Riding in the San Gabriels

Anytime I hear about a group ride going up Highway 39 or Glendora Mountain Road, two of the best local climbs, I get excited, because group climbing rides attract younger riders who climb faster than me, and sometimes include a support vehicle carrying water and ice. In the more desolate areas like upper 39, it's safer to ride in a group. There's a chance I'll know someone else in the group, and if I don't, they might be new to these roads, and since I know them quite well, I can serve as a guide. Loren texted me last week me about a group ride doing the Circle of Dawson on 7/31/21.  On Saturday morning I woke up at 3:55 am and rolled from my house at 4:45 am to the starting point of the group ride, Encanto Park. I arrived and saw a couple of Adobo Velo members getting ready to ride the bike path to Seal Beach, and I rode through the parking lot and saw Marco, who had just completed an Iron Man followed by a mountain bike race. We chatted, I texted Loren "are u her...

  On Saturday, I again rode the 120-mile Circle of Doom route, plus Dawson Saddle and Mount Wilson, that I call "Circle of DaWilson." I woke up at 4:00 am and left home at 4:45 am, with lights, to beat the heat, which I did. I made it up to the Crystal Lake cafe at 8:00 am, and Dawson Saddle just after 9:30 am. I put in some hard efforts on the climbs after Crystal Lake, including the Islip Saddle to Dawson Saddle segment, on which I set a personal record by over two minutes. I did end up overheating and almost bonking hallway up the final climb to Mount Wilson. I slowed down, drank some gatorade and ate some gel, and that seemed to help. Still, when I arrived at the Cosmic Cafe at the summit, I sat and rested my head on the picnic table, sweating, with my eyes closed. I got back home early, took a long bath, and watched the film, "Sound of Metal," which I enjoyed. It's stayed with me. The acting is great, the tone is very uncomfortable, and it comes across almo...

  The Wednesday Velo ride leaves Velo Pasadena at 6:00 pm. It’s a 20 mile group ride that attracts between 20 and 40 cyclists. I’ve been riding this group ride for about a year. Everyone is friendly and most everyone rides safely, pointing out potholes and pedestrians.  Today’s pace was more civilized than last week’s. My legs felt good today. Weather was hot (above 85) until we got to Chevy Chase, where it cooled down to the high 70’s.

On Saturday I rode the "Circle of Dawson" route and added the Mt. Wilson climb at mile 90. I rolled at 5:30 am to beat the heat, and arrived back home at 2:00 pm. The highlight was running into a riding buddy along Foothill before 6:00 am, and chatting with him for about 30 minutes. He rode the same route (minus Mt. Wilson) but is a much faster climber than me.  He commented that I was sweating a lot as we chatted. I responded that I know. I tend to over hydrate the day before a long, hot ride, and I sweat a lot when it’s humid, even if I’m not excerpting a lot of effort. I was able to climb to the high point of the route, Dawson Saddle, by 10:00 am, where the air temps were under 80 until I started descending. The climbs to Red Box and Mt. Wilson were both above 90, and I had packed sufficient Gatorade and Cliff powder to both refill and drink a full, 24-ounce bottle at each water stop. I didn’t see any other cyclists until I refilled at Red Box, and the few I saw there look...