So, what is training like in Davis, CA? I did a search on this forum and it seems running is OK, though difficult to find hills to run on, and lots of cycling paths/trails.
What is the cycling training like? Any hills to train on? Traffic?
and swimming?
Weather? Fog/rain in the winter?
Many thanks.
I’ll take on the cycling part of the question. If you’re looking for flat and windy, then you’ve found it. It’s not that there are no hills, it is just about a 20 mile ride from Davis to get out to them. If you want to get some more hill work in without doing an 80+ mile ride, then you can drive out to Winters and start your ride from there. That cuts out a good 12-15 miles of the flats.
I’m emphasizing the wind a bit too much. There isn’t wind every day…it’s just when it is windy, it tends to be pretty bad.
Most of the riding is out west of town in open farmland; traffic is minimal out there and the vehicles that are there really watch out for cyclists.
Group rides - year round there is a ~50mi ride on Sat morning 8:00am that leaves from downtown. During Spring/Summer/Fall there is a race ride on Tues/Thurs at 6pm, ~ 40 miles. The UC Davis team does a race ride on Tues/Thurs afternoons as well. Through the Spring/Summer/Fall there is a 10 mile Time Trial outside of town on Wed at 6pm.
Weather - depends where you are from, but we feel it gets pretty damn cold. Mornings are low to mid 30’s and damp. Highs around 60. There will be stretches where we get bad fog for 2-3 days, but it’s pretty rare.
I’ll leave the swim info up to somebody else. I believe Ken Petruzzelli swims with the Davis Aquatic Masters.
Joe Santos
Running is OK in the immediate area, but you are only 45 minutes from some of the best trails around up in Auburn. Head up towards Lake Berryessa for some challenging riding and open water swimming. Its about 45 minutes away too. My only piece of advice it to have TWO bikes. The one you keep locked up with 5 locks when you are not around, and the one you don’t care if you ever see it again. Davis has to be the bike theft capitol of CA, I have heard so many people who had their bikes stolen there its not funny.
Advantage #2 is you are under 2 hours to lake Tahoe.
Cheers,
To add to Joe’s comment, one thing that is nice about living in Davis is that you don’t have to go far to get away from the city and from traffic. It’s also a great town if you like bike commuting, but, as Joe said, the rate of bike theft is pretty high so you don’t want to ride around town of something *too *nice. Joe was also being humble by not adding that his shop, Davis Wheelworks, is one of the best around. They have great mechanics, their service is great, and they have a lot of experience working with triathletes (including fitting triathletes).
Davis also has a triathlon club, Mad Cow Racing. It has been around a long time, although I don’t know how active or well organized it is these days.
As for swimming, the Davis Aquatic Masters is one of best (and largest) Master’s swimming programs in the United States. It was USMS local club of the year in 2011 and last year its head coach, Stuart Kahn, was USMS coach of the year. There are 8 or 9 workouts throughout the day on weekdays and 2 on Saturday mornings, so whether you swim before work, at lunchtime, or in the evening, there is a workout for you. There is a wide spread of abilities and ages, so no matter how fast or slow or young or old you are, you should have people to swim with. Coaching is excellent, both in terms of the workouts and technique instruction, and all of the coaches are very welcoming. I believe dues are currently $42/month.
Weather in the winter can be rainy and sometimes foggy, but it’s usually not freezing so if you don’t mind riding in the rain it’s manageable. Summer will be hot and dry - cool mornings probably 55-60 degrees with afternoon temps in the 90s.
DAM is awesome - super affordable, many workout times, and fantastic coaches.
As Joe and everyone said, yes it’s flat and windy but if you want to ride hills head down to the East Bay (1 hr drive) or east to Folsom/Auburn/etc (45 min drive). In Davis itself it’s a pretty small town and people are used to cyclists everywhere so it’s super easy to ride out of town itself and not worry about traffic.