Posted by: LoamtoHome
climb up the road is pretty chill compared to BLT and probably quicker. Cypress is made for shuttles though.
Climb up the road seems dangerous AF though. Maybe I just don't ride on the road enough to be used to it, but climbing up there with cars whizzing past sketches me out way more than the trails do.
Posted by: Kenny
Posted by: LoamtoHome
climb up the road is pretty chill compared to BLT and probably quicker. Cypress is made for shuttles though.
Climb up the road seems dangerous AF though. Maybe I just don't ride on the road enough to be used to it, but climbing up there with cars whizzing past sketches me out way more than the trails do.
For me 1st to 3rd switchback takes about the same time on BLT or the road. The road has a consistently mellow grade so you can choose a gear and find a rhythm. BLT has an inconsistent grade with some very steep sections, hard to find a rhythm but it's nice to be in the forest, often very quiet.
I've never shuttled Cypress.
The road is double lane up so cars usually pass in the left lane with plenty of space, I've never felt it was very dangerous. Nothing like riding on the S2S highway with cars speeding past at 120 km/h about 10 cm left of you.
Still, a decent climbing trail on Cypress would be nice ;-)
Posted by: [email protected]
Posted by: Kenny
Posted by: LoamtoHome
climb up the road is pretty chill compared to BLT and probably quicker. Cypress is made for shuttles though.
Climb up the road seems dangerous AF though. Maybe I just don't ride on the road enough to be used to it, but climbing up there with cars whizzing past sketches me out way more than the trails do.
For me 1st to 3rd switchback takes about the same time on BLT or the road. The road has a consistently mellow grade so you can choose a gear and find a rhythm. BLT has an inconsistent grade with some very steep sections, hard to find a rhythm but it's nice to be in the forest, often very quiet.
I've never shuttled Cypress.
The road is double lane up so cars usually pass in the left lane with plenty of space, I've never felt it was very dangerous. Nothing like riding on the S2S highway with cars speeding past at 120 km/h about 10 cm left of you.
Still, a decent climbing trail on Cypress would be nice ;-)
I've climbed both a fair bit. I'll always take the BLT over the road. Yes some parts are really steep but that's more interesting for me than a dreary road grind. But to each his own. I concur that road or BLT to the third switchback takes about the same amount of time. The BLT is steep and the pitch right after the Roach Hit trailhead is monstrous. But I like a challenge, and I make that section sometimes.
I like that the BLT is out of the sun. I find the grade on the road to be a super slog, it's just steep enough to be engaging but it's sustained and never flattens, and it's baking in the sun the whole way with cars flying past.
Try to avoid riding my MTB on high risk roads sharing with cars. Cypress bowl road is one of those roads.
Posted by: [email protected]
Posted by: Kenny
Posted by: LoamtoHome
climb up the road is pretty chill compared to BLT and probably quicker. Cypress is made for shuttles though.
Climb up the road seems dangerous AF though. Maybe I just don't ride on the road enough to be used to it, but climbing up there with cars whizzing past sketches me out way more than the trails do.
For me 1st to 3rd switchback takes about the same time on BLT or the road. The road has a consistently mellow grade so you can choose a gear and find a rhythm. BLT has an inconsistent grade with some very steep sections, hard to find a rhythm but it's nice to be in the forest, often very quiet.
I've never shuttled Cypress.
The road is double lane up so cars usually pass in the left lane with plenty of space, I've never felt it was very dangerous. Nothing like riding on the S2S highway with cars speeding past at 120 km/h about 10 cm left of you.
Still, a decent climbing trail on Cypress would be nice ;-)
Pretty sure there's a story about roadies being killed by cars on cypress bowl road pretty much yearly. I'll pass, either way.
being killed by cars on cypress bowl road pretty much yearly. I'll pass, either way.
I don't know about "yearly" but there's a ghost bike memorial to a rider who was killed just above the Cypress lookout switchback a couple of years ago. I never heard anything about the driver being prosecuted in that case, so maybe that was a "rider-error" ☹️
I've ridden up Cypress Bowl Rd many times but never do it during the ski season for obvious reasons. Outside of the season, it's not too bad...
So on Saturday I went to Cypress at 10am. I parked on the road out of force of habit. Went up the BLT and down Upper Tall Cans etc for a quick rip. The sun came out, the climb was pretty dry and despite the forest seeming waterlogged it was pretty well drained.
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
I now check the travel News and/or Google Maps every time I set out from home (on the North Shore) now as East-West traffic is a joke. Luckily, I very rarely need to drive.
I've more-or-less given up on doing post-work mtb rides on Seymour as it's just not worth the aggrevation of getting there...
Posted by: craw
So on Saturday I went to Cypress at 10am. I parked on the road out of force of habit. Went up the BLT and down Upper Tall Cans etc for a quick rip. The sun came out, the climb was pretty dry and despite the forest seeming waterlogged it was pretty well drained.
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
I don't know but to me the solution to your problem is right there.
Sunrise was 7:17am last Saturday. You could have started your ride at 8am, finished at 9:30 and probably zipped home without delays.
If you want to avoid traffic, don't go on the road at the same time as everyone else.
Posted by: [email protected]
Posted by: craw
So on Saturday I went to Cypress at 10am. I parked on the road out of force of habit. Went up the BLT and down Upper Tall Cans etc for a quick rip. The sun came out, the climb was pretty dry and despite the forest seeming waterlogged it was pretty well drained.
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
I don't know but to me the solution to your problem is right there.
Sunrise was 7:17am last Saturday. You could have started your ride at 8am, finished at 9:30 and probably zipped home without delays.
If you want to avoid traffic, don't go on the road at the same time as everyone else.
I get what you're saying, but it's a little ridiculous that you need to be riding by 8am to avoid a gridlocked highway, on a Saturday.
Posted by: craw
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
Wasn't that big project on the north end of the Ironworkers supposed to improve traffic on the North Shore?
City busses have their own lane and bike racks. Seabus has a direct 228 bus to Fromme. Tacomas sit in traffic because they are the traffic.
What I can’t figure out is why drivers continue to crash each other. This is the most common reason for major backups. Slow the f down, leave space, and don't switch lanes back and forth trying to get ahead. And git off mah lawn!
Posted by: J.Stubb
I get what you're saying, but it's a little ridiculous that you need to be riding by 8am to avoid a gridlocked highway, on a Saturday.
I think it's slightly less ridiculous than all those people who could have known that, but still went for their weekly outdoor activity at 10am and then became part of the traffic on the way home.
Life is about trade-offs and this particular one is a no-brainer to me but clearly not to many others.
A lot of things people complain about can be mitigated by using common sense and not doing the same thing as everyone else.
Posted by: Bull_Dozer
Posted by: craw
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
Wasn't that big project on the north end of the Ironworkers supposed to improve traffic on the North Shore?
Yes but since the word is out due to covid and social media the whole lower mainland comes to the shore every sunny weekend. This is the new normal. If you wanna come over and ride on a sunny weekend I would park on the east side of the ironworkers and ride over.
Posted by: J.Stubb
Posted by: [email protected]
Posted by: craw
So on Saturday I went to Cypress at 10am. I parked on the road out of force of habit. Went up the BLT and down Upper Tall Cans etc for a quick rip. The sun came out, the climb was pretty dry and despite the forest seeming waterlogged it was pretty well drained.
The magic happened when I was heading home. Got on the highway heading east around 11:30 and got to the Hastings exit after 1pm. I sat in that traffic for 90 minutes. I get that when complaining about traffic, that you are the traffic. But the highway without an accident or construction should be flowing properly at that time of day on a Saturday. Is this the new normal? Every time I've come to the Shore in the last few weeks it's a bit worse each time, with the gridlock extending for miles down the local roads that feed into the highway, starting around midday.
I don't know but to me the solution to your problem is right there.
Sunrise was 7:17am last Saturday. You could have started your ride at 8am, finished at 9:30 and probably zipped home without delays.
If you want to avoid traffic, don't go on the road at the same time as everyone else.
I get what you're saying, but it's a little ridiculous that you need to be riding by 8am to avoid a gridlocked highway, on a Saturday.
Sigh. I have no issue getting up early to ride; when it's hotter I'm happy to go as early as possible. But now this means that if I were to ride Squamish at 8am and return home after that I'd still get stuck in the same upper levels gridlock. In that case am I still being part of the problem??
At 10am the base of Cypress was deserted so I figured that was fine. Returning to the city at 11:30am on a Saturday is hardly an unreasonable time to want to cross the city for any reason. But I guess it is now. Where once Cypress was my spot of choice for busy Saturdays with most people flocking to Fromme and Seymour. I guess now that's no longer the case and I'll stick to Cypress on weekday mornings (lucky I have a flexible schedule!).
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