How many So Cal Riders use this forum?

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LaughLaugh18 - I've heard there are some pretty good shops in the Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario areas; call around - ask lots of questions etc. I found - choose my favorite LBS when I talked to a guy who took the time to ask about the type of riding I did etc - then I got his name and asked for him specifically - so far, so good!

I would love to pick a ride and get together with others and train for it (probably every few weeks or so sine everyone is a bit of a distance from each other) and/or be each other's training support for that particular ride. I would really like to get ready for Cruizin the Conejo (I'm planning to ride the moderate metric - 68 miles). I'm supposed to get my new bike this week or next week but can't ride until I get my cast off; 4 weeks from yesterday. I'll pretty much be starting from the beginning unless I decide to get a trainer in the interim.

bcipam - any insight on Cruizin' the Conejo?? I just re-read some of the posts and Bikerchick68 is already planning to do that one as well - are you planning on riding it this year?

Bikerchick68 - which route are you planning to do? I read that you are doing a century a month - I know you are doing Tour de Palm Springs, which rides are you doing in March and April? Since you have that fabulous pink bike, I thought of you when I went into a bike store and they had a pink polka dot project one (Madone 5.2) It sounds a bit weird but it was gorgeous - not thatyou would necessarily do polka dots but the color was soooo purty! That's now my next bike (different colors) assuming I ride as seriosly as I'm planning! You were my insiration for putting COLOR on my bike!!!

In any event, I am so glad to know there are a few of us here in SoCal!!!

Nicole, my prayers go out to you and your boyfriend. The two of you are so lucky to have each other! What is entailed in moving all of the bike levers to one side? Do they have to retrofit the bike itself or is ot a special type of shifter? I hope your boyfriend will be ready to give it a try soon, I'm sure it is a bit intimidating/scary.

Have a great day everyone!

Tracy

[bikerchick68]

hey I'm totally up for planning a ride and meeting! My bro lives in Camarillo so I can even stay up there if I need to be further north...

tprevost... I am doing the Century for Cruisin the Conejo... it will be my cent for that month...

for March I am doing a ride in Paso Robles (I'm 99% sure at least) that is a benefit ride for a rider who goes by Homey... he is on the bicycling.com forums and has become a friend... ridden with him a couple times... uh, wait, he's ridden with ME a couple times... no way I could keep up with him! LOL... anyway, he is putting together a supported ride for $40 with proceeds going to help him afford RAAM this year! Yep, he is qualified for Race Across America!!! A BIG deal of course... but will cost the team about $20,000 to race it... not cheap!

April... ah, April I don't know... I did Hemet last year and didn't like it... so I may do an unsupported cent that month... just up the coast and back or something... if I stay close to home I know where all the Starbucks are... LOL...

holy moly... a pink polka dot project one??? wowser, bet that's a beauty! I'm glad you added color... I will be changing out soon again... my saddle is dead as is my bar tape now... not sure what I'm gonna do next... since the bike is silver, pretty much anything goes for saddle and tape! I may do pink again... what the hay!

[bcipam]

Since I'm OC based, not too familiar with LA but I'll check around. Call Helen's and see if they can recommend a professional fitter. Also do not be afraid to ask the clerks if someone there has fit training. Ask to see an older clerk or the manager. I don't like the young ones working on me either!

Keep at it. 10 miles is good. 20 is better and so on. Next year you'll be doing the metric or even the century at Cool Breeze!!!!

[caligurl]

Where do you live: socal desert

What Do you ride: both road and mountain bikes

Which is your favorite? i like road riding better... i always say i'm a warm weather roadie!

Where do you ride? all over! during the week and non "organized" weekends.. just around the area i live... the joshua tree national park is in our "back yard" and it's also a nice climb/road ride! if we get the whim we'll drive "down the hill" and ride oak glen or GMR.... we also go all over socal to do organized ride.. i'm a fan of organized rides... LOVE the sag stops... so a lot of saturdays we are off before the crack of dawn heading for a ride! i rode 13 or 14 centuries last year.... including, of course the tour de palm spings (closest organized ride), breathless agony, ride around the bear, alpine challenge, also did a few double metrics: grand tour, grand tour lite later in the year, cool breeze... also did smog to surf (fun but hot!)... alpine challenge... hemet century.... julian bike fest... amtrak century.... las vegas century... borrego to the sea and OCW fall metric... we even added stagecoach this year! see! we drive all over socal to ride!

for mountain biking we've pretty much stayed in the local area... but we do drive to ride up bern's canyone quite often!


Bike Clubs: none... the closest bike club is an hour away.. not really worth it to drive an hour to ride with a club for 30 or 40 miles....

Bicycle wish list: hmmmmm don't have one cuz i just got a brand new ruby pro w/complete dura-ace.... so i'm happy... well.. i would like a pink mountain bike... i have no desire for a pink road bike.. but would LOVE a pink mountain bike lol!

Life wish list: be the person my dog thinks i am! lol!

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has anyone ridden either the Santa Ana River Trail or the San Gabriel River Trail???? I'm going to be needing to get a lot of mileage in quickly after my cast comes off and since I usually end up riding alone, I thought maybe these would be good options (both above 60 miles round trip). I'm a little nervous about being on new roads far away from home ... somehow a straight out and back trail (no traffic/can't get lost) doesn't seem so scary...

Thanks!

Tracy

[caligurl]

i rode the santa ana trail during the smog to surf... but it wasn't straight out and back.. there were a few places you had to go roundabout and up and over ! if it hadn't been marked for STS i surely woulda gotten lost! then the bridges!

however... it is FLAT as a pancake so very fast... as long as you know where you are going it's a fast mileage builder!!!

don't know anything about san gabriel!

hopefully some others have some info for you!

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Thanks Caligurl! At least I know to watch for those spots you mentioned! I am pretty sure my neighbor has ridden it before (he's kinda weird so I wanted to ask here first) so I may ask him as well. Are you going to the Red Riding Hood ride in UT? ... I saw that you posted you might go, so I thought I'd ask!

Tracy

[Googlie Wooglie]

I think the trail is repaired now ... at least, last time I rode it I made no detours and that was 70 miles up and back. Can a local confirm?

[caligurl]

ahhhhh so parts were closed??? that's why we went up and around and over and down a little path? lol! well if it is an out and back with NO chance of getting lost... i may drag hubby down there sometime when i want to go shopping (ride first.. then shop )

tprevost... i want to do little red riding hood.. it's just a logistics thing.... it's still on the calendar.. so i haven't written it off yet! lodging with a dog is the biggest set back.... not sure i want to camp (not sure there's even a tenting campground) and finding hotels/motels that take dogs (even one that behaves better than a lot of kids) is hard! it's too far to go in a day like we do the centuries here in socal (we'll drive up to 4 hours but that's ONLY if it's a good century! we like to keep it to a 3 hour drive or less cuz even that's 6 hours on top of the ride time!) but anyways.. i'm babbling!

[bcipam]

I used to do as a regular weekend ride the Los Angeles to San Gabriel River Trails. Started in Long Beach, rode out to MArina Pacific caught one fo the trails and rode up to Irwindale (there is a slight grade all the way up) crossed over and caught the other trail back down to Long Beach. 80 miles. Fairly easy but times had changed. Don't do this unless you are in a group. Some iffy people using the trails nowadays. And yes there is alot of construction so many detours to deal with.

Re Cruising the Conejo: Do the moderate metric. It's plenty hard. A couple of tough climbs to contend with. A monster downhill into Camarillo. Take your time, eat at every rest stop but don't stay too long (my rule - no more than 5 minutes unless you need to use the restroom). Keep up a consistant pace. Save some energy for the hill climbs and strong headwinds at the end.

I'm hoping to do the ride this year. I'm just coming off my collarbone surgery and starting to ride again. I should be able to tolerate the metric but longest ride since October has been 20 miles. I need some seat time!!!

[caligurl]

the conejo century is on my (and hubby's) ride list for this year! the jersey isn't as cool this year as last year though i want a big rabbit.. not a rabbit head and leaf! oh well.......

unfortunately it falls right smack dab in the middle of KOM.... why are all the rides so close together!? then all the sudden in july and august you can hardly find one!

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Caligurl - what is KOM (I'm not up on all the abreviations yet!)

bcipam - I found a guy online who wrote some reviews of the trails and he did say that the san gabriel had some iffy areas but he didn't mention any issues with ths Santa Ana... what do you think?

As far as prep time, you'll be way ahead of me! I can't get on any bike until the first of March and even then I'll have to stick w/my mtn bike for a week or two (more upright - less pressure on my arm) I do plan to do the 30 mile ride at the tour de sewer, then the 68 miler in may. THANK YOU for the overview on the 68; that will really help me prepare!

I hope that someday we can hook up and ride together! Although Caligurl and Bikerchick68 SCARE me - they are wicked studettes!!!!

Tracy

[caligurl]

lol! i'm not a studette! i just like to ride!

KOM = king of the mountain ( they should offer an optional QUEEN of the mountain.. but i digress)

planet ultra is doing a new thing this year... finish all three epic climbing rides.... and you qualify for a king of the mountain jersey! i did breathless agony last year (and bought their jersey, of course!) so this year i'm gonna try for KOM... of course.. i've been eating more... and have more to lug up the hills this year unless i get off my lard arse and start eating better! but again i digress....

here's the link!

http://www.planetultra.com/KOM/index.html

planet ultra puts on some NICE rides.... did their angeles crest ride last year.. NICE bunch of folks! good support! sag...

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Caligurl,

Okay, after reading the ride descriptions I've decided that not only are you a studette...you're NUTS!!!

I'm SO kidding... and am way jealous! I hope to get to the point where those kinds of rides won't scare the begeebers out of me! I'm pretty much that way with hiking - I've talked my friends into doing 24 mile hilly day hikes etc. but I've got a ways to go on the bike!

Since I can't ride yet though, I have been trying to unload a few pounds; I figure the less I have to lug around, the faster I'll get ready for the rides I've signed up for! I'll probably start doing some stairs and leg work (we've got a pretty complete gym out in the garage)... any suggestions (from anyone) on bike performance specific things I can do without using any arms - I would greatly appreciate the input. I've been walking and hiking regularly but I'm looking to ramp up over the next three weeks.

CG - I hope you will keep us updated as you complete those rides! AND, I agree, there definately should be a queen of the mountain as well!!!

Tracy

[caligurl]

i'll keep you posted.. hopefull with all good reports! i'll be devastated if i don't finish one! i WANT that jersey!

i'll go with the nuts comment! still don't think i'm a studette! i do have an EVIL trainer though! he had me out climbing a little way up out local hill the in the first couple of days of having my bike! and all the way to the "top" within a week! he's EVIL! so he's been pushing the hills from day one! 2 of the hill climbs i didn't plan to do last year.. i only did them cuz hubby hurt his knee early in the season... but we had already registered and paid for him.. i wasn't loosing out on the money.. figured i'd go as far as i could (which on the first and hardest one was to the top! where i promptly cried like a gurl cuz i made it! ) so then i gained my confidence and knew i'd be able to do the next one! and of course, now that i know i can do them (or was capable last year...) i'm signed up on my own this year! woo hoo! only problem... i've gained a few pounds i need to get back to being anal about eating and loose about 5 pounds (or 8 if i'm REALLY being anal.. but i'd be happy with 5)

as for working your legs..... do you have a trainer? can you ride that? that's armless!

stairs or "step ups" are good! squats.. lunges... walking lunges.... granted you can't hold weights without arms.. but do enough of them and you'll feel them!

i guess technically nothing you do off the bike translates to the bike.. however i worked out with weights before i took up cycling.. and refuse to give it up! and no one can convince me that in some way or other it didn't help even a bit on the bike doing all those squats, lunges, step ups, etc!!!!!!

and of course.. if you are already doing hilly hikes! that's GREAT for the legs!