This route never gets old. I must admit though I do continue to tweak it here and there in order to make little quality of life improvements. This time out I updated the route from Santa Fe Dam to the Rio Hondo Bike Path. The first time I tried this I took Arrow Hwy/Live Oak to catch the bike path, but once I rode it south I found that trail was submerged with the Peck Road Park Lake. Next I made the change to riding to Peck Rd and joining the trail at the Peck Road Water Conservation Park. This was the most direct route, but the road surface on Peck was awful. This time out I mixed it up by staying with the San Gabriel River Trail until Lower Azusa Rd and then working my way through the neighborhood until Peck Road Water Conservation Park. It worked out beautifully! The roads were pristine and relatively traffic free. Despite this feeling like near perfection for this route there are a few other options I can see on a map I’d like to try before considering this one “done”.
This morning I was blessed with a beautiful sunrise. The sun was kissing the bottom of the clouds almost perfectly. I’m thankful that I kept looking over my shoulder to watch it develop and then grab a couple pictures of the action.
The ride down to Long Beach was nice. I keep forgetting to bring a neck gaiter, mask, or something to protect my face. Riding south the gnats were so thick today it was awful. I kept getting pelted and I had to look nearly straight down in order to not get mouthfuls. Bleh! I never even consider a mask until I see riders coming in the opposite direction wearing them. At first I thought it was odd. I continued to think that way until I rode through my first cloud of the little buggers. Simply awful.
As I approached Long Beach I could see the marine fog layer creeping inland up the LA river. It made for a cool scene. You could see a distinct line where the fog started. Kinda apocalyptic. The one picture I got doesn’t really do it justice.
Riding along Shoreline Park, I couldn’t see the Queen Mary across the bay which was a first. There was another event going on with the start/finish line at the park which isn’t new. It seems there is something happening every weekend I go down. This time it was a walk to support Alzheimer’s research. These events make for interesting navigating as the large groups insist the entire path is dedicated to them. Meh, it’s a small price to pay.
Arriving at Bogart’s I was surprised how busy it was. There were a few dozen people milling about enjoying coffee and conversation. Thankfully, there was space to park Shadow and space for me to park inside. I ordered my iced cold brew, bear claw, and banana and pulled up a seat to relax for a while. It was a nice break from the ride, but it didn’t take long before I started getting cold. There was a slight breeze coming in the door when combined with my sweaty kit just chilled me to the bone. I finished up my second breakfast and rolled out for my in-laws’ house.
The ride back was uneventful with only two things really standing out.
The first was when I thought I’d picked up a random cyclist I thought was looking for a friendly wheel. I know this is a point of convention for some, but it really doesn’t bother me in the least. The way I look at it, if I’m going north and someone wants to jump on my wheel, knock yourself out. As long as they’re back there being safe and just following along, by all means enjoy the free ride. However, it wasn’t long before they came around and struck up a conversation.
As he came alongside he asked how I liked my Domane. I told him I love it. He complimented me on my pace and how at first he’d thought I was on an eBike. I told him I couldn’t fault him for thinking that with how large the bottom bracket area is on the newer Domanes.
He then started chatting about himself and how he used to be heaving into the SoCal crit scene while sharing his love for the “Rose Bowl ride”. He waxed poetically about the few times the group averaged 30 MPH for the ten laps. Health issues forced him off the bike for a spell, and, once he was ready to ride again, couldn’t ride the old race geometry bikes he was used to. Then his world changed when he picked up a Gen 2 Domane and now he’s back in the saddle slowly rebuilding his fitness.
We continued our conversation for several minutes while riding side-by-side, and eventually he peeled off to ride home. My only regret was not getting his name or to ask if he was on Strava. I’ve since checked the fly-bys for the day and he isn’t there. My hindsight is always 20/20 on things like that.
The other cool thing was the Village Venture Arts & Crafts Festival going on at Claremont Village. As I mentioned earlier I’m constantly tweaking and updating my routing, and on this occasion I wanted to ride Bonita Ave until it dead ended at 4th before turning south to 1st street. The idea was to try to avoid the busier section of 1st st between Cornell and 4th. As luck would have it, the day I try this update is the same day this festival is going on and has the entire road closed off. Instead of diverting around I slowed my roll and rode through without any issue. If I’d had more time I would have loved to explore all the different vendors and perhaps come home with something for the family.
And that pretty much wraps things up for today’s ride. Once again it was a great one and I’m looking forward to doing it again when I can.
New bike fund: $74.95 (+$0.10)
2.71 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
323 vehicles @ 2.5 per mile, 0.8 per minute, Speeds: 32.9 mph (avg), 59.8 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Partly cloudy-Sunny, 61°F-88°F, Feels like 62°F-92°F, Humidity 55%-18%, Wind NNE 2mph-WSW 4mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock.com Report —
Weather Impact™: -1.7%
Headwind: 18% @ 1 – 6.3 mph
Longest Headwind: 56m 56s
Air Speed: 17.6 mph
Temp: 54.9-77.8 °F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —
Max elevation: 1562 ft
Min elevation: 1 ft
Total climbing: 3646 ft
Total descent: -3608 ft
Total time: 08:09:29
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