Super FoCo Fondo

144 miles, 8500 feet of climbing, and substantially gravel. This would be our dream FoCo Fondo route. It kicks off following the 2021 FoCo Fondo 107 Bite the Bullet Challenge route. It’s a tricky route with a gentle elevation gain to Carr before a brief reprieve (and a lot of solar panels). Instead of continuing south like the FoCo Fondo, you instead turn and head up Park Creek Reservoir and Cherokee Park before turning around. Tbh, there is no water refills on this route and I turned around a bit early on Cherokee Park because I had run out and needed to refill at The Forks, ending up with 136 miles. If you are feeling super spicy you could come back via Park Creek Reservoir but I went Owl Canyon and back on Taft Hill like in the Strava route. Enjoy!

The Stats:

• Distance: 144 miles

• Paved: 30%

• Climbing: 8500 feet

Notes: It’s easy to shorten this route by cutting out sections. It can also be very windy north of town and I’ve had to bail on this ride due to the wind adding potential hours to completion, coupled with lack of services.

Refills: The only services are at The Forks in Livermore, so you’ll need to carry quite a lot of water.

Tires: The WTB Vulpine is a perfect tire for this route. It’s shockingly fast but also with a ton of grip for all the loose sections on the FoCo Fondo route.