Ego Death 3: Redemption | Recap
Last weekend we hosted Redemption in partnership with AFAIC. This was the third of four rides in this year's Ego Death series, designed to invert the paradigms surrounding teamwork and individuality in sport. Check out a trip summary from the AFAIC team below, and keep an eye out for ED4 coming this fall.
AFAIC: Redemption provided the most diverse Ego Death experience to date. Our third installment of the ride series served as a combination of both the Penance and Absolution routes, blending almost every ecosystem, parcours, and road surface seen in previous editions.
Leaving the ILE storefront in Berkeley, we soon found ourselves on the raised gravel roads that make up the stretch of Bay Trail from Oakland to Fremont. Snaking along the border between business parks and protected marshlands, this part of the Bay Trail is a hidden gem. It provided the perfect place for riders to test both their legs and the limit of their tire traction.
After crossing the Dumbarton Bridge the scenery shifted from golden grasslands to the green and red hues of the peninsular redwood forests. A quick pit stop allowed our crew to press on to the fabled slopes of Old La Honda. Lacking consistent gradients, OLH makes up for its harsh profile by being perfectly shaded by redwoods. Our group made good time up the climb, and would be repaid for their efforts in the miles afterwards.
With the first chunk of climbing over with, we seemingly had nothing but rollercoaster descents on the way into our next rest stop in San Gregorio. Mother Nature had other plans to make us work for our leisure time, spewing a 20 mph headwind at us for the last 5 miles into town. San Gregorio provided an excellent space for riders to fuel up and listen to some live music, as we indulged in the finest carbohydrates, sugary drinks, and pickles.
Tunitas Creek Road served as our portal back over the mountains. A steep but scenic climb, Tunitas is probably one of the most beautiful climbs one can experience on the Peninsula. Albeit painful, the climb up Tunitas led us to Kings Mountain Road, one of our favorite descents in the area. The descent carves down the mountain into Woodside, taking riders through some crazy corners and chicanes along the way.
After pushing through the last final stretch back up the Peninsula our journey would end at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. In typical Ego Death fashion, we enjoyed curbside beverages and calories while war storying about the day’s events. With every single edition, Ego Death has gotten better and better. The atmosphere of Redemption was the best we had experienced yet. We thank those who came from out of town for the positive energy they brought with them, and all our attendees for acting in support of one another.
The crew at AFAIC has a special route planned for the next and final edition of Ego Death. We hope to see you all out there!
Photography by Li King
