Road Ride Report Hwy 39 to Angelus Crest Hwy Century

Jeff (Jeff^d), Terry (Mr. Plow) and I logged some epic "training" miles on the road bike today. First time riding with these guys and I had an absolute blast. Both Jeff and Terry climb like mountain goats so I sucked their wheels the whole day. Anyways, we got in 104.7 miles and 9565' of climbing. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't hit 10K but we didn't care by the time we got back to the cars.

Ride Stats
6:46 ride time
8:28 Total time

Geoladders Route link - http://www.geoladders.com/show_route.php?route=43883

Start at Encanto Park in Duarte


Heading out on San Gabriel River Trail - Jeff^d never leaves home without little caesars crazy bread strapped to his camelbak


Real climbing begins on Hwy 39




Quick refill at one of the many natural springs. Water is better than tap in OC for sure.


Awesome...reminds me of the Sierras


You can see why the road is closed to cars. Pavement is rough and there are a few really short dirt sections but it is all very manageable if it hasn't snowed in a while.


There were also a few ice patches that were sketchy. Heres the pic of the frozen waterfall...so freaking cool.


Lunch Break at Islip Saddle


Looking just east of Islip Saddle on Hwy 2. Gate is closed and there is a lot of snow on the road still. I wonder when they will open this road.


Looking down towards Antelope Valley



The tunnel


One of the old ski lifts


Crotch Rocket Central at Newcombs Ranch. We didn't refuel here but it would be a good spot if you didn't bring food.


Bottle refuel at Red Box. We considered climbing up towards Mt. Wilson...but said hell no when we got there.



Had to hang a right on Angelus Forest Hwy because of the road closures on Hwy 2.


Back onto Foothill Pkwy in Sunland.




Terry is from this area so he got us onto the local bike path and led us back to the cars.

 

Beautiful route. Looks awesome. I wish had the fitness to do that.

 

Nice ride. Looks like great weather too.

That spring on 39 is the "only" one most folks know...you talking about more on the 39 or one on AC those guys showed you?

 

I'm jealous. I had to work today..

 

Looks like a VERY sceanic route. What is the climbing form teh bottom to the saddle like?

 

Its the best part of the ride. You gain around 6500' in about 30 miles. Very minimal traffic and the views are amazing. There are a couple rough patches of road but all very passable on the climb. Descending that road must have been tricky for Pain Freak/Good ol Slappy's group because there were some ice patches as well.

 

Nicely Done Chaps!

 

great day out! legs definitely feeling it today. speaking of climbing like a goat, you're a monster! thanks for the pics, lets do another in march.

-t

 

Nice loop guys! I'll have to do that in the coming months...

 

Nice ride, gents! Thanks for the RR, looking forward to the next one.

 

Hey Question...you guys on Compact Cranks or what gearing were you running?

 

I had 34/50 with 11-25

mr.plow is 39/53 11-27 and sd is 39/53 11-28 (I think)

 

That is a killer loop. By the time BA comes around you guys will be looking at it as a walk in the park. Yeah, we took it real slow through the ice patches. Pot holes were kind of fun to dodge and we all flew down the road. Good Ol Slappy had some tire bissues so they stayed up there a while longer. My back was killing me by the time we hit Islip, I don't think I could of made your route just yet. Maybe in a few more weeks of training rides.

 

Nice RR Sol. Glad you got to see some of that stuff back there. I haven't done that exact route having always taken the ACH before the slides. I've done it both ways and prefer to climb the 39 rather than descend.

CamelBaks!?!?! Bunch of mountain bikers. There are actually several places along the route to get water as you found. Great to see that Newcombs Ranch is open. Love getting a Craftsman beer and some food there on that ride! There is also a faucet at the ticket booth for the entrance to the OHV area just past the West Fork Bridge. Between that, the water at Newcombs Ranch, Buckhorn and Chilao Campgrounds, Red Box, Wilson, and Clear Creek there are lots of water sources out there.

 

Nice RR , Hope I can catch you guys on your next ride. Also great to see Newcomb Ranch still up and running. Been wanting to ride to newcomb for brunnch..