Official Los Angeles/Orange County Ride Organization Thread

[DancesOnH2O]

Originally Posted by Jakasaurus

Am i safe to assume that the critical mass ride is round trip?

Yes it is! The finish is always at the same place... within a mile of the start

[DancesOnH2O]

Originally Posted by olvegrn

I try to stay away from Critical Masses since they are never really Masses, but a bunch of Hipsters on Fixies that go about 20mph making illegal moves throughout a city.

Hope to see some of you on the 23rd though!

Originally Posted by MuniAddict

I try NEVER to ride in traffic if at all avoidable, and especially never at night! MUni trails, Beach bike paths and organized events like the marathon where the routes are totally closed to motorized vehicles.

Wow olvegrn and Terry?!! Is this thread going to be about posting rides, or just posting your rides and dissing others?

Surprised to see you involved in commentary regarding others' rides Terry, seeing how you started the thread and all. So much for leadership.

<turns attention to a real ride post>

[olvegrn]

Sunday's Ride along the beach with Terry and Clay: How many people are planning on going to this ride?

[mbalmer]

I'm going to be in Pasadena tomorrow through Saturday. I know it's not OC, but I was hoping someone could let me know of a nice Muni or road ride nearby. I will be at a science conference and will have a few hours here and there.

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

I'm going to be in Pasadena tomorrow through Saturday. I know it's not OC, but I was hoping someone could let me know of a nice Muni or road ride nearby. I will be at a science conference and will have a few hours here and there.

You could go to El Prieto, which is in the Pasadena area.

[Namlak]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

I'm going to be in Pasadena tomorrow through Saturday. I know it's not OC, but I was hoping someone could let me know of a nice Muni or road ride nearby. I will be at a science conference and will have a few hours here and there.

What level do you Muni at and what wheel/crank setup do you have? How are you on technical descents and/or climbs? We frequently Muni at Cherry Canyon by Descanso Gardens in La Canada - not far from Pasadena. It's not too technical, though there are a number of challenging elements - short/sharp climbs, rocky sections, difficult turns with camber and elevation changes, some sustained climbing, etc.

El Prieto/Brown Mountain would be considered very difficult climbing and descending (1,700 feet worth of each!) with switchbacks, rocks, drops, and exposure. My skills have progressed enough (Started muni in January), that I'd like to give it a go.

I'm available Friday afternoon about 4pm or Saturday morning for a ride. I can give you a lift, too. I assume you're in town for something at JPL or Caltech?

Cherry Canyon by Muni:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113371494

Brown Mountain/El Prieto by MTB:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120894521

[olvegrn]

RIDE WITH ME on Sunday, 10/23/11!
The meetup location will be Torrance/Redondo Beach. Street parking is free. This scenic ride will take you through all the well known beach cities including Manhattan, Marina Del Rey, *Venice*, Santa Monica, and Will Rogers State beach.

If we ride the entire round trip it's about 44 miles, but the group can decide how far we go. We never rush and enjoy the sights, and usually stop at Venice to walk around the famous boardwalk, checking out the wild & crazy street performers.

There's also some great places to eat in the area, but we could also ride a bit further and eat at the Santa Monica Pier where they have pizza, burritos and burgers. This time of year makes for the perfect group ride, so come on out and join us!

RIDE STARTS AT 9am on SUNDAY!

[Namlak]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

I'm going to be in Pasadena tomorrow through Saturday. I know it's not OC, but I was hoping someone could let me know of a nice Muni or road ride nearby. I will be at a science conference and will have a few hours here and there.

Mbalmer and I had a nice road ride through Griffith Park here in L.A. on Friday evening! We rode approximately 14 miles with about 1,600 feet of elevation gain crossing the Hollywood Hills twice with an out-and-back to the historic Griffith Observatory.

[mbalmer]

After riding with Namlak through Griffith Park, I attempted Fargo Street the next day. I was not able to make it up to the top without a couple of stops. Such a short distance too . Here I am ALMOST at the top.

Now I have a goal to work toward. Changes I'll make the next time I ride this road: Don't do it in 80 degree heat, Use a lighter unicycle (I used the 26" geared), and don't ride after a huge meal. I may have a chance at success. I could not ride straight up though. I had to zig zag up the street. I wonder what the grade is when zig zagging?

After the Fargo attempt I rode up to Chantry Flats. It was cake walk compared to Fargo, though it was now above 90 degrees. Once finished with that ride, I drove back to San Jose.

[MuniAddict]

Woo!! Epic 48 mile Beach Cities Spectacular today, with my buddy Clay, his wife Alicia (on her bike) and me. This was such a blast and we loved every minute of it, and didn't want it to end! Video coming up!

[MuniAddict]

Pizza break at Santa Monica Pier:


After 48 miles!

[Namlak]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

After riding with Namlak through Griffith Park, I attempted Fargo Street the next day. ... After the Fargo attempt I rode up to Chantry Flats. [/IMG]

Mbalmer is a climbing machine!

After Griffith Park on Friday evening, I went muni-ing at 7am Saturday morning and I still feel it!

[MuniAddict]

One more of Clay & Alicia on today's 48 miler.



Pigeon likes pizza!

[MuniAddict]

venice uni tour - YouTube

[olvegrn]

You can see from the pics and the Video above, WE HAD A B-B-B-B-BLAST! The Weather was cool all day with a slight headwind going north, but the way back was clear and AWESOME!
We started at Torrance at 9am and made our way through some of California's coolest beach cities! It was really cool to see how different each city is though. Take for instance: Malibu and VENICE only 4 miles away from each other?! We stopped at the Venice Skate Park to watch some of the locals Shred and then continued on to Lunch at a VERY GOOD Pizza Place under the Santa Monica Pier. They don't skimp, so if you are in the area, EAT THERE! Then we made our way up to Will Rogers State Beach and turned around and made our way back. We contemplated doing an extra 3 miles to Break 50miles, but by the time we got back to the car, as you can see in the photos above, for me and my wife, it was out of the question.
For all of you who didn't go, YOU HAD NO IDEA WHAT YOU WERE MISSIN'!
Thanks Terry for the great tour!