hansolo3

Thanks Merider and Roadfix! This is a great forum, and I'm glad to be here. Maybe I'll join you for the Sunday rider Merider - just depends on my schedule. Sounds like fun.

merider1

You are more than welcomed. It's beautiful up on Angeles Crest for sure! I'll add your name as a maybe in the ride thread.

SDBluefish

So it's been a month of 3-4x/week commuting by bike (PQ to UTC for those of you in San Diego). And I LOVE it. Got the kinks worked out of timing, what to carry with me vs. keep at the office, how to clean up when I get there, swapping out clean clothes on the days I drive. I'm getting faster on the bike (yay!) and faster at fixing flats (sigh).

And my husband is no longer chewing his nails every day I ride worrying that I've gotten creamed by a school bus or something. Good times!

merider1

Welcome, SDBluefish! Lucky! I wish I could find a safe (by my standards) route to commute each day. I would love that. Lots of riders on here from San Diego.

SDBluefish

I am really lucky, I know - I ride about 12 miles each way, and all but 2 miles is on dedicated MUPs - no auto traffic! The only downside is that with the recent rain the gnats are hatching like crazy. Must keep glasses on and mouth CLOSED .

merider1

Oh, I know all about the extra protein the gnats provide. I get a mouthful of them everytime I ride SGRT. And a face full of them in the summer. I wear a heazy zinc paste to protect my skin and the gnats stick to my face. I'm like a human bug shield.

SDBluefish

You know, at a spa people will pay hundreds of dollars for treatments like that!

merider1

I just realized I wrote heazy in lieu of heavy. Yes, I suppose if it were a spa treatment it would be Le Heazy Zinc Paste Gnat Wrap.

YOJiMBO20

It's only 12 miles from PQ to UTC? I thought it was a lot more. Granted, I'm stuck in the La Mesa area most of the time, and the only times I head to PQ or UTC are by car. Anyway, welcome to the forums.

alicestrong

Yes, welcome to the Forums!

SDBluefish

It's 14.5 miles door to door, but I generally ride to the Sorrento Valley Coaster station and take one of the shuttle buses up to my office. Gets me there much less sweaty, and I don't have to ride on the freeway shoulder. Which I think would give my poor husband a heart attack!

thanks for the welcomes, everyone!

efficiency

You can take Torrey Pines. That's not technically a freeway shoulder.

SDBluefish

I used to do this when I worked in LJ Shores. And even better than Torrey Pines Rd. was going up through the state reserve - fewer cars, cool trees, gorgeous views over the ocean. (Steep though. Very steep.)

But now that would take me several miles out of the way (plus adding in a 400 ft. elevation gain!). Hard to justify given my current schedule. Have to save it for weekends, I guess....

DaveSANYYZ

Yeah, too bad there are no easier way to cross the valley (north<->south) near I-805. Detours via Torrey Pines or Carroll Canyon take much longer on a bike.

irabidfish

Hi,
I am Chris Marks, I am a student at Cal State Northridge studying Urban Planning. I mostly just commute to school and back on my bike and don't often do riding on the weekends especially not on any established rides, usually I just set out on my bike and explore the bicycle unfriendly streets of the north valley. However I decided to join these forums because I am contemplating a cycle tour up the central coast after graduation (in 09) which I will need to start training for (and buying gear for). I especially struggle with hilly segments and have a tendency to overwork myself trying to get "there" fast. Beyond that, riding on the roads in my area can be very lonely and joining a community of fellow cyclists can only be a good thing.
I'll be attempting Santa Susana Pass this weekend as part of my training, so when you blaze past some college kid on a crummy $300 bike huffing and puffing on the side of the road, you can put a name to that face.

Cheers,
Chris

ovoleg

too old for me, otherwise id think about it

ovoleg

who cares they're a bunch of noobs, they wish they had quads like mine

bunch o geezers that think they can compete with purebred Russians

phff

alicestrong

Is that your sister who won the LA Marathon?? Cousin??

merider1

Welcome to the funny farm...um...I mean So Cal forums, Chris! Your crummy $300 is just fine, especially if you are out riding it! SS Pass is great for training. Be safe and have fun out there.

kuwahara

this thread is like the first day of school when the teacher goes around the room and forces everyone to say their name......the horror

roadfix

kuwahara san is making fun of my thread.....

merider1

Well, he's right, you know. All else we needed is a "tell us a little about yourself. Speak up and don't be shy" for this to be just like that.

I was a complete nerd in school, so very much like now, and I digged it. I'm the kid that raised her hand to go first.

alicestrong

Poor Baby....

Let's see your cough cough intro cough cough...

Mine is on the Women's Forum...

VanceMac

Ya don't say?! Next you'll be telling us that Joy was the sneaky little trouble maker, who then covered it up all Eddie Haskell-like.

SHOT_999

SHOT_999 here saying HOLA from Chino Hills... I usually ride on weekends right out of my garage and around Chino Hills/Chino... Sometimes out towards Diamond Bar area... I am married and have 2 kids, 5 1/2 and 3 1/2; the youngest was diagnosed with Autism last year... BTW, anyone know of any organized rides to benefit Autism Speaks and the like? I've been looking and can't find any rides in the So Cal area...