I don't post many DF rides, mainly because I don't do many that are worth posting but the ride I did last Sunday is exceptional and I doubt I could do it on the recumbent even if I'd had one in California. The Ride takes place in Southern California, starting about 30 miles NE of Los Angeles and 99.9& of it takes place in the Angeles National Forest of the San Gabriel Mountains. The bike is a 38 year old, down tube shifting road bike, a Mondia - a Swiss bike, with 53-42 chain rings and a 12-27, 7 speed cog set on the rear. The wheels are 36 spoke with box style rim (definitely old fashioned and not light). So I didn't have very low gears and the bike weighs 25 lb as well. So much for preamble.
 
The ride is a 75 mile out and back, 10110 ft of climbing (8000 ft in the first 37.5 miles) and is the most intense climbing ride I've done in many years. The link at the end is to Garmin Connect, where you can view all the particulars, ride profile, etc.
 
This is an epic ride I've wanted to do for a long time but hadn't found the person who would do it with me. My friend Gloria, who went to Hell Week with me last month, also wanted to do this ride, so we agreed on a day and time, and met up Sunday morning at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, in Glendora. The plan was to use the Glendora Mountain Road to get across the first range into the East Fork Canyon of the San Gabriel River, take the East Fork Road down to the main San Gabriel Canyon, cross the bridge over the river, and proceed generally north up State Highway 39 to the intersection with State Highway 2 (Angeles Crest Highway).  
 
This ride is not for the faint of heart - it's an out and back ride - 37.5 miles each way, approx 8000 ft of climbing in the first 37.5 miles, about 2000 ft more climbing on the return, and one water source available at Williams Ranch on the East Fork Road. So packing enough water along is essential to successfully doing it - that means lots of weight on your back if you're doing it with a camelbak. I used a 100 oz bladder camelbak, a bottle on the bike, and a full platypus reservoir pushed down into the storage part of the camelbak. I was using my blend of Perpetuem and Sustained Energy and had enough for 2 bottles of that.
 
The first part of the ride up Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) is a continuous climb for 8.5 miles. The climb averages about 7% gradient and takes you from 1100 ft elevation to 3400 ft. There is then a nice little downhill, a flattish stretch with good views on clear days, and then a short climb to the Cal Trans substation, which is a popular place to stop for some calories or just a rest under a couple shade trees. Many cyclists use this route as a training ride on weekends and there is usually someone already at the substation when you arrive there. As already mentioned, there are good views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island and San Clemente Island as well as Palos Verdes Peninsula, on clear days. Sunday was a transition day, though, with the off-shore wind switching to on-shore, and bringing in coastal clouds and haze. So no good view today.  
 
About 1½ mile after the sub-station, and some descending, climbing, and more descending, you reach a Y in the road. The right turn takes you onto Glendora Ridge Road and eventually over to Mt Baldy Village. The left turn takes you plunging down toward the East Fork. This portion of the ride is 6 miles and a 1700 ft descent. Gloria had the misfortune to graze a small stone about half way down and she got a pinch flat on her front tire. This is a very twisty descent, and for me, it is constant alternation between letting it go and riding the brake hard. Gloria's flat was a good time to rest my hands. Once we got going again, it actually seemed steeper, so I ended with very tired hands by the bottom, which seemed to take forever to reach. Once at the bottom, there is a final U-turn and you are heading west along the East Fork, which flows all year, and is a popular area to camp, fish, and swim in the river. Today was no exception as it was hot down at the bottom of the canyon. Another mile and we reached Williams Ranch which has a small cafe and a pipe outdoors that delivers potable water. We topped our water off here before proceeding about 4, mostly downhill miles, to the main river and Highway 39. We had reached our lowest elevation in the canyon, at about 1500 ft. But just before we crossed the bridge, I had a front blowout.  
 
Gloria said I had run over something - she heard it; I didn't. Just the same, I had a hole in the sidewall and needed to boot the tire and replace the tube. I was in for a rude awakening at this juncture - the 2 tubes I was carrying? Both had Schraeder valves. Well, that was useless. Gloria had one more tube and I had an underseat bag I seldom looked in. I opened it up and fortunately, there was a presta valve tube, there. I put the tube in, the boot in, buttoned it up and pumped it up (Gloria’s pump and boot came in handy; mine was lame – I’m sure I’ve never used it before and may never again!). I hoped it would all hold together for the duration. The "duration" would be 57 more miles at that point - time to pray!  
 
From the East Fork bridge to the turn back point was 17.5 miles. (I had done this part of the ride once before, but not as an out and back, but as a loop, taking Angeles Crest Highway west to behind Mt Wilson and then running south and descending to the La Canada/Flintridge area. From there the loop took us across Pasadena and eventually back to our start.) This time, we were doing the climb in considerably more heat, with a light tailwind (which did not help) and very steep conditions, which I did not remember. (I guess when you do the climb in cool conditions, as I had before, the steepness does not make as big an impression.) In any case, the heat was oppressive until we reached the 3000 ft level. The road, up to about the Crystal Lake turnoff averages about 9% and generally ranges from 7% to 13%. There were 3 areas where I recorded 13%, several in the 10 - 12% range, and a few "rest areas" in the 5 to 7% range. It was 99% climbing, though, for 17.5 miles - 11.5 miles to the road closure and 6 miles from the first closed gate to the second closed gate (at Highway 2).
 
At 3000 ft, we started on a series of switchbacks. This put us at right angles to the breeze and we enjoyed some cooling effect as a result. There began to be some pines as well, which shaded the road occasionally. At 4000 ft, the breeze became noticeably cooler as was the temperature. From the mid 80s, we had climbed to cooler air - now in the mid 70s and it felt great! Still, the climbing was relentless. I had to take it very easy on the climbing because I had developed a very sore low back from pushing. If I took it easier and eased off it helped. If I rode the drops, that helped too. My legs felt fine; my problem was low back pain. I guess all those miles on the recumbent have not prepared me for this kind of ride on a road bike. But, as I am not one to give up, I did not entertain that thought.  
 
At 5000 ft, we approached the turnoff for Crystal Lake and neared the gate, where none but cyclists, walkers, and runners could go. Officially, it is closed to all but Cal Trans and Forest Service vehicles but it never seems to be patrolled. The final 6 miles to Angeles Crest Highway takes us up another 1500 ft. It's a little easier gradient than the preceding, at about 5 to 7% but this part of the road has been closed for about 25 years. It is in a very unstable area and there have been many landslides over the years. The road itself is undercut by landslides from beneath the roadway and Cal Trans mainly keeps the roadway viable and shored up for the use of Cal Trans maintenance vehicles, etc, between the open part of Hwy 39 and the Angeles Crest Highway. A year ago there was still a big landslide with a jumble of boulders across the road. Since then, it has been cleared to at least a lane width and while it will probably never be open to the general motoring public, again, it is useable as a short way to reach Highway 2. This 6 mile section is littered with rock falls, boulders, and barriers, which at times reduces the rideable part to one lane. It is a constant battle to pick your way through the rocks and avoid flats (or just get off and walk parts of it). We managed to ride it all, both ways, but it was a tense 6 miles.  
 
By now, the breeze was feeling chilly but the sun was still somewhat warm. The temperature had dropped to the low 60s by the time we reached 6600 feet. We each took a couple of snapshots at the top, of each of us posing by the gate, before heading down. In spite of the rigors we endured, we reached the top 40 minutes before our self imposed deadline. If we hadn't, we would have been forced to turn back before the objective (to make sure we finished in daylight).   Now we would have 17.5 miles of descending. The lower part would be fun; the upper part was another stress filled period of time, riding the brake and picking our way through the rocky mine field. Once past the lower gate, we could begin to enjoy the downhill.
 
In the back of my mind, I was concerned about the tire, and I took the downhill conservatively, stopping every once in awhile to check on the tire. But, there was no apparent change where the tire was booted, and finally my caution gave way to confidence, and I let the bike go on the long, steep straight-aways below 3000 ft. We were back down to the West Fork in no time, and in short order we neared the East Fork bridge.  
 
Decision time: do we bail out of the ride at this point and take Hwy 39 all the way to Azusa, turn east, and ride Sierra Madre Ave to Glendora and back to the car, or do we continue with the original plan and cross over the front range, thus avoiding the stout headwind we would have fought by taking the road to Azusa? Neither of us wanted the headwind. We decided climbing was better.  
 
We took the left turn onto the East Fork Rd, which has about 200 net feet of climbing until we reached the real climb. At Williams Ranch we once again topped off our water, which was significantly depleted, but not gone, wondered if we had made a wise choice as the heat in the canyon was intense, looped around the U-turn and started back up the 6 miles toward the 3400 ft summit.  
There was little respite from the sun at this time of day, about 5 PM. Most of the run up the hill was in full sun and intense heat. Fortunately, as we climbed, we picked up some breeze and occasional shade, and while steep and tough on tired legs, it nevertheless got easier as we climbed, thanks to progressively cooler conditions. It certainly wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. The lower part was indeed steeper than the upper - mostly 7 to 8% and some 9% grades. Half way up it was still mostly7 to 8% but no 9% grades, until we reached the intersection with Glendora Ridge Road, where the road climbed at a steady 9 to 10% gradient for a about a hundred yards. I was not to be deterred. I kept going until it leveled out. Then we had a slight downhill to the Sub Station where we chose to rest a little while and prepare for the final 8.5 miles of descending. But, we still had one small climb left before the long descent - that climb turned out to be nothing more than a speed bump, after what we had already been through.  
 
I love this descent. Its smooth road, nice straightaways, banked curves - a joy to descend! We reached the bottom and in less than a mile, we were back at the cars.  
Wow, I can hardly wait to do this again!  
Good news, too, is the tire held up for all those 57 miles and we finished in daylight!
 
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/302455310