Grand Tour Training Rides 2009

12 Weeks to a Better Grand Tour

As usual, we will be holding a series of 12 training rides for the Grand Tour, starting on Saturday, April 4, and every Saturday right up to the Grand Tour on June 27th. These are all great rides and are often ridden by riders who have no interest in the Grand Tour but just enjoy these challenging, but very scenic, routes. We try to make the series gradually increase in difficulty. There’s no doubt some of the later rides (such as the Angeles Crest or Two Tujungas trainers) are more difficult than the early Canyon Lakes and May Canyon trainers, but all are challenging. However, if you start with the first and stick with it, you will be able to do them. And, as I say every year, no one (to my knowledge) who has diligently done all or most of the trainers has ever failed to complete the Grand Tour for lack of strength or endurance.

This year we have added a new trainer, switched a couple around in the order and substituted a few classic trainers for ones we have been riding the last few years. We kept the most popular trainers in the line-up however. The schedule is as follows (consult the regular ride schedule for start times and locations):

April 4 – May Canyon First up is a relatively short trainer (50 mi) and it has only one major climb – May Canyon. It’s a closed road in questionable condition, but that means NO traffic as you climb. It’s fairly steep for the first couple of miles and then settles into the usual grind.  Some beautiful views if it’s not foggy.

April 11 – Canyon Lakes A very popular trainer that cruises past 4 lakes. It takes in the very scenic Bouquet Canyon, stops in rustic Green Valley and then rides the long downhill on Lake Hughes Rd before circling most of Castaic Reservoir A very pretty day.

April 18 – Mt. Baldy Village One of my favorites. Most of the climbing is in the first half as you head up Glendora Mountain Rd and the Glendora Ridge Route all the way to Baldy Village. Lunch in the village is pleasant as the mountains in the spring seem so fresh. Last year there was still a little snow visible on the mountain above. The return is mostly back they way you came, but includes  a great 9 mile downhill.

April 25 – Neuerburg Century We always like to include a few centuries in the trainers to train for distance rather than climbing strength. So hardly any hills on this one, but many miles of river bike path. This year we have moved the start to El Dorado Park in Long Beach, so we will be starting at a different point on the loop from the usual route, but we will still be doing the same loop.

May 2 – Piuma Trainer This is the new trainer this year. It was suggested that Piuma is a nice climb, but we weren’t wild about the other trainers in our library which do Piuma. So we put together this route which does do Piuma but then gives you an opportunity to do two great downhills we seldom ride: Down Stunt Road and Down Latigo. We normally ride UP both those during the training season, but this year will not be doing either.

May 9 – Upper Big Tujunga (Reversed) Another popular ride, this trainer rides up all of Big Tujunga Canyon. First the lower portion up to Hidden Springs for a break. Then the Upper portion up to Angeles Crest. Then it’s almost all downhill back to the start, unless you want to take one of the two options offered: A side trip to Newcomb’s Ranch or a side trip up to Mount Wilson.

May 16 – Yerba Buena This our annual trip up Yerba Buena which takes you from the coast (at Neptune’s Net) up to the highest paved pass in the Santa Monica Mountains (I think) It’s a long climb, but there’s a nice break in the middle at a ranger station. After that, the return is not so bad, but you can take the longer return through the Valley which adds the climb over Sepulveda.

May 23 – Flats & Hills They were running this trainer the first time I did the Grand Tour back in 1977. It’s a lot of climbing as you make a big loop from Beverly Hills, out to the Valley, out Mulholland Hwy and return back down the coast. There are only a couple of major climbs but a lot of smaller ones that add up.

May 30 – Two Terrible Tujungas A very challenging ride, but with challenge comes beauty. You start with the long climb up Little Tujunga Canyon. After the downhill on Sand Canyon your ride the gradual up-grade on Soledad Canyon all the way out to Acton. Then it’s up Aliso Cyn to Angeles Forest and on up to Mill Creek Summit. You end the day with a downhill on Big Tujunga which you climbed only 3 weeks ago.

June 6 – Westlake-Simi Valley An old trainer we haven’t ridden in a while. It starts with the fairly tough climb up Kanan Dume. Then it’s down into Westlake and over Erbes to Simi Valley (similar to a portion of the Highland Grand Tour Route). Then it’s across Simi Valley, over Santa Susana, across the Valley and over Sepulveda back to the start. I count 3 major climbs in that with plenty of miles.

June 13 - Angels Crest/San Gabriel Canyon This has become the crown jewel of the training season and usually has the biggest turn-out. It’s an awesome route, but also the most difficult trainer with over 8000 feet of gain in almost 90 miles.  We travel up up up Angeles Crest past Newcomb’s ranch and on to Cloud Burst Summit at about 7000 feet above sea level. But shortly after that we start the long, long downhill on Hwy 39 in San Gabriel Canyon, Much of this is closed to traffic which make this downhill just that much more enjoyable.

June 20 – Byways of Palos Verdes As usual, we end the training series with a somewhat easier ride to maintain our training, but not overdo it a week before the Grand Tour. This ride cruises down to Palos Verdes, does 3 moderate climbs on the peninsula and then returns. A highlight this year will be the stop at Steve Bowen’s new bike shop for a lunch break, especially because Steve is this year’s Grand Tour Chairman.

June 27 – Grand Tour. You’ve trained for it. Now do it!!