About This Event
Newcomer Rides are no-drop, recreational-paced rides of around 20 miles to introduce riders to new sights around town or to investigate "old" sights in more detail. The rides start in different locations and we consider them successful if every rider can report that at least one destination is new to him or her!
This month's west side ride begins and ends at The Culver Steps, the epicenter of the city reimagining itself as a destination for work, dining, and commerce. The local streets are being reconfigured with one lane each for cars, buses, and bikes to encourage green transportation methods.
The basic route -- under 20 miles but almost 1000 ft of climbing heads north on city streets, gradually climbing through Cheviot Hills and Century City, passing 3 iconic hotels (and 2 not so iconic) into Beverly Glen and ending at bucolic Franklin Canyon Park, which has the only strenuous (but short) climbs of the day. We are at the highest elevation of the ride but have completed about half of the mileage and nearly all of the climbing for the basic route. Note: The event photo of your happy organizer was taken there.
Turning back, we have a quiet route through residential Beverly Hills to Culver City. Here we take a short detour to the little-known Hayden Tract, a light industry center from the 1940s that declined in the 1980s but has been repurposed with innovative architectural details for creative and media companies. After brief stops at 4 or 5 highlight buildings, the basic route has a short return to the start.
Alternatively, riders may opt for an additional 2 mile loop that adds a steep (10% grade) to the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook to oversee the areas that we have ridden that day. To make this more inclusive, we will stop at a "Bailout" overlook about 1/2 mile up this climb. Token cash prizes will be awarded to the first rider to identify selected specific highlight sights from the ride.
Administrative details.
- Helmets are required for this ride.
2, An electronic waiver will be required for you to acknowledge to indemnify the LA Chinatown Firecracker Ride Committee and the LA Wheelmen Bicycle Club, co-sponsors of this group. (LA Wheelmen members: your membership waiver suffices).
Fully boosted COVID-19 vaccination is strongly suggested in consideration of your fellow riders.
For bike computer geeks, links to ridewithgps tracks will be made available below for download for both basic and extended rides. Warning: These may be updated prior to the ride (or after).
Basic route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38284717 http://www.bfk.com/wheelmen/Newc_Culver_Steps_lite.pdf
Extended Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38290766 http://www.bfk.com/wheelmen/Newc_Culver_Steps.pdf
For old style riders, annotated cue sheets with turn by turn instructions, will also be available in PDF format.
Neither is required for this ride because both the basic and extended rides will be led by volunteers from the sponsoring organizations. However you may want to retain them so that you can repeat the ride or impress your friends with your knowledge.
Riders will also be provided with a blurb on the Hayden Tract courtesy of the Los Angeles Conservancy (copyright).
Plan to spend extra time on this ride than if you were riding alone because we will not drop any riders and delays may be encountered due to mechanical problems or flat tires. That said, please make sure your bike is ready to ride and you have a spare tube and are dressed for the weather.
