NOT kirkland.... wet and cold

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36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App

you're going corporate?

santa monica has better training---you are at the start of great cycling on the pacific coast highway and then up in the mountains of malibu....you also have much less rain sp you can be outdoors more often...also very good running...in sm/brentwood area...

Mountian View-

Very nice but will cost you an arm and a leg to live. It could be better to live some distance away and commute in to work. You are just down the road from Stanford and access to one of the best pools and masters programs in the country. You can ride and run all over the Bay Area and N. Cal year round because of the great weather. Very large Tri community.

Dave

Is money no object?

it should be fine

that's what I was thinking if I was going there.

JD: yes...very likely.

My brother-in-law rents a three bedroom ranch in Los Altos. He pays something like $3,000/month. The house (on a postage stamp lot) would probably cost ~$2 million. You sure money is no object?

The training in that area is outstanding, especially if you like riding in the hills (1,000' climbs abound).

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"Go yell at an M&M"

You gonna work for Google?

maybe

They are building a facility here in the Phoenix area, too. Not sure if it would work for you, but I like the training options here.

Francois....Mountainview. There are way too many nice placed to bike and run within a short 5 min ride west of the 280. I love running at Rancho San Antonio and riding up to Skyline Drive (is that how you spell it) ? You'll love the climb and descent up Old LaHanda (don't descend on this road) and Page Mill outside Palo Alto. It will remind you of the some of the riding in France. There are some really nice loops heading over to Santa Cruz too. You'll love it.

Don't immediately rule out western washington (Kirkland). That would be a terrific place to train. You wouldn't have the home prices nor traffic problems of living in downtown Seattle, but you would still have all the benefits of the city.

I know you've recently been to that area in the summer; it can't be beat. Summer training (June-middle of October) will be the best anywhere. It doesn't get cold in the winters. If we get three inches of snow, everybody freaks out and the schools close.

Rain: Yes, it rains in western washington. But it's a different type of rain than most are used to. It's not a downpour and drenches everything and everyone in 30 seconds. It's a much softer rain that comes and goes over the course of the day. Slap a couple of fenders on your road bike (fenders are cool in Seattle) and you'll be good riding outside from March-June, and probably a bit of Feb, too. Besides, weren't you just saying that you needed a distinct off season?

Trails: Best running/mtb trails I've ever seen/used.

Dark: The sun sets early in the winter. Very early. But the trade off is that you can sit on your deck outside and read until 10pm in the middle of the summer.

Races: I'm hoping to get back to the PNW, one reason being that it's a short drive to two races that I really want to do (3-400 miles to both Penticton and Coeur d' Alene). There is the new 70.3 in northern Seattle, all the events in Vancouver/Victoria/British Columbia, the weekly duathlons south of Seattle, and plenty of other races.

Training: Great roads to cycle on. None of the silly chip seal crap that's all over illinois. Nice hills or mountains or flats, whatever suits your daily preference. Plenty of places to run and swim as well, including lots of places to swim open water. Plus, you could easily get away for a training camp. Quick direct flights to Phoenix or San Diego. Or, if you wanted to stay closer, you could just drive over the mountains for the weekend, into the desert in southeast washington. Walla Walla (where I went to college) has something ridiculous like 345 sunny days a year. Very El Paso-esque.

Does Google have a place in Kirkland? I didn't know that.

-Colin

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Kirkland, yes, this time of the year, 45 degrees and rain, but this week 6 out of 7 non-rain days. OK, in fairness the last 15 day, ten were rainy and five I considered unridible... wind and rain. But I didn't start riding my indoor routine until two weeks ago this season.

Decently close to roads that will take you over I-90 to eastern Washington or to the Canadian border. Marymore velodrome is also nearby.

Great cyclocross series and between BC, Washington, and Oregon, you could ride an event a week (not counting the weeknight series) just about year around.

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Jay

I rode year round in Paris..rain, cold whatever.
The weather is quite similar...
starts raining in October, ends in April...rest of the time it rains every other day only ;-)

#1...The SF Bay Area, though maddeningly expensive, is an awesome place to live and train. Spent the weekend in Phoenix (for a Toyota trip to a couple of NASCAR races...very interesting stuff) and this time of year I could picture myself down there. Real estate relatively inexpensive, near perfect weather, variety of training options....but then there's that summer (dry) heat.

Santa Monica...nice place to visit but wouldn't want to live there; Kirkland, seems like a lovely place but way too much damn rain. I would personally go crazy there.

I'd say the weather in the winter is similar, although it's quite dry, often to the point of drought, in the summer.
I'll also say this: the riding in Seattle and the surrounding areas is the easiest, by far, in terms of traffic and it's hostility towards bikes. You run into idiots everywhere, but fewer here, due most likely to the number of bikes around and driver's famiarity with them.

Also, if you're inclined to do any road racing, there's probably more racing here on a weekly basis than any place in the country. When you add in the track and a local MTB series, you can pretty much race any day of the week except for Monday.

Mountain View...Santa Monical is full of gooney birds ;-) Never been to Kirkland so can't comment but I do love the Pacific Northwest (at least for about 9 months a year).

I guess it depends on what type of lifestyle you want. They are both crowded and very expensive. Santa Monica has an ocean you can swim in (if it is not too polluted), less rain, more sun but so many freaking people in SoCal it will make your head spin compared to El Paso. Santa Monica is a very liberal, funky town. Traffic is a nightmare in much of SoCal.

Mountain View is a hub for tech in Sili Valley. The penninsula is very expensive as well but full of some of the smartest people on earth. Good riding in the Santa Cruz mountains and close to Santa Cruz and Monterey which are fabulous places to visit. More rain and cloudy days than SoCal but greener and prettier in my opinion. Still very mild weather in the south bay. My take is that Bay Area tends to think of itself as more sophisticated than LA LA land. If you like mountain biking you have tons of great areas as well (Mt Tam is the mecca). If you come visit us in the north bay you will feel like you are in France with all our great vinyards and coastal mountains. The bay area is a great place to live but expensive and getting crowded as well.

Good luck with your search!

Francois,

Note I have not lived in any of the areas, but have visted for pleasure/business to all three

My vote would be for Kirkwood. I lived up the road in Vancouver, BC for 10 years and if you don't mind the rain in the winter, it's pretty nice. Summers are outstanding. Never get's really hot. Cost of living is likley much less than the options in the Bay Area and Santa Monica, plus Canada, great beer and a cheaper dollar is only an hour away when you are living in Seattle.

If you like Alpine or Cross country skiing there are many options and the North West is one of the only areas in North America that you can get in some great skiing in the morning and then head out for a nice bike ride in the afternoon.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Right now, I am not applying anywhere...but I am considering places where they are making an offer without me applying...it's less tiring ;-)

Vancouver, BC, would be awesome...now if a company wants to make me an offer, where do I sign?

[reply]Right now, I am not applying anywhere...but I am considering places where they are making an offer without me applying...it's less tiring ;-)

Vancouver, BC, would be awesome...now if a company wants to make me an offer, where do I sign?[/reply]

I think the cost of living might be higher in Vancouver than in the Bay area, if that is possible.

-C

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

I don't think I could be paid enough to live in Santa Monica. I'd take that one right off the list.

Mountain View would be awesome. Lots of great riding and running in the area. I'm just itching to get back to the Bay area.

Seattle is nice but I actually prefer Portland if traveling to the PAC Northwest. This would be my second choice of the three.

I would second the Portland area... awsome areas to ride and a very active sport community.

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Jay