Training Rides

To prepare for the "Big Ride", Mike & I have been doing training rides around Los Angeles.  Last weekend, we rode up Pacific Coast Highway (yes, there is a good shoulder once you get past the center of Malibu) to Sycamore Canyon in Ventura.  It was a 4 hour, 40 mile ride which really gave us a sense of the kind of riding we'll be doing down the coast.  It's great to have a long stretch of road.  You get in a real rhythm - it's almost meditative.  There are lots of interesting things to see like waves crashing onto the beach or birds soaring overhead.  At the same time, you have to be constantly on the lookout for peril:  holes or rocks in the road, car doors being opened, inattentive drivers.  I'm getting more comfortable with the whole thing & am starting to get excited about the actual ride.  The hills, of course, are still a problem but you just keep gearing down & take them one pedal stroke at a time.  When we were riding in the Black Forest of Germany, I used to count in German:  ein, zwei, drei, etc. as I struggled up the hills but somehow that doesn't work in Southern California.


Today, Mike & I rode from our house, down along the beach, up Santa Monica Canyon & San Vicente to the top of Mandeville Canyon, a 3 hour ride.  San Vicente is a wonderful road for cyclists with a designated bike lane & loads of trees (and no billboards).  Mandeville is also great.  It's only 2 lanes but being a Sunday, there were very few cars.  It's 5 miles of gradual uphill & the scenery is beautiful:  trees, lush landscapes & interesting homes.  Imagine my surprise when, part way into the ride, I ran into Virginia, our younger daughter.  Mike was ahead so Virginia & I rode together & met Mike at the top.  It was great having someone else to ride with for a change (and a photographer)!  Here Mike & I are the top of Mandeville:

On our way home, we came up through Rustic Canyon, another gorgeous area.   Settled during the 1920s, it's a hidden gem with old log cabins next to contemporary homes.   With wonderful old trees & a stream running through it,  Rustic Canyon feels a long ways from Los Angeles.   And the shade makes for the perfect way to ride home on a hot day.  


Tuesday I'll do another ride, probably along the beach.  The Marvin Braude Bikeway, named after Los Angeles Councilman Marvin Braude who first advocated for a beach bike path, runs 22 miles from Pacific Palisades to Redondo Beach.  The path goes along the coast of Santa Monica & Venice, through Marina del Rey,  back to the beach along Playa del Rey, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach & Redondo Beach.  Every city has its own unique character & lots to see:  Santa Monica Pier, funky Venice Boardwalk, sailboats in the Marina, airplanes overhead in El Segundo, the beach & volleyball scene in Manhattan Beach, surfers, bicyclists, roller bladers, runners, and, if you're lucky, dolphins swimming close to shore.  Gotta love Southern California!