Southern California - Interval locations near UCI

Hello.
Can someone recommend a place where I can do flat and hill intervals?
Let me clarify I am not looking for a complete ride, I am perfectly happy going up and down the same hill or riding loops around a block or two.
For hills I am looking for something 2-3 miles with 8-10% grade. For flat somewhere I can ride without stopping for about 10 minutes. As I mentioned I am perfectly ok with riding loops around a block as long as it's flat, and no stop signs, potential red lights.
Please be specific I still have no idea where everything is. :) Also no MUPS please. There are pedastrians joggers there and I don't want to plow in to one or shout "passing" with oxygen deprived lungs. :)

If anyone wants to show me around on a weekend or Friday that would be greatly appreciated. No big group rides for now thought, I can't use my left, front, brakes very well at the moment.

Hello.
Can someone recommend a place where I can do flat and hill intervals?
Let me clarify I am not looking for a complete ride, I am perfectly happy going up and down the same hill or riding loops around a block or two.
For hills I am looking for something 2-3 miles with 8-10% grade. For flat somewhere I can ride without stopping for about 10 minutes. As I mentioned I am perfectly ok with riding loops around a block as long as it's flat, and no stop signs, potential red lights.
Please be specific I still have no idea where everything is. :) Also no MUPS please. There are pedastrians joggers there and I don't want to plow in to one or shout "passing" with oxygen deprived lungs. :)

If anyone wants to show me around next weekend or Friday that would be greatly appreciated. No big group rides for now thought, I can't use my left, front, brakes very well at the moment.

Flat intervals- Irvine Blvd or Newport Back Bay

Hill Repeats- Newport Coast Dr and any of the hills up top of there.

Sorry to keep it short, gotta get back to work.

Hello.
Can someone recommend a place where I can do flat and hill intervals?
Let me clarify I am not looking for a complete ride, I am perfectly happy going up and down the same hill or riding loops around a block or two.
For hills I am looking for something 2-3 miles with 8-10% grade. For flat somewhere I can ride without stopping for about 10 minutes. As I mentioned I am perfectly ok with riding loops around a block as long as it's flat, and no stop signs, potential red lights.
Please be specific I still have no idea where everything is. :) Also no MUPS please. There are pedastrians joggers there and I don't want to plow in to one or shout "passing" with oxygen deprived lungs. :)

If anyone wants to show me around on a weekend or Friday that would be greatly appreciated. No big group rides for now thought, I can't use my left, front, brakes very well at the moment.


Palo Alto is perfect.:p :p :p

How about Santiago Canyon?

How about Santiago Canyon?
Santiago is great for a long stretch without stopping, but the undulating profile makes it tough for steady intervals, and the climbs are too short for repeats.

I see guys doing this as a hill repeat all the time - RIDGE PARK off of Newport Coast. Grade is 8 - 10% distance 1 mile to Vista Ridge. You could climb Ridge Park go down Vista Ridge and then turn climb Vista Ridge so forth and so forth. The streets are fairly quiet and quite beautiful. Thankfully there is usually a breeze.

I use Ridge Park for hill training. Do it once a week or so. I also see this guy doing repeats. He can usually do 3 to my one. I hate him!!!! :mad:

Good place for flat repeats - University down to Back Bay. Doesn't get flatter than that! If on the Creek trail you miss the lights but watch pedestrian traffic.

I like using Vista Ridge or Ridge Park for peats. Just one.

Also another good hill for repeats SPYGLASS from San Miguel to San Joaquin. Percentage runs up to 12% at spots. Also San Joaquin is a good steady grinder. And anything in Turtle Rock like Park Summit (from Turtle Ridge I think it's 1 1/2 to the top and at a steady 7 - 8%) , or Hillcrest, Starcrest, Ridgeline etc. If interested I can tell you how to find all those places. They are close to UCI. If you have the time, there is a small group that start at Turtle Rock Park off Shady Hill and Turtle Rock, by the tennis courts at 6p on Tuesday nights. They could show you the areas. They do hills, lots and lots of hills.

I like using Vista Ridge or Ridge Park for peats. Just one.

Ones enough for me as well!!! ;)

I used to use Ridge Park and Vista Ridge for my hill repeats, I'd just go back and forth for 3 times up each. The problem is, at least in training to race, is most courses don't have climbs that steep. I've found that Newport Coast Drive is closer to real life climbs on race courses. Also Newport Coast is shallow enough (4-7%) that you can accelerate hard to mimick the surges that happen in racing and fast group rides, on the steep hills, I only have 2 speeds, suffering and suffering a little bit more.

I used to use Ridge Park and Vista Ridge for my hill repeats, I'd just go back and forth for 3 times up each. The problem is, at least in training to race, is most courses don't have climbs that steep. I've found that Newport Coast Drive is closer to real life climbs on race courses. Also Newport Coast is shallow enough (4-7%) that you can accelerate hard to mimick the surges that happen in racing and fast group rides, on the steep hills, I only have 2 speeds, suffering and suffering a little bit more.

Are you going to do La Mirada? I heard some of the power climbs get to be interesting during the race.

The thing about Irvine is that it seems flat, but it's really a 2% uphill grade heading northeast (the police call that "north") or southeast (called "east").

Maybe something like Irvine Blvd, R on Jeffrey, R on Portola, R on Sand Canyon, R on Irvine Blvd? There's almost no side streets or driveways in that loop (although there is some construction on Portola right now). There's a new shopping center at Sand Canyon and Irvine Blvd where you could park.

I like DRIVING up Ridge Park, bombing down the fire roads to Laguna, and back up via Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. Oh wait... does that require an MTB? :)

I understand what OC Roadie is saying and I agree that Newport Coast (NC) is closer to what you normally find in race climbs. And to vary NC you can also do Pelican which is now open. Alittle steeper than NC but not too much.

In the hill training class I've been doing Tuesday nights we have been doing all the steep climbs like Spyglass, Ridge Park, Park Vista, Hillcrest, Starcrest, Summit Park etc. The advantage of doing these very steep hills over and over is that when you hit something like NC - it's becomes easy, in fact, is our warm up to harder stuff. I used to dread NC but compared now to Ridge Park, psssst, piece of cake! Weird thing now, I don't like rides that are flat. They seem boring!

BTW OC Roadie you weren't that guy riding circles around me on Ridge Park were you??? :p On his third pass by me I told him he was toast if he passed me a 4th time. He politely waited until I reached the top, before with a smile and wave, he started another repeat. Nice guy.

Also Mark, there's a guy that does Ridge Park repeats on his MTB... now that's a real man!!! Come join him and see what suffering is about.

Flat intervals- Irvine Blvd or Newport Back Bay

Hill Repeats- Newport Coast Dr and any of the hills up top of there.

Sorry to keep it short, gotta get back to work.
Any particular section of Irvine Blvd?

Thanks.

The thing about Irvine is that it seems flat, but it's really a 2% uphill grade heading northeast (the police call that "north") or southeast (called "east").

Maybe something like Irvine Blvd, R on Jeffrey, R on Portola, R on Sand Canyon, R on Irvine Blvd? There's almost no side streets or driveways in that loop (although there is some construction on Portola right now). There's a new shopping center at Sand Canyon and Irvine Blvd where you could park.
Kool I'll check it out thanks.

Palo Alto is perfect.:p :p :p
Maybe in 2-6 years. :p

Maybe in 2-6 years. :p

Are you down there for that long?

Any particular section of Irvine Blvd?

Thanks.
Start somewhere between Jamboree and the toll road and head north (I think). There are no signals for a couple of miles after you pass the toll road. It's mostly false flat, usually with a head wind. You can make a right on Alton Pkwy and another right on Barranca, you can make a loop by taking Barranca back to Sand Canyon or Jeffrey, make a right and you'll be back to Irvine Blvd. Also, from UCI you can take University all the way to Irvine Bvd, the street name changes to Jeffrey along the way. There's a Tues/Thurs group ride that starts at the corner of University and Campus at 6:15. The route I described is pretty much the first 1/2 of the ride. Enjoy...

Are you going to do La Mirada? I heard some of the power climbs get to be interesting during the race.
I don't tink so. I'll be racing the next weekend at San Marcos, the course is actually pretty similar to La Mirada, but a bit cleaner.

BTW OC Roadie you weren't that guy riding circles around me on Ridge Park were you??? :p

Nope, I've been slacking on hill repeats for almost two months now. I'm gonna start them back up next week (been saying that for a month now :p )

Are you down there for that long?
Yeah, grad school.

Yeah, grad school.

Drats!:eek: Well let us know when you are back up here in riding heaven.;)

Start somewhere between Jamboree and the toll road and head north (I think). There are no signals for a couple of miles after you pass the toll road. It's mostly false flat, usually with a head wind. You can make a right on Alton Pkwy and another right on Barranca, you can make a loop by taking Barranca back to Sand Canyon or Jeffrey, make a right and you'll be back to Irvine Blvd. Also, from UCI you can take University all the way to Irvine Bvd, the street name changes to Jeffrey along the way. There's a Tues/Thurs group ride that starts at the corner of University and Campus at 6:15. The route I described is pretty much the first 1/2 of the ride. Enjoy...
What is the pace of the ride? I am fat and slow... he he. Also will they mind a guy with a cast on left arm riding with them?

What is the pace of the ride? I am fat and slow... he he. Also will they mind a guy with a cast on left arm riding with them?
OMG, you are already fitting in with this crowd. Sandbagging already.

Everyone, I've ridden with him, and he is not fat, and he is not slow. Keep in mind, he rode the NorCal BF ride in a cast, and that was about 70 miles and nearly 7000 feet climbing (or something close to that). This is my public service announcement. :D