With Chuck's blessing, I will be organizing a ride or two during the Velo Rendezvous into the San Gabriel Mountains. While these rides will be more challenging than Chuck's usual ride, they will still be social rides, not hammer-fests. There are a number of different routes available, so I would like to hear any thoughts from those who are interested in going. I'm expecting the final routes to be about 50 miles and include a few thousand feet of climbing. Some possibilities include:
Out-and-Back on Angles Crest (Hwy 2) Angeles Crest, Angeles Forest, and Upper Tujunga Climb to Mt. Wilson (for the peak baggers) Angeles Crest and Big Tujunga Canyon
We could also head east a little to Glendora and do some combination of: Glendora Mountain Road (still closed to cars) Glendora Ridge Road Mt. Baldy San Gabriel Canyon (Hwy 39) East Fork West Fork
For those looking for a heroic, L'Eroica-type ride, we could consider something like the unpaved Mt. Lowe Road, but I haven't been up there in a while and the road condition might be a little too heroic. The tunnels and the ruins might still make it worthwhile.
I would also like to hear thoughts on when to hold these rides. If many people are already in town, Friday might be a good option. Saturday morning is also possible, but it would be a tight squeeze to make it back in time for the Frame Symposium. Sunday morning looks good to me, but I don't have a big display to set up and I need an excuse to avoid buying more bike parts.
Let's hear your thoughts.
Sean Smith
Huntington Beach, CA