Upcoming Rides

Sunday, December 7th - 8:30 a.m.

Start Location: PICO PARK in PICO RIVERA.  From San Gabriel Frwy (605), off & west on Beverly Blvd to Park on left.  (If coming from the North, the Beverly exit puts you on San Gabriel River Rd which you follow for 1.3 mi. to Beverly).

For a map and directions, click Start.

Routes: 

• Long – 69 miles – 1400 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Medium – 51 miles – 1000 feet of elevation gain (mapping software)
• Short – 38 miles – 600 feet of elevation gain (mapping software)
• Combined Routes

I hadn’t intended to do this, but it seems that in the past few weeks, we have ridden the river trails twice already. On November 9^th we rode “Pico Rivera & Bike Trails” and on December 23^rd we rode the “Paul Neuerburg Centuries.”  Today we do it again. I like the river trails, but this is getting to be a bit much. I assure you I wouldn’t have done this if I had realized what I was doing. Fortunately, not many riders rode the previous two times, so it will be fresh for most of you. When we last rode these routes in December of 2023 I pointed out that they were the perfect rides for December because they keep you off the roads which are filled with crazed holiday shoppers and they provide you with calming easy riding to help alleviate your own holiday frenzy. So, once more this winter, we hit the river trails. The routes are all loops on the San Gabriel and Los Angeles Rivers. The long rides 4 different bike trails. We start with the San Gabriel River trail up to the Santa Fe Dam. Then its the Rio Hondo south to the LA River Trail and the Long Beach Bike Path over to Seal Beach for lunch. Then it’s the San Gabriel Trail again back to the start. The medium is much the same, except it does not go all the way to the Santa Fe Dam. The short is similar to the medium except that it doesn’t go all the way south to Long Beach. It is pleasant riding, with almost no hills. When we rode the San Gabriel River in November it was immediately after a rain and there were some flooded underpasses, but we can navigate around those if it should rain before today’s ride. It’s easier to talk to your companions on bike trails. So how can you go wrong? I promise I will stay away from the river trails for several months after this.

Sunday,  December 14th – 8:30 a.m.

Start Location: EISENHOWER PARK in ORANGE.  From 91 Frwy, go south on the 55 Frwy--take the first exit (Lincoln) which puts you on Tustin Ave Southbound (left at bottom of off ramp).  Then R (west) on Lincoln 0.2 mi., R - Oceanview and R- Bixby Ave. (top of hills) one block to the Park.

For a map and directions, click Start.

Routes:   

• Long – 64 miles – 3400 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Medium – 49 miles – 2400 feet of elevation gain (mapping software)
• Short – 34 miles – 1400 feet of elevation gain (barometric)
• Combined Routes

Little more than a week until Christmas so maybe it’s time to take a break from the hustle and bustle and  get out of town. Corona sounds like a good destination, although it has grown considerably in recent years. In 1980 it had a population of only 37,000 but by 1990 it had doubled to 76,000 and by 2020 had doubled again to 157,000. Where did they put all those people? Well, today’s long route head’s out to Tom’s Farms for lunch. Years ago the stretch between Corona and Tom’s Farms was mostly empty land. Now, there are only a few short stretches that are empty. Still it is nice to get away from the areas we ride so often. Corona is in Riverside County and we rarely ride there. Starting in Orange, all routes get to Corona. Actually, all routes spend most of their time riding from the start to Corona and then returning back by the same route. It’s what they do while in Corona that differentiates the three routes. The trip out is mostly along Santa Ana Canyon Rd and then into the bike path along the river and onto Green River before arriving in Corona. The short simply stops for lunch at the edge of Corona and then returns. The medium makes a small loop around the Corona area, stops for lunch and then returns. The long does something special. After doing the loop with the medium riders it heads out Temescal Cyn Rd. all the way to Tom’s Farms for lunch. Tom’s Farms used to be a small restaurant and store but seems to grow every year. There is more than one restaurant there now and other things to do. If you have never been, you should go. The long then returns to Corona through some of the newer neighborhoods out that way and rejoins the medium and short riders on the return back through Santa Ana Canyon. There are no major hills  just a bunch of medium sized ones. Nothing you can't handle. Its a bit of a drive  but you only have to drive to Orange – not Corona.

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