Trailz to Traxx: Training Ride for 2/10/08

After our ride was botched due to a freak rainstorm last week, we decided to head out of Venice early on a Sunday morning to tackle Mandeville Canyon, tour the upcoming route of the Expo Line, ride down Ballona Creek and re-visit the cherished "Moustache-To-Pass" bridge.

Unfortunately, Ben couldn't join us, as he had just suffered a rather gnarly accident, possibly tearing his ACL. (We're hoping you didn't!) He'd actually designed the route, so we felt a bit weary riding a route that we were so unfamiliar with. But it's good to throw caution to the wind, right?

We left just after nine AM and headed up Ocean Ave towards San Vicente. As expected, the weekend warriors, the casual riders, the commuters, and the families were out in full force. We got passed at one point by a guy on a road bike with weights around his ankles. I'm sure it was probably bad for his knees, but the dude was pedaling with a solid pace, so whatever. Without the weights, he could probably destroy me.

We headed east on San Vicente, which was packed with riders and runners. It was all steady riding at this point of the ride, warming up for the inevitable 5 mile climb up Mandeville Canyon. I hadn't ridden over 3-4 miles uphill before, so, needless to say, the task seemed daunting. I'd heard the climb really wasn't that bad until the end, anyway.

We hiked a quick left on 26th, which turned into Allenford, and turned east on Sunset Blvd. After a couple blocks, we turned left onto Mandeville Canyon. We waited up for Danny and newcomer John, who will be joining our team shortly.

Richard and I took off from the pack at a steady pace for the first couple miles. (It must be noted that Richard rode his fixed gear bike the entire distance.) While it certainly was a long hill, it really wasn't as bad as I expected; the incline was fairly gradual. It didn't help, however, that cyclists would rush down the opposing lane and whiz by. It only made me feel slower.

I lead for the first half of the climb, and then Richard passed me and lead until the very end. And they were right: the end of the hill is the worst. After 4 miles of climbing, you're tired, out of breath, sweating in your eyes, and wondering why anyone would ever pave a road like this. You're wondering why people would build houses so far up a mountain. You wonder why people, much like myself, would try to conquer a hill of such length on a bicycle.

As the incline began to sharpen and I was sick and tired of this annoying hill, I rounded the last corner to see the green gate at the end of the road. About 8 other riders were taking a break and I decided that I needed to touch the gate immediately. I had just switched to my lowest gear and sprinted the final hundred years. (Note: My "sprint" was rather pathetic, but man. That last bit is so steep.)

Richard and I rested at the top until the second group of riders arrived: Liz, Drew, Kim, and Chris. (Another note: Chris actually rode up Mandeville looking for us, thinking we'd left earlier. When he didn't find us, he rode all the way back down, spotted the second group, and then rode all the way back to the top. Jesus.)

We stayed up at the top to fix Liz's flat that she got while her bike just sat there. (Those are seriously the worst flats, but at least she didn't get it while riding.) The ride down the hill was probably my favorite downhill section in Southern California. (Right behind bombing down La Tuna Canyon.) Chris and I raced a guy on a bike that was worth more than his and mine combined. Chris is a quick dude and if the douchebag in the Jeep hadn't pulled out in front of me without looking, I probably would have been able to keep up.

The gap between riders was much smaller this time around, so we retraced our steps back to 26th and San Vicente. We headed down 26th to Olympic; our goal was to tour the area where the new Metro Expo line was being built. However, after missing a turn (that wasn't signed!!!), we quickly became lost.

I mean that in a relative sense. We knew where we were, but the route became a jumbled mess that had also begun to run from being in a pocket full of sweat. (It was hot out! Don't blame me!)

So we improvised. Centinela down to the Ballona Creek path, out to the Moustache Bridge, and then back through the Venice Canals to Ben's house. It was hot. It was windy. And when we finally sat down for Mexican food at La Cabana's, we were tired.

Total distance: 33.24 miles. About 2 hours riding time.