I was still feeling pumped from my first ride, and two days later, I was ready to head out again. I had a few errands to take care of out in Pasadena, so I decided to pack my bike into the car and knock off a few of the Pasadena rides.
No, I don't like carting my bike to ride, but I recognize that I won't always be able to ride to every ride from our apartment. And since I was heading out to Pasadena anyway, I didn't have to worry about making an extra trip. So I sucked it up, undid the quick release, collapsed Dimitri's back seats (Dimitri = our car), and rearranged our normal trunk-stuff. After hitting up the library, the dry cleaner, and the storage locker, I parked down along the Rose Bowl and set out.
Date: 7/20/2012
No, I don't like carting my bike to ride, but I recognize that I won't always be able to ride to every ride from our apartment. And since I was heading out to Pasadena anyway, I didn't have to worry about making an extra trip. So I sucked it up, undid the quick release, collapsed Dimitri's back seats (Dimitri = our car), and rearranged our normal trunk-stuff. After hitting up the library, the dry cleaner, and the storage locker, I parked down along the Rose Bowl and set out.
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| This is the western part of Pasadena. The Rose Bowl (football stadium & golf course) is that long, skinny bit of green marked with the pin. The first part of this ride circles the Rose Bowl. The second part goes up into those squiggly roads to the northwest of the Rose Bowl, all the way to (and past) Descanso Gardens, which are the spot of green with the tree picture at the upper left. |
Time: ~3:00 PM
Weather: 85 F, Sunny
Route: Clockwise loop around Rose Bowl/L Salvia Canyon/R Linda Vista (Highland)/R Berkshire/R Chevy Chase/L Descanso/L Verdugo (Honolulu)/Turn around at Old Town Montrose & Reverse/Clockwise loop around Rose Bowl
These two routes were directly combined from Where To Bike LA, Route #13 and #14 (low road option).
These two routes were directly combined from Where To Bike LA, Route #13 and #14 (low road option).
Distance: 17 mi
Time: 1 hr, 7 min
Avg Pace: 15.1 mph
Terrain: Rose Bowl Loop rises slightly to the 12 o'clock position, and drops to the 6 o'clock position (150 ft increase, over 1.5 miles). The route up to Descanso climbs steadily but not steeply (~600 feet over 5 miles), mostly through quiet residential areas:
and nearly deserted scenic overlook roads:
before dropping sharply into Montrose. Obviously, the return trip features a short steep climb out of Montrose, then 5 miles of gorgeous, gradual downhill.
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| Quiet residential area - including tree shade!! |
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| A little too much road & power line, but look at that view! |
Interesting Happenings:
1. Lightbulb moment as I flew down the hill into Montrose: "Hey! That is the Ralph's I always stopped at for lemonade after workouts!" There I was, just ~1/4 mile from the park where I coached some young runners earlier this summer. When I planned/mapped this route, I had no idea. Ooops.
1. Lightbulb moment as I flew down the hill into Montrose: "Hey! That is the Ralph's I always stopped at for lemonade after workouts!" There I was, just ~1/4 mile from the park where I coached some young runners earlier this summer. When I planned/mapped this route, I had no idea. Ooops.
Lessons Learned:
1. Don't get so distracted unloading and prepping your bike (and yourself) that you forget to close the car door. After messing around at the car for ~10 minutes, I hopped on my bike for my first loop of the Rose Bowl.
15 minutes later, as I circled around to finish the loop, I noticed that Dimitri's driver's side door was ajar. Thankfully, nothing was disturbed - I think I was so distracted by preparing for the ride, that I didn't notice I'd left it open. D'oh! Henceforth, I shall double-check all doors.
2. Sometimes, you don't realize how much climbing you've done until you see that you're actually coasting the whole way back. Sweet!
3. This is a BEAUTIFUL ride. I wish I'd known about it when we were living out in Pasadena for the month of December.
4. Beware of the right turn lane! Coming into Old Town Montrose, I stopped paying attention for a moment, and suddenly the right hand lane (where I was riding) had become a right turn lane full of cars. I wanted to go straight, but couldn't move over safely. In this case it was OK - I just made the turn, then looped back when it was safe to cross. But if that had been a freeway entrance ramp, I'd have been in a tight spot. I must remember to watch for this when I'm riding in a new area.
1. Don't get so distracted unloading and prepping your bike (and yourself) that you forget to close the car door. After messing around at the car for ~10 minutes, I hopped on my bike for my first loop of the Rose Bowl.
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| Coming around the Rose Bowl - the golf course part, not the football stadium part! |
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| Descending from Descanso Gardens. |
3. This is a BEAUTIFUL ride. I wish I'd known about it when we were living out in Pasadena for the month of December.
Lingering Questions:
1. I had some trouble at the start today with one pad on my front brakes rubbing (my cyclocross bike has caliper brakes). I'm starting to suspect this happens when I don't put the front tire on exactly square. Thoughts?
2. Any tips for getting started from a dead stop (red light) heading up a pretty steep hill? I try to remember to shift into an easy gear before stopping, to make starting easier. But even so, as someone who's still adjusting to clipless pedals, I had a scary moment or two getting started on a busy road (no place to weave/swerve to build momentum) climbing out of Montrose.
Overall, I was proud of myself for this ride. I got out there without too much grumbling, did a little climbing, explored a new area, discovered a really beautiful spot for biking/running, and built up a huge appetite for date night dinner at Musha Izakaya.
I'm out in Pasadena about once a week; whenever possible, I'll be bringing my bike along, to check out a few other rides, and zip up to Descanso again, for sure. I'm also excited to check out the "high road" variation of this ride, which has a bit more climbing.
And while I didn't have time to stop on this particular day, Old Town Montrose is pretty cute and has some tempting spots for a coffee/lemonade/muffin stop. I'll also be checking them out (purely research purposes) in the future!
1. I had some trouble at the start today with one pad on my front brakes rubbing (my cyclocross bike has caliper brakes). I'm starting to suspect this happens when I don't put the front tire on exactly square. Thoughts?
2. Any tips for getting started from a dead stop (red light) heading up a pretty steep hill? I try to remember to shift into an easy gear before stopping, to make starting easier. But even so, as someone who's still adjusting to clipless pedals, I had a scary moment or two getting started on a busy road (no place to weave/swerve to build momentum) climbing out of Montrose.
Overall, I was proud of myself for this ride. I got out there without too much grumbling, did a little climbing, explored a new area, discovered a really beautiful spot for biking/running, and built up a huge appetite for date night dinner at Musha Izakaya.
I'm out in Pasadena about once a week; whenever possible, I'll be bringing my bike along, to check out a few other rides, and zip up to Descanso again, for sure. I'm also excited to check out the "high road" variation of this ride, which has a bit more climbing.
And while I didn't have time to stop on this particular day, Old Town Montrose is pretty cute and has some tempting spots for a coffee/lemonade/muffin stop. I'll also be checking them out (purely research purposes) in the future!
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