A ride for every region of the Bay Area

In Marin County, you can ride your bike around Mount Tamalpais. On the Peninsula, you can create your own bay-to-breakers loop. Or in the East Bay hills, ride a foothill loop on the flank of Mount Diablo.

These are among the favorite rides of five avid Bay Area cyclists. With the world's best riders coming through the Bay Area and Northern California for the Amgen Tour of California, here are their choices for five regions of the Bay Area. You might want to give them a spin.

San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge and beyond (from Michael Locke, City Cycle): "Starting in San Francisco, my favorite ride is to take my cyclocross (a road bike with knobby tires, for both roads and trails) out to the Presidio and then ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands. You go left up the hill and hit the first trail. Each rise you hit, you're looking to the left across the Pacific, like the edge of the western world. You parallel that down to Tennessee Valley. Round trip from San Francisco is about 3 1/2 hours. Everybody should relax, don't worry about going fast on the Golden Gate Bridge, and enjoy the ride."

Info: City Cycle, (415) 346-2242, citycycle.com.

Peninsula

Bay-to-breakers loop (from Geoff Linenberger, Go Ride Bicycles, Redwood City): "My favorite ride is the loop over to the coast and back, about 60 miles. I really love coming out of the redwoods and to the beach, and seeing the landscape unfold. Start in Redwood City and ride down to Menlo Park and pick up Sand Hill Road. Then ride up Sand Hill to Portola Valley and there, catch Old La Honda Road up to Skyline. Now you're up on top, and you sail down Highway 84 to the coast at San Gregorio. To get back, turn right and ride north on Highway 1 to Tunitas Creek Road, then ride up that back to Skyline. Pop over the top and head back home on Kings Mountain Road. It's scenic, not too busy, not a lot of car traffic."

Info: Go Ride Bicycles, Redwood City, (650) 366-2453, goridebicycles.com.

Marin County

Mount Tam loop (from Brian Popplewell, Mike's Bikes, Sausalito): "My favorite ride is the loop around Mount Tam, heading out past Alpine Dam. It has good miles, good climbs, great views, is challenging and is a great way to see Marin. You can start from anywhere to get to Fairfax, then head out Fairfax-Bolinas Road up toward Mount Tamalpais. Climb out past the golf course and past Alpine Lake to Alpine Dam. Head up through the redwoods, sweep through that amazing hairpin turn and up to Ridgecrest. Turn south and head toward Pantoll to the Seven Sisters (seven hills you ride up and down). Once you're through that, if you're feeling frisky, you can climb up to the East Peak. Or bypass that, turn on Panoramic and head back down to Mill Valley. The views from up top are the best. You can see the ocean and bay; you can see everything, the whole Bay Area."

Info: Mike's Bikes, Sausalito, (415) 332-3200, mikesbikes.com.

Alameda County

Redwood Road loop (from Rodian Magri, REI-Berkeley): "It's on the other side of the hill, with very little traffic and very beautiful scenery. Start here in Berkeley and go up Old Tunnel Road, out to Skyline and to Redwood Road. Then you ride up the back side of Pinehurst and return by coming back down to Tunnel Road. It takes about an hour and a half. You get scenery, beautiful scenery. I really like it from Redwood Road to the back side of Pinehurst, where you climb up and look back and see a lot of green. It feels so secluded. I did this ride last month and it stays with you. It's a real favorite. And for the low amount of mileage, you get good climbing."

Info: REI, Berkeley, (510) 527-4140, rei.com.

Contra Costa County