Sun, Surf, and Torture in California.

As we plan to expand our advertising budget for next year, I thought it would be a good idea to visit Southern California to meet in person with some of our potential media partners. Along with the motor sport publication group Source Interlink Media in Los Angeles, I planed to see Triathlete Magazine in San Diego and Hi-Torque Publications (Road Bike Action, Mountain Bike Action, etc.) in Valencia. Prior to the trip, I suggested to the guys at Triathlete and Hi-Torque that an early morning bicycle ride might be a good way of getting to know each other better. In hindsight though, it was kind of like suggestion to “The Rock” that a little wrestling match might be a good way to get to know each other.

My ride in San Diego with Sean “Wattie” Watkins and Brad Culp of Triathlete Magazine was very civilized. Both guys are accomplished athletes; however, despite some wild traffic-dodging at the start of the ride, it was a smooth 2 hour spin. Luckily “Wattie” had a track race later that night so he went easy on me and Brad.

Rolling easy into Encinitas behind "Wattie" and Brad Culp.

Consummate tri-geek that I am; it seemed fitting that the following morning should include an early morning tempo run followed by 2 hours of surfing. Although I was a little tired from the morning activities, I was exhausted by the end of the day following a few hours on the L.A. freeways.

My final day in California was to include an early AM ride with some of the guys from Hi-Torque Publications followed by a product presentation and meeting with their associate editors. Having lived in Valencia about 8 years ago, I had emailed Ad Director / Robb Mesecher to request my favorite loop just west of town; Bouquet Canyon/Spunky/San Fransquito. Many people have no idea that Valencia offers some of the finest road bike riding anywhere. During the past 7 years many of the great local mountain bike trails have disappeared in place of urban spiral, but much the quality road riding has remained.

I arrived at the Hi-Torque office building to find Robb getting ready along with Web-Site Director / Tom Hinz and Account Executive /Derreck Bernard. The guys looked fit, but I had no idea of the suffering that I would soon endure.

Our tempo pace going up Bouquet was nice thanks to a cool morning breeze and plenty of shade the canyon offers. On some sections of this climb it feels like you’re in North Carolina instead of So Cal. Nearing the top of the climb though, I remembered that the grade kicks up in final 3 miles and the road is very exposed. This is where the suffering began as Robb and Derek slowly lifted the pace while I hung on for dear life.

Following a short decent the ride loops around a reservoir before going up a very steep and sustained climb. Rather than sit and spin I much prefer to stand on such a grade. This style allowed me to climb away from the guys, but it’s clear the greyhounds were simply allowing me to play rabbit.

A small market after the climb offers riders a well needed break before the long and exposed decent down San Fransquito back to town. It was during this portion of the ride where Robb earned a nickname that will forever be etched in my brain; “The Machine”. The man can generate some serious power! On several stretches of the decent my legs were at maximum output and then we started trading attacks. Following a monster pull by Derreck, he was caught off guard by a surge that cut the group down to 3. A few minutes later, with about 10k to go, a bridge crossing slowed things up so Robb fell back to pick up Derreck. Given the nature of our little “slugfest” it seemed fitting that Tom and I should go ahead and tempo to make the 2 guys behind us suffer a bit. We settled into a solid pace that I felt certain would hold till the end, so I was blown away when Robb and Derreck flew by with less than 5k to go.

Robb slaps me with his "hand of death" on the climb up Bouquet.

During this final part of the ride, the road is very exposed so I was feeling cooked. As a final treat the loop ends with on last little power hill. Following his enormous effort to bridge back up, I was humbled when “The Machine” opened up a can of whoop-ass on the final hill that reduced me, Tom and Derreck to a crawl. Following the last climb, with a tear in my eye, I felt that mixture of pain and satisfaction that comes from putting your body through the ringer in pursuit of fitness.

Should you ever be in L.A. County, I highly recommend riding this loop; especially if you can hook up with the crew from Hi-Torque. To borrow from Teddy Roosevelt, "Far better is it to dare mighty things BY ENDURING A SUFFERFEST ON YOUR BIKE, than to take ranks with those poor COUCH POTATOES who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Posted by Marty Mares of Genuine Innovations