Almaden Cycle Touring Club ACTC

Retired and new to cycling, ACTC has about 4 – 6 group rides of different levels every day of the week, so I am always able to find a few rides per week to my liking. They are a great way to meet other health-​conscious people and explore the little-​known back roads and bike paths in Santa Clara County and the surrounding area. Most beginner green-​coded ‘Grizzly Bear’ rides have about a dozen people and many leave from the centrally located VTA lot near Coleman x Winfield (near Oakridge Mall) and go to downtown San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, or Morgan Hill. ACTC.org’s online calendar posts the rides, states how many miles, and rates them on difficulty, since some people (like me) don’t like hills, while others love them!
No RSVP is necessary; just show up. There are mountain bike rides, too.
Most rides include a coffee or food stop near the end.
The club sponsors several large annual rides and overnite camping trips, too.
ACTC Membership ($ 25/​yr for a family) includes accident insurance, mileage tracking, a Bike Academy for teens and newbies, a July pancake breakfast, with Awards given at the end of the year; it is a great bargain!

I don’t know how one can be a cyclist and give ACTC a low rating. This club is huge, with thousands of members and 5 – 10 rides every day. Rides range from short social slow-​paced to hardcore-​millions-​feet-​of-​climbing-​with-​no-​bathroom-​stops, so you will certainly find something to your liking and skill level. They have a bike academy, which is 2 6-​week modules held twice a year — you learn basic biking skills, such as lane positioning, gearing, etc. and more advanced things, like adjusting brakes and riding in a paceline. It’s a lot of fun, even if you are an experienced cyclist, and the instructors are AMAZING people!
A few things that are more on the negative side and worth pointing out are the snobs and the average age of the members. Snobs are not really the club’s problem — it’s just the way cyclists are. There has never been a ride when someone didn’t try to make me feel like an inferior piece of crap because I don’t bike to work, don’t have the coolest gear like they do or don’t ride a century every day, with 7,000 feet of climbing, in 2 hours. Cause hey, that’s how you need to prove you’re for real. If you have enough patience and can ignore this, it shouldn’t bother you as much.
The average age is an interesting issue. Most riders seem to be way over 60. I guess that’s when you have a ton of time on your hands and a lot of money too — cycling is an expensive hobby to have. There are not that many people under 40, and those that are tend to be hardcore pros, so I can’t really ride with them — they take off and disappear. So, if you are looking to socialize, and you are under 40, this may not be for you. If you are looking to become a better cyclist, riding with older people is great — they are in great shape and ride very fast, but not too fast so you can keep up.

Tierra Bella was a fantastic experience: the routes were well marked, staff were placed at critical intersections, the rest stops were well staffed & had lots of food, drink, & bike mechanics, and there were plenty of sag wagons for cyclists in need of help. All in all, a wonderful event.

ACTC is one of the largest bike clubs on the West Coast. With almost 1000 members, you’re bound to find the bike ride adventure of your choice from novice to family-​oriented to hard core pound them out rides that will have your heart pumping to its max. Check out their web site to get a feel for their bike offerings. Multiple choices of rides are offered on weekend days as well as numerous rides scheduled for amost each day of the week. ACTC sponsors many local rides with April’s Tierra Bella ride starting in Gilroy being one of the best organized rides ever. Ready for more? Look into the week long Sierra to the Sea (
) bike tour. Covering almost 450 miles, climbing over 24,000 feet, camping and staying in hotels (if you so wish), eating catered meals most days of the trip and finding the best rest stops on your ride, detailed map routes and road markings that almost make getting lost a deliberate act, the Sierra to the Sea is in a class of its own. If you’re interested, you better sign up as soon as the on-​line registration opens, or you may lose out.