Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Riding in the hills...

Some of the best roads are through canyons or in the mountains. Great views, fresh air and camping! But how to ride in those twisty canyon roads? I recently did a ride through Azusa Canyon in the San Gabriels and it's the sort of road that's hilly and has some twists and turns. A few stretches on an Oregon coast tour were like that as well. It's the sort of roads that if your mother knew you were riding on a bike, she'd probably have a heart attack.

I stumbled upon this video (actually made by a LAB instructor that I know) that shows some good riding techniques in narrow canyon roads. He made it in response to the accident in Mandville Canyon here in Los Angeles to show that it can be ridden safely without mass anarchy.

Worth a look. Some good techniques that I generally practice like taking the lane on fast downhills to discourage passing and trying to keep a good sight line at all times.

Any other canyon road aficionados? What techniques do you guys employ when you ride roads like these?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Some of my favorite rides involve canyon roads including Sepulveda into the San Fernando Valley, the Cahuenga Pass, Beverly Glenn Blvd. into the SF Valley and back, and Mulholland Hwy past Topanga. I find that the video you posted covers the "obstacles" cyclists encounter on canyon roads with narrow shoulders very well!

RussRoca said...

Kenneth...how do you like Beverly Glenn...

I'm doing a Dirt Mulholland S240 in October where we'll probably ride North on Beverly Glen...and take Mulholland West to Leo Carillo....have done that route by any chance?

Unknown said...

Believe it or not, I did that ride last weekend. I took Sepulveda to Mulholland, to dirt mulholland. Beverly Glenn is nice, but you have much more room on Sepulveda. I did the dirt on my road bike with 23mm tires and it was quite the adventure. If you take Mulholland Hwy, be prepared for some of the best scenery this close to LA county. It's truly amazing. One thing I would mention is that the climb from around Comel up to Kanan Dume Rd is BRUTAL! Other than that, it's truly a great ride. Here's the route I did

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/los%20angeles/935175658191

Hope everything goes well!