Register here:
https://dssf.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=17789&item_id=2943031

And She Lived Happily Ever After…

"It wasn’t a fairytale ending. Today marked the 50th anniversary of the Cinderella Classic by the Valley Spokesmen Bicycle Club. It was also the last one as I just found out this morning at registration. Roger and I have worked the Cinderella for about 25 years. We aren’t exactly in the core of VSBC and in fact we rarely join their rides. But when we have we always have had a good time and enjoyed the company. Clearly the club has been planning the end of the venerable century for some time because the next club project was announced today too: a cycling fundraiser next year in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity East Bay to raise money to build low income housing.

But back to the Cinderella. A big storm was threatening to spoil the party. This has happened several times at the Cinderella because it’s an early spring ride, always a bit of a gamble for a club."

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/04/11/and-she-lived-happily-ever-after/
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Ride Recap: Pedaling Paths to Independence 2026

Get on down
I wanna get on the good foot
Ho! Good foot
I got to get on the good foot
—James Brown

"February 28 I got up at the crack of dawn to drive to Linden, CA for the Pedaling Paths to Independence metric century. This was a major accomplishment for me because just a week before Christmas I had surgery to remove a femoral bone tumor. I hadn’t been able to cycle much since July and had mostly been physically inert as the tumor made even walking painful."

"No one in the club that I know of other than David Go., Jeff M., and Stephanie C. has manifested any interest in going out to Linden, CA for this lovely ride. The fact that about every third or fourth year it gets rained on doesn’t help its allure. Sometime ago, maybe around 2015, Pedaling Paths caught my eye and I’ve been hooked."

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/04/08/ride-recap-pedaling-paths-to-independence-2026/

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From the blog: The Dirty Secret of Suburban Roads

"It’s difficult to generalize about cycling in Bay Area suburbs because they are so varied. At one extreme are suburbs at the edge of the metropolis such as Hollister, Clayton, or Fairfield; the other end are those centrally located and cities in their own right such as Berkeley or Walnut Creek. Some suburbs have “graduated” into true metropolises in their own right such as Oakland and San Jose. Cycling in Oakland or San Jose is not unlike cycling in San Francisco. But cycling in Orinda or Woodside is significantly different.

Having lived in San Francisco for many years before moving to the East Bay a comment I’ve heard repeatedly from fellow suburbanites is, “I’d never cycle in San Francisco. It’s so dangerous!” That sort of comment amused me because when I was living in SF, which was the 1980s and ‘90s, I found it safer to ride in the City than in the Midpeninsula, where I had lived previously. Traffic was slower in the City because of the numerous stop signs (and now congestion) and drivers were more used to driving among cyclists. That isn’t to say it was all hunkydory."

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):
https://dssf.home.blog/2026/04/04/the-dirty-secret-of-suburban-roads/

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Join us this Thursday, March 26th for San Bruno Mountain Loop from McLaren Lodge

You must register for this ride.

Distance: 29 miles
Pace: B (moderate, occasional stops)
Terrain: 3 (moderate hills, some challenges)
Estimated elevation gain (per RWGPS): 1,980 feet

Date and Time:
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 9:45 AM

Join us for another weekday ride - this time up and down San Bruno Mountain. We start/end at McLaren Lodge on the east end of Golden Gate Park. No restroom at start but we will pass some within three to six miles from the start. Bring snacks/fuel and water - we'll be climbing! And keep a lookout for wildflowers!

Meet up at 9:45 AM; ride out at 10 AM.

Location:
McLaren Lodge (in Golden Gate Park)
501 Stanyan Street
San Francisco

There will be a sweep.

Event Contacts:
Nancy Levin & Catherine Cavey

Register here:
https://dssf.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=17789&item_id=2924900

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Ride Recap (with heaps of irrelevant trivia): Three Bears and a Bit

“Nancy and Cathy last led this ride, which they created, in June 2025. Not content just to slog up Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear they added in the short climb up Wildcat to Old El Toyonal to beat us into the ground before heading to downtown Orinda for some well-deserved post-ride grub.

The March heat wave was still regaling us with some of the best riding weather in months, not that I would know as I hadn’t been riding since October. You all know the Three Bears. It’s the classic ride in the East Bay that happens to be in my backyard. It’s become my Tiburon loop to the point that I don’t ride it much anymore; familiarity breeds contempt. Every cycling club in the East Bay does this ride and on some weekends it shows, with good reason because it’s one of the few remaining outposts of rurality that has survived our Growth-Is-Never-Bad mentality. As much as the Greenbelt Alliance has done to slow down suburban expansion into East Bay open space, it’s ultimately a pointless rearguard action against an inevitable megafication of the Bay Area. The only open space that will remain will either be ‘undevelopable’ land–which is laughable because any site is developable with enough money–and land that is strictly in the hands of a park district or a public utility. Private rural land is just future homes and roads, folks. For now the Three Bears is a combination of dedicated open space, utility land, and private ranch land. What’s holding back suburbification is the lack of sewage and water access, a problem that money will eventually solve. Our only hope is that the ranch owners eventually sell their property–and sell they will–to a land trust dedicated to preserving open space.

What a beautiful space it is!”

Full read here (link to ChainLetter blog also in bio):

https://dssf.home.blog/2026/03/21/ride-recap-with-heaps-of-irrelevant-trivia-three-bears-and-a-bit/

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