Riding in Napa: Howell Mountain

Posted on January 20, 2014January 20, 2014

This is where Steve and I rode yesterday, except in color:

We were in Calistoga to hang out, etc. (Though, I suppose, we could have saved the drive since we didn’t actually go to any vineyards, but just to wine shops and wine bars. It’s not like there’s a whole lot of benefit to wine being fresh…)

Then, we rode Howell Mountain yesterday. You should check out all the pictures and descriptions this guy has of the long Howell Mountain climb. Up until now, I had always been relatively unimpressed with Napa riding. Or, rather, everyone kept going on about the Silverado Trail and I kept staring at them like ‘you know it’s just a flat-ish, rolling, pretty heavily-trafficked road that you have to bike in the shoulder, which is often filled with crap?’ But, the climbs out of the valley are actually pretty cool.

It took me about 29′ stop sign to stop sign, which was me going quite moderately hard with Steve. And, if we had kept going, we could have gone all the way up, over to Pope Canyon, etc, etc. So, there’s more to riding in Napa than going up and down Silverado and stopping at wineries. Fyi.

9 thoughts on “Riding in Napa: Howell Mountain”

RainyWriter January 20, 20142:08 pm Reply

Sounds like a great ride.
By the way, your blog title … I like it. Sort of like how I feel about biking 🙂
1. kellydomara January 20, 20148:58 pm Reply
  
  😉
Alex Modestou January 20, 20145:56 pm Reply

Thanks for sharing some great climbs. Nothing quite like fighting gravity on two wheels!
1. kellydomara January 20, 20148:57 pm Reply
  
  Yeah, I like long climbs probably the best.
Ironman Training Week 4: Jan. 13-19 « It's Always Sunny Running January 21, 201411:29 am Reply

[…] 32 miles, 2:00 with Steve in Napa, which included a long moderately hard climb (and a long descent) and a whole lot of working really […]
kimretta January 21, 20141:41 pm Reply

Ooh, I have heard I should do this climb. I love long climbs but have a major fear of things getting so steep that I won’t be able to unclip — not that I would need to unclip, just that I would get it in my head that I COULDN’T and then it all goes to shit — but this looks manageable, maybe.
1. kellydomara January 22, 201410:22 am Reply
  
  You won’t tip over or not be able to unclip. It’s totally doable
Angela January 23, 20149:36 pm Reply

Is it wrong that when you say “Howell Mountain,” I think, “Ooh, really good zin comes from there!”? Hope not, because that is probably not changing.
1. kellydomara January 24, 201412:15 pm Reply
  
  Naw, it’s like an official American Viticultural Area. So.