Upcoming Rides

To play the video, hit the arrow in the center of the frame.

Select a past ride from below to view it. Then hit the replay arrow in the center of the video frame. 

August 18, 2024: Phil's Ride: Whale of a Century

August 11, 2024: Phil's Ride: The Orange Coast Tour

June 30, 2024: Jacques' Ride: Corner - Will Rogers to Mount Holyoke

March 20, 2022 Phil's Ride: Oak Ridge Rides

December 12, 2021: Phil's Ride - Foothill Footsie Century

November 28, 2021: Phil's Ride - Cal Poly By Golly

September 19, 2021: Phil's Ride - Wandering To Whittier 

September 12, 2021: Phil's Ride - The Grand Tour Lite  

April 18, 2021: Phil's Ride - Laguna Canyon Century

August 15, 2021: Phil's Ride - Huntington Beach Go Around 

April 11, 2021: Phil's Ride - Winding Roads of Orange County

November 12, 2020: Phil's Ride - The Triple Dippers

Every Thursday, 8:30 a.m. (unless otherwise specified). 

Start Location: Ballona Creek Bridge.  From I405 exit Culver Blvd and head West or take Rte 90 West and take Culver Blvd exit turn left. Right on Esplanade St, left on Convoy St, and right on Pacific Avenue. Park by the Lagoon on the right. The bridge is about 2 blocks North on Pacific.

For a map and directions to the start, click Start.

Riders usually goes South to Palos Verdes on the bike path and then do some riding on the Peninsula. There are optional climbs including the 3 “dips” which give the ride its name. The group usually stops for a break at the Golden Cove shopping area. Occasionally the group will decide to vary the route and explore specific sites elsewhere in the city. A typical day is 40 - 50 miles but often individual riders either cut the day short or add extra miles as desired.  Contact Nancy Domjanovich nancydomx@nullicloud.com for details.

Check out our weekly newsletter here to get a preview of some of our past rides...Newsletter (http://www.lawheelmen.org/vp-newsletter)

We hope to see you there!

Sunday,  October 20 – 8:30 a.m.

Start Location: ALHAMBRA PARK.  From San Bernardino Frwy (I-10), off & North on Freemont, R - Alhambra Rd, R - Raymond to Park.

For a map and directions to the start, click Start.

Routes: 

• Long – 54 miles – 2200 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Medium – 45 miles – 1600 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Short – 30 miles – 1000 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Combined Routes

These routes do something very few do, but I wish all our routes could do. Today, all three routes (long, medium and short) stay together until lunch and then split for their separate returns. This is nice because everyone riding today gets to eat lunch together. Also it allows everyone to ride a big chunk of the ride before they decide which route they want to do. If you had planned to do the medium but are felling good at lunch, maybe you go for the long. Conversely, if you had planned on doing the long but aren’t really feeling all that strong today, you can still opt for the medium or even the short. It allows riders who might be inclined to ride the medium or short to ride with the long riders and see that they are not necessarily that much stronger and maybe that would encourage them to try a longer route themselves. Lots of good things can come from everyone riding to lunch first. Like I say, I wish all our routes could be this way. So come out today and enjoy this unique situation. All routes are together for the first 28 miles as they proceed from the start over to the Rio Hondo (the Bikeway of the title) and ride it north to the end. We then ride over to South Pasadena where we stop for lunch. After lunch, the short rides an easy 2 more miles back to the start. The long and the medium continue together on a loop over to La Canada. From there, the medium heads directly back to the start while the long adds an additional loop up into the hills above the Rose Bowl. If you are up for it, this climb gives you some nice views of the city. So there you have it – an easy first 28 miles for everyone and then you get to pick your poison for the return. Be sure to bring all three route sheets so you can make your final choice at lunch.  NOTE: This is the first week we are including a QR code on each route sheet which will take you to the route on RideWithGPS. So, if you want to see the entire route with an elevation profile, you can scan the QR code with your phone and there it is. This might be helpful if you are trying to decide which route you want to take from the common.

 

Sunday,  October 27 – 8:30 a.m.

Start Location: BROOKSIDE PARK - just south of the Rose Bowl. From Ventura Frwy (134) or Pasadena Frwy (110), off & north on Orange Grove, L - Rosemont, L - Seco and L- Arroyo to Park on left.  Meet near the Aquatic Facility / tennis courts.

For a map and directions, click Start.

Routes: 

• Long – 48 miles – 5400 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Medium – 29 miles – 3100 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Short – 24 miles – 1600 feet of elevation gain (mapping software)
• Combined Routes

We traditionally ride up to Mount Wilson each October. This will be one of the last weekends that the Cosmic Café remains open before it shuts down for the winter, so it’s the perfect time to go. While we are up there, we sometimes go the short extra distance to look at the observatory up there.  Here’s a little information about that. There are several telescopes there. There is the 100-inch Hooker Telescope (completed in 1917)  and the 60-inch telescope (completed in 1908). Also there is the Snow solar telescope (completed in 1905), the 60-foot solar tower (completed in 1908) and the 150-foot solar tower (completed in 1912) Finally, there is the CHARA array which became operational in 2004 and at the time was the largest optical interferometer in the world. I’m not sure what that is. While all the telescopes are still in use for research, increasing light pollution from Los Angeles has limited the ability of most of the telescopes for deep space research. However, apparently the inversion layer that traps smog and warm air over Los Angeles actually makes Mount Wilson ideal for interferometry.  Again, I don’t know what that is. Anyway, if you make it up to the top today, you might want to take a little time to go over and look at the telescopes. Only the long route goes all the way to the top of Wilson and then returns back down the way you came. The medium makes it as far as Clear Creek Station before returning. The Short simply tours the Pasadena area without going up Angeles Crest at all. The good news is that in terms of miles, these are short routes. The long is only 48 miles and only half of that is uphill. And if you really can’t hack it, you can go as far as you feel comfortable and then turn around and practically coast back to the start. (I’ve done that.) So don’t shy away from this ride just because you think it is too hard. No matter how far you go, the mountains this time of year are really nice. For those going to the top, the café should be open, but check their Facebook page for any special events which sometimes cause it to be closed. 

All Newcomer Rides are announced on this Meetup Group...

 Los Angeles Bike Rides & Beyond 

 

Typically we offer one or two Sunday rides per month; these are announced around the middle of the prior week.  Join the Meetup Group to receive email notices.