robncircus

Hi there


Long time member of the forums. I've recently moved to Santa Clarita from Winnetka (and previously Santa Monica by way of Burbank). I'm new to the SCV, and was looking for suggestions for loops approx. 20-30 miles starting from the Five Knolls (Newhall Ranch at Golden Valley) area. I'm planning to his a few SCV Cycling club rides and maybe joining with the cranknstein group as well. I was also wondering if anyone know what roads are "cycling ok" and which roads are off limits? I assume where there's bike paths those are required, but what about road with no path... good to ride? What about the 126?


Thanks in advance


Rob

TrojanHorse

You like hills or no hills? I know we have a couple people living in your area that can probably give you detailed advice.

There are a couple shops up there that have group rides, you can always tag along for some of those to get the lay of the land.

robncircus

I'm fine with hills. Having ridden in LA for 10 years now they don't bother me. I'm just unclear of what roads are bike friendly vs. which ones are "off limits" and require the MUP. I plan to join a few club rides so hopefully I learn the ropes a bit.

Thanks

Rob

spinlisted

bikesantaclarita.com/maps/

Santa Clarita Cloverleaf mapmyride.com/routes/view/941689901

ridewithgps.com/users/415612
This group consistently is putting on sixteen rides a month, more than any other group in the SCV.

"First and foremost, we are a no-drop, supportive, close knit group of friends. Our "core ride" which is a "no drop" will be held each weekend. This is the ride that has not only allowed the group to become strong as a whole, but is where our friendships were built. This ride will always have re-group points. If you are an antsy rider and have trouble with re-group spots, this may not be the ride for you. Even when we have new riders or slower paced riders, these re-groups have not been that unreasonable in length. If the group for that day seems to have a large gap in rider pace, I will break it up into two groups. The "no drop" ride is a blast!!!

We also have a ride every Wednesday morning. This ride is similar to our weekend "no drop" ride but shorter in length. If you are new to our group, this is a great ride to start with and see where you are at.

Jeannine often posts a Friday morning ride. This is a ride of 25 miles or less with less climbing and a brisk pace. This ride ends with coffee.

SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP! This ride is NOT a no-drop ride. This ride has shorter re-groups and fewer of them and is geared toward training. You can choose to re-group or not, ride your own pace -- it's your ride. These rides have been fantastic! During the hotter months these rides will vary between Buttercup and Buttercup Light. You need to be self-supported. These rides are faster paced ,as well as challenging routes.

We also have a weekly MTB ride and will be adding one on weekends when we can as well !!

Please try to remember when riding with a group that you were once also one of the ones people were re-grouping for. There will always be somebody faster and stronger and always come a day that it's just not your day.

Soon there will be some slower rides posted labeled "B" rides that will be in conjunction with our weekend no drop ride. I will lead out the same route or shortened version of 10 minutes behind the faster group. This way if you are in the faster group and not feeling it, you can drop back to the B Group. If you're on fire and feeling great, go for it and try to catch the A Group and get stronger.

One last thing, growth is a good thing. We just need to roll with it (get it, roll with it? )."

robncircus

I heard about this group from someone else. I'm going to try and make one of the rides at some point.

GuitarWizard

I'm not sure if you've ridden with the Posse yet, but I'm a member - it's a pretty diverse group, but mostly casual rec riders.

I'm sure you've done some exploring by now, but if you want hills, Bear Divide/Camp 9/Little T are easily accessible via Sand Canyon Road from Soledad. Then there's Ridge Route in Castaic, although I'm not a huge fan of The Old Road heading northbound where the road narrows quite a bit and cars don't always give you much room as they fly past.

Route 126 has a wide shoulder, but the wind can be brutal if it's a headwind, as well as the debris on the road itself.

Vasquez Canyon off of Bouquet Canyon is a great climb, but for whatever reason they made the road too narrow (they have a habit of doing that in CA I've noticed) - and from there, you can head to Davenport Road (which has been repaved and is awesome now) and over to Acton, then back down Soledad.

Bouquet Canyon up to Spunky Canyon is a nice ride as well - most people come back via San Francisquito, but I tend to hate that road as people drive like a-holes on it.

Also out of Castaic is Lake Huges, which is a long and steady climb (and tends to be windy)...you can head over to San Francisquito, then over to Spunky Canyon and down Bouquet for a nice loop, around 80 miles depending on where you start from in Santa Clarita.

The bike path network in town is great - I use it a lot for training, although I've been sick for awhile now and have been intermittently riding. If you're into climbing repeats, Golden Valley Road and Golden Valley Drive are great - one is a mile long, and the other is 1.4 miles long - neither are very steep (5% or so average) and ideal for repeats). If you want to get a feel for the in-town riding on actual roads, the Friday Coffee Ride is a good ride to check out....it's early in the morning (starts at 5:30 a.m.), but a fun ride.

Dana

PhotoJoe 

I live out here and was riding with the Posse before my cancer left me in a wheelchair. They are a great group and will show you quite a few routes that work really well. Welcome to the neighborhood! (Sorry, just noticed how old the thread is. My bad!)