sending sunshine and an ocean NWG



For our first Dec ride Alex wanted to ride in the San Gabriel mountains so we left the warmth of the beach to ride a loop from Azusa to Mt. Baldy going up from the west on Glendora Mountain Road and back down on Mt Baldy road. An 18 mile 6-8% climb once in the mountains on GMR ending with a 5 mile 14-17% switchbacked final ascent. We stopped at the Mt Baldy Lodge on the way down to stretch, relax and fuel up with some homemade energy bars and hot chocolate from the lodge…..and we split a piece of really good cheesecake…..well Alex takes bigger bites so maybe 40-60.

The descent on MBR is on a well-paved and at times serpentine road with nicely banked corners so we had fun descending back to the valley floor. When we got back to the car it was a 49 mile ride so we decided to ride back up into the mountains on Hwy 39 into San Gabriel canyon. This was one of Alex’s favorite rides when she lived in the area and we’ve ridden it together a few times. It’s a gradually steeper climb with a hard 2 mile section at the end making the turnaround for the descent a welcome moment.

We stopped for a steam room, shower and massage before leaving Azusa, which was a perfect ending to a day of hard riding. 81 miles with sunny skies and temps in the 40’s to 50’s when in the mountains. We had a good tailwind going up San Gabriel canyon, which also made for a cooler descent. Very little traffic since people haven’t started using the Mt Baldy ski area yet. Feeling blessed to have so many beautiful scenic mountain roads for riding in this area and being able to do it with a wonderful wife.