LA to Riverside, CA
84.5 mi, 2,890ft gain, 50Fs start to 70F end, strong wind from west
Day 2 of the trip, first day of riding in the books!
Today’s ride started with a chill bike bus cruise to the pier at Manhattan Beach. Here we symbolically dipped the rear wheel into the Pacific Ocean to mark the start of our cross country trip. When we finish, front wheel will reach the Atlantic. Holy cow that seems surreal. I loved this. Visualizing one day I might get to the other side of the country, all by my physically pedaling a bike! We got a group picture and Paula lead us in a Boston!! team cheer, then headed up a short steep hill from the beach.
The ride distance today took me a little longer than back home, best guess is all the traffic lights and stop signs on route. Not to mention needing to really watch where we were for turns. It’s been a while since I've followed someone else’s routes!
Ride with gps & syncing routes with Garmins.
Luckily I connected my ride with GPS (where the routes are located for this tour) to my garmin account. Then by pinning each route in the ride with GPS app, they are automatically sent to my garmin at next sync. This is true for our REI trips as well, so I’ve been able to help a few people set that up. Honestly, doing so originally caused me a lot of confusion a few years ago. Maybe someone reading this will make their life easier knowing the short cut.
We had a tail wind for the majority of the day! Who ever ordered that up, please keep doing so! If I could get that tail wind into Wickenburg I’d really appreciate it. Ha! Overall today’s ride was easier than I thought it might be. The traffic was a little much at times, but it’s LA. Somehow my Strava says I did 200 ft less than planned. I don’t know on that one.
Sights
My favorite take away from today’s route was the bike paths along the Santa Ana River are outstanding. Going from extremely busy areas into what felt like a river oasis was so good for my mental health. Coming into this trip can be stressful and a little overwhelming, I think those left me on the bike path. I really enjoyed the last 20 of the route too, taking us into orange grove area and smaller neighborhoods.
Fuel & Hydration
2 Honey Stinger Waffles (I packed 3/day)
1 Larabar
1 small granola bar
1 shot blocks
2 pieces coffee cake @ aid station Yum!!
3 tabs Nuun (also packed w me 2-3 tabs a day)
Local Bike Infrastructure:
Much of what we rode today included painted non-separated bike lines. We had a 3 mile stretch in the middle with 1ft high concrete separation barriers between cars and bikes. The bike path was completely separated and was lovely. It was slightly challenging to understand the paths. I noticed very minimal signage. Stark difference between it and say the loop in Tucson. But loved being off the road!
Planned local infrastructure:
The Santa Ana bike path is currently only 60% completed. So what I rode on is being actively lengthened and connecting more communities, 110miles! Link to read more.
The recent 3.8 mile stretch was approved in April of ‘23 using $6.8 million in state grant money. Maintenance is handled by the San Bernardino Country Regional Parks. The California State Coastal Conservancy is funding the planning, design and construction of the newest Redlands section.
Fundraising update
Less than 1k to the goal!! I’m so proud to call you all my friends, supporters, family, and fellow outdoor enthusiasts who want to help better cycling through advocacy work. The work People for Bikes does helps get the attention and support for grants like the above bike path I rode on. These projects are what make cycling enjoyable, safer, and accessible for so many surrounding them. THANK YOU for helping. ❤️
Road conditions:
LA area has a lot of pot holes. We had a few that surprised us due to shadows and low light in underpasses. Highly suggest to keep distance as riding to be able to see and have reaction time if you find yourself at one. The last uphill has a skinny bike lane with a concrete lip in the middle. It could cause a sidewall take down easily if you don’t watch your route.
We surprisingly didn’t get honked at! Oh crap wait, once. I did. lol! I was at the light stopped, a bee landed on my leg and stung me!! I looked down and saw it just in time to watch it take off with the stinger in my leg. *not mentioned here before but I’ve had extreme reactions to them, one with ER visit. Anyway, I know how to scrape the stinger out to minimize the venom.. as I started to do that carefully, the light turned green and driver to my left, who wanted to turn right, was not into my standing there. I said sorry, waved, and rode onto the sidewalk to see if I got it all. Happy to report my reaction was minimal!? Heck yes, day 2 win!
Yorumlar