Originally Posted by umd

I started with a warmup up the Santa Susana Pass with some random riders that were passing by my car as I got ready. I didn't know how long it would take to get there or exactly when they left so I got there early and watched the group get larger and larger. About 8:35 there were some announcements. I guess they don't do the "Easy Street" route until next week. Ride was pretty hard but not too bad, I guess they really up the intensity in January. There were well over 150 people. Dare I guess 200?

I just got gapped by the leaders over the top of the Norwegian grade but caught back on, except for my coach and only a few others who had rode away from everyone else. The problem was that I was just too far back at the start of Moorpark road and with the ride taking up the whole lane had a very hard time getting around people. Eventually people started blowing up and I dodged my way through them and hopped up group by group until I caught the chase group as they crested. That took 5 minutes at 330W, the last 2 at 385W. Fun times.

Crusing down Olsen and Lynn was a rolling regroup "in the spirit of Christmas." One guy right in front of me got a flat and successfully navigated his way out of the pack without incident. A few minutes late, another guy right in front of me hit a bump of some kind and nearly lost control, but managed to save it. I had to brake lightly to avoid ramming him as he cut across me with one foot off of the pedal. Were were near the front. Shouts from the peanut gallery behind ensued.

By the time we crossed the freeway the group had swelled back to massive proportions, but still a much smaller group that at the beginning. I guess the people who did the easy route were still ahead of us, or maybe somewhere else entirely. It was a nice brisk cruise over the rollers on Lynn. I didn't have to try to hard every time the road pointed up to end up near the front again. I knew we were approaching Potrero and I didn't want to get caught behind everyone like on Norwegian. A fairly large group (the majority I would say) turned early onto Wendy but I proceeded with the long route to Reino road and the real start of Potrero.

As we approached Potrero, Sid (5 time Australian National Mountain Bike Champion) hopped the median to get a jump on everyone and the pace was brutal from the start as everyone accelerated to match him. About halfway up I was still with the lead group (well, the chase group I guess because remember there were still a few off the front) but felt I was about to blow, so I backed off and "let" them go. A few moments to recover, a few guys caught up with me from behind... I paced off them for a little bit then took off after the group ahead of me. That group had blown apart now, and also we were mixed in with the riders who turned on Wendy, so there were people all over the road. Just like on Norwegian, I'm dodging people, shooting through gaps, and leapfrogging groups. The climb took 8 minutes exactly, 293W. When I crested I was near a few others, including the guy that I had shadowed earlier, and after the descent, a handful of us got into a rotation and chased down the leaders. We picked up a few others and dodged slower riders along the way through Hidden Valley. Approaching Lake Sherwood, a few people turned right to go throught he lakefront and the rest of our fairly small group stayed on Potrero for one final climb before the regroup. I found myself off the front by accident, but decided to run with it and see if I could stay away. After about 50 seconds at 480W it was clear I was still well ahead (and I don't think anyone was chasing) so I shut it down and cruised the rest of the way to Westlake Blvd. Catching and passing more of the short-route riders along the way.

The regroup at Triunfo Park was a zoo. A bazillion (literally!) riders and bikes all over the palce. A few minutes rest, a refill of my bottle, and some chit-chat, and we were on our way. 8 minutes. Aaron had assured me that the ride out to Kanan was to be fairly mellow and it was, but that also meant that all the squirelly riders were mixed in. There were these 3 kids that kept bumping into each other and swerving all over the place that were driving me nuts. Then one of them cleared his nose without looking on the guy next to me. As much as I tried they kept ending up near me. Blerg.

I think they went straight when we hit Kanan because I never saw them again. Also the pace picked up on Cornell so it was easier to move back towards the front and stay there. Unfortunately, when we turned left onto Mulholland, the rider in front of me dropped his chain and lost momentum (slight uphill) and I nicked him and went down. Gently, not hurt, but the handful of seconds it took to get going again I went from the front third to the back. Now I have to work my way back up. The front is accelerating and strung out, but the back is a jumbled mess. More dodging and passing, some scooting by around corners on descents, but the longer it took me to get through everyone the further ahead the front was getting. Another climb came up and sorted things out a bit, allowing me to get close to the main group. My peak 5s, 10s, and 20s were in there. But the front was still out of reach. They were jamming. Great, I'm never going to catch them.

Oh yeah, a light. At Las Virgenes. They had to stop which was just enough to close the final gap. Yay!

Once back on after the light, the pace was more of a cruise. I guess that was the calm before the storm that was approaching, "seven minute hill." I was a little worn out from the chase and didn't really feel like killing myself to stay with the animals at the front so I didn't even try to keep their pace. I just settled into a steady sustainable effort and cruised up. I'm not sure where the "hill" is measured from, but the actual climb took me just a hair over 7 minutes, 255W. Maybe a tiny bit more if it includes the near flat part at the crest. I caught oodles of people on the way up, but some guys had clearly been there for a while.

5 Minute regroup, then cruised down Mulholland Highway and Old Topanga. Realized I should have stayed on Mulholland to get to Topanga Canyon Blvd and had to backtrack on Mulholland Drive. The rest was an uneventful urban dash 7 miles across the valley to my car near the base of the Santa Susana Pass.