Los Angeles, CA

amgenpharm said:

Im relatively new to cycling and was wondering if there is anyone in the Los Angeles area who could give me some info on bike routes etc... I usually just ride up and down the PCH in Malibu and Pt. Mugu. I would really appreciate any help. thanks.

The PCH route is probably the best / most popular route around here because of all the traffic everywhere else. However, Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood hills is another great ride that I do almost every morning (cuz I live in Studio City). You can start over by Cahuenga (by the 101), go up Mulholland and take it all the way across the 405 and further if you want, then go back along Mulholland, or just cut down one of the canyon roads (Coldwater, Laurel) and go back along Ventura Blvd. It has a good mix of climbs, turns, and descents.

Other great routes in the Malibu area if you are up for some serious climbs are the canyon roads. Encinal Canyon and Decker Canyon in Malibu are great rides with almost nobody on them, but be warned, they are 7% climbs that go to the top of the mountains - approx 8 miles - and are fairly tough and often very hot. Once up there, you can take Mulholland and take a different canyon road down to PCH - you will be up there all alone and it will be spiritual.

Another good easy/fun route is to get on the bike path in Pacific Palisades and take it south all the way to Palos Verdes. You go through Venice, Marina Del Rey, Huntington Beach, King Harbor, then turn around and come home - 40 miles round trip, but you can turn around whenever you want if you start getting tired. It's a great ride if you are up for some peoplewatching, but be careful, on the summer weekends, there are LOTS of idiots walking across the bike path and it's easy to wipe out into a kid, hari-krishna, hobo, beachgoer, or whatever.

One of the local cycling clubs (I'm not a member) has some routes mapped out in the West side of Los Angeles, however, they do travel through some fairly high-traffic areas - you can check these routes out here if you are interested:
http://www.lagrange.org/rides.htm

If you want to do any of these rides, let me know - perhaps we can meet up for a ride or two.