My cycling within the city limits of San Francisco continues to expand.  As such, I may need to amend my earlier assertion that one must go north or south of the city in order to get a decent ride in.  Mind you, one must indeed leave the city for any long distance, as San Francisco itself is of limited geographical area.  Still, I’m slowly discovering that I can both spin and challenge my legs within city limits, without having to come to a stop at every block.

Golden Gate Park often reminds me of New York’s Central Park, considering the nicely paved roads that more or less follow the perimeter.  A few laps around the length of this sizeable area will certainly help log the mileage, free of heavy traffic or constant stop signs.

Then there’s the mostly straight stretch along the bike path from the base of the Golden Gate Bridge toward Fort Mason.  Here too a cyclist can achieve some good speed and cadence.  Continuing east and south will lead into Fishermen’s Wharf and the Embarcadero, respectively.  This, however, is where the stop and go begins.  And from there, moving into the city from the shoreline, the stop and go will no doubt continue.

All things considered, a cyclist can crank out a decent and satisfying 20-mile loop around San Francisco in a short amount of time.  It’s certainly not the same as 50-60 miles up into Marin or down through Woodside, but in terms of training and overall cycling fitness, it’s better than nothing!