June 24, 2006
Malibu, California
When my wife informed me that she would have to work on the 25th of June I quickly went to my calendar to see what cycling possibilities might present themselves for that weekend. I still needed a third double century this year to qualify for the California Triple Crown and as luck would have it, there was a double century ride that weekend.
It wouldn't have been my first choice. It starts in Malibu, where I knew it would be difficult to get decent accomodations at a reasonable price. Its a long, long drive down there and back. The route goes through areas that I, accustomed to a rural lifestyle, would consider to be congested and dangerous. But it promised to be a relatively easy ride. The constant pressure of knowing that I still needed another ride weighed heavily on me, and if I could finish this one then I could relax for the rest of the year, having accomplished my goal. So I signed up.
I was right - its a long drive, and decent, reasonably priced accomodations did not come my way. I have to take some blame for that because I hate having to drive to the start of a double. I like to stay either at the host hotel or one near enough that I can ride to and from the start. So I paid a premium for a hotel right on the Pacific Coast Highway, less than 2 miles from the start. I could have gotten a cheaper place along Hwy 101, on the other side of Topanga canyon.
Unlike the other two doubles I've completed thus far, which were run by Planet Ultra, this ride is sponsored by a bike club, the Los Angeles Wheelmen. This is the 48th year for this ride. They even have a 300 mile and 400 mile option! I hate to be too critical of ride volunteers - they have a long, boring day that isn't much fun - but you could tell the difference. Planet Ultra volunteers are trading their volunteer stint for a free ride later on. They are by and large engaged, helpful, and enthusiastic. I found many of the LAW rest stop volunteers seemed distracted, bored, or more interested in bantering with each other without paying much attention to the riders. Not all of them of course, but quite a few. I wonder if trying to run 5 different courses (125 miles, 200 mile highland route, 200 mile lowland route, 300 miles and 400 miles) isn't just asking a little too much of the support crew. I never personally interacted with any of the SAG crew but they were very active along the course and apparently never far away.
I leave the start near the campus of Pepperdine University at 4:30 AM, moving northward along the four lane Pacific Coast Highway. It is initially unpleasant. The sea spray builds up on my glasses which plays havoc with my vision because of the glare from oncoming lights of cars. I am used to early morning riding on empty roads but that's not the case here on the PCH. Unlike Planet Ultra which emphasizes safety, I encountered several riders riding with no headlights, and one with neither head nor tail light. Incredibly stupid, on so many levels.
I ride for a distance with Lydia Foster, who is doing her 40-something-th double century, working on a goal of 50 lifetime doubles. I'll be happy with 3.
The first stop is in Port Hueneme ("wye-NEE-mee") at a school. After this the first climbs start along Potrero road, and they are a doozy. They are not long though, and before too long we are cruising through tony neighborhoods on our way to and through Thousand Oaks. As I suspected its a lot of urban riding but up to this point the shoulders are wide or bike lanes are used. After the second rest stop we go up Grimes Canyon along a busy, narrow, ugly road. An exciting descent follows, then more miles along suburban streets. I have no idea where I am, I am just following orange arrows.
Most of the ride is like this. Not particularly interesting, lots of traffic but I have to say no ugly incidents with motorists. The only thing that really angered me off this day was a rider. Along a certain stretch on the way to Ojai there are a series of washouts on the road. Across these washouts the road has been reduced to one lane for a a hundred feet or so with stop lights on either end that cycle through a 2 minute cycle. The remaining roadbed is narrow with a canyon wall on one side and concrete barriers against the washed out side. I was stopped at one, waiting for green, with no cars coming down the single lane yet. A rider approached from the rear, a guy I'd seen who was riding a single speed. As he passed me and headed into the single lane ahead, he said "I can't stop, I've only got one gear".
I yelled after him that it didn't make any difference, its still a red light, but he didn't hear me. Sure enough a few yards into the narrow single lane he encountered the oncoming traffic. He had to stop and hug the concrete barriers to avoid getting hit head-on.
I never could catch the guy because he apparently continued doing the same thing through several other similarly metered one-way washouts. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
You have to ride your own ride however, and I can't be policing all the riders. The lunch stop at Ojai is at a little over 110 miles. They have the usual cold cuts, but also pasta salads that sit better with me than eating meat at this point. There is still a long way to ride.
After Ojai you go around Lake Casitas on a long but gradual climb. At this point at about 3:30 or 4PM the thermometer is at 95 (we are still inland). A grizzled old rider that I pass informs me that the pass I see ahead is the top of the climb and over that point the sea breezes return. He does not lie. After cresting the pass we descend to the Rincon rest stop on the Pacific Coast Highway. Within 20 minutes the temperature has dropped into the low 80s. What a relief.
A quick refueling here and I am back on the road again. Its flat along the coast, downwind, cool, and I'm getting my second wind. Passing quickly through Ventura, the last rest stop is at Port Hueneme, the same place as the first stop.
My lights are here, so I remount them to the bike. Its still 35 miles and I won't make it back before dark. Its become cloudy and I am slightly chilled with the damp clothes I've been in for the last 14 hours. However I am so close to finishing my goal that I find some reserves of energy and hightail it down the PCH, heading for home. It seems endless. I intentionally ignore my odometer and just pedal pedal pedal, trying to ignore the incessant noisy traffic on one of the busiest highways in the state. After what seems like an eternity I check the odometer and I've still got 16 miles to go!
There are 7 or 8 hills to go up and down as I close in on Malibu, but none of them will stop me now. At 9 PM I roll in to the start point and breathe a big sigh of relief. I've reached my goal of 3 double centuries this year.
They have tri-tip BBQ here, and I take some but find that there are no plastic knives and its too tough to cut with a plastic fork. No napkins either. Typical of the support I've found on this tour. I am too chilled to take a soda so I remount for the last 2 miles back to the hotel and a good night's sleep.
For us here in northern California I couldn't give this ride more than 1 star out of 5. Too far away, not particularly scenic, lots of traffic. Lots of people reported getting lost (including me, twice) due to confusing markings on the pavement. One week after the event there is still no finishers list update on their website. You'd think after 48 years they'd have this all figured out.
