Where in SoCal will you be staying? Lots of good riding in N SD county. Palomar would be the best climb there.

Two days in SoCal and the only thing you can think of to do is go biking?

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Yes.

I can stay anywhere. I've gotta go to LA for the weekend but Wed-Fri I'm going out purely to ride so I'm open to anywhere

Latigo Canyon road is an epic climb surrounded by and nearby many other epic climbs. Google it to find good routes to/from, often via PCH (be careful on PCH!)

I'm a fan of not interacting with cars as much as possible. Griffith Park is a good riding area where you can in a 20+ mile loop with some good climbing. You can easily get a 20+ mile loop.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/666195


There's a lot of rides if you google Griffith Park bike rides.


I'm not sure if you're going to be near that area. Malibu mountains have excellent rides as others have noted.


Just throwing out a low traffic option.


Good luck!


Mark

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Fast-Finishes.com
Triathlon and Running Race Timing
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Hammer Down,

There is a lot of world class road riding in the Santa Monica Mountains between Malibu and "The Valley".

It might fun to stay in Santa Monica, near the Santa Monica Pier. If you want to go upscale the hotels to look at might include Shutters, The Viceroy - if the budget is more modest consider the Wydham - if you want funky consider Ocean Lodge Hotel.And I'm sure there's a ton of AirBnB like options.

The ride routes would use Pacific Coast Highway in a north westerly direction, flat for ~10 miles through Malibu to Pepperdine University then some rollers for another 2-10 miles all along (or very near) the coast. Then you can pick a climb: Latigo has been mentioned (it's stunning), if not that then a bit farther to Encinal, or Decker, or Mulholland, or Yerba Buena, or Deer Creek. Once you're at the top of one of these you can then take Mulholland back, in an south easterly direction, towards Old Topanga. Climb Old Topanga and drop down Topanga onto PCH and roll easy on flat back to Santa Monica.

I made this map to outline a long version of the routing suggested above. I put in tiny out-n-backs off of PCH to pinpoint options for climbs along the way. You can create the mileage you want from this http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7339151

If you wanted to do something special, shorter, still big vert, but closer consider this: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7339155

Couple of side notes: Riding PCH north/west is safer in the AM when traffic is a bit lighter and the sun's at your back. There are perhaps 3 short spots in the early miles where the shoulder disappears, you need to look back for safety, signal with arm, and take the lane.

I've drawn last bit of the return on the beach path - my thinking there is that it's end of your ride, you can spin easy for cool down and 12-15mph on a road or tri bike is safe within the pedestrians, runners, skateboarders, strollers, etc. etc. etc. Plus there are zero cars, the waves are breaking beside you - it's a special way to end a ride.


One more thing: This whole Malibu area was burnt to a crisp in early November. It's unique and oddly beautiful now with all the trees and brush gone, the hills are covered in a bright green short flora. As I type this it's pouring, has been for days, and 60% of the stuff I noted in my maps is closed and covered in mud and debris. My hope is that when you come we'll be back in a more typical weather patter - meaning it'll be low to mid 70s, sunny, perfect.


All the best, Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Go to Xantusia...

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Karen ST Concierge

Listen to Ian. Latigo, Encinal or Mulholland - or Piuma- would be my choices. It can get a little confusing up in the hills as to how they all fit together. There a couple places where instinctively you think you need to go right, but need to go left. So I’d choose a couple climbs and make sure you look at s map. I wouldn’t just wing it on the fly if you don’t know the way ‘round.

And seek out local knowledge re conditions. With fires and mudslides seems to change weekly

25 miles east of LA you've got Hwy 39, GMR, and Mt Baldy (all part of the AToC Baldy stage)...

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

https://www.strava.com/clubs/306728/group_events/207862

And Crystal Lake and if you want the best scenery, the Circle of Doom.

To add to the others- The Santa Monica mountains are an amazing place to ride, most of the best climbs were mentioned. Deer Creek is the furthest west, and one of the steepest with 10-12% in many sections. Deer Creek T’s in to Yerba Buena Rd, where if you turn right you come back to PCH, or if you turn left you get a few more miles of climbing before a long, fast descent to Muhlholland highway. Muhlholland essentially goes east to west along the ridge between the ocean side and inland side of the Santa Monica range. Most of the climbs mentioned cross Muhlholland at some point. You could literally ride for hundreds of miles! There is not much shoulder, and lots of curves, but there is typically very little traffic in the hills, especially on the smaller roads mentioned. Latigo Canyon and Piuma have some of the best views :-) To avoid the worst of the PCH traffic, which is everything within 10-15 miles of Santa Monica, consider driving and parking either near Pepperdine University or Zuma Beach, both have tons of parking, and from there for about 30 miles west the shoulder is large, and traffic a lot less.
Mt Baldy is also a great choice. Further west there are some great rides, climbs and descents in the hills behind Santa Barbara. One of my favorites is Old San Marcos Rd to Painted Cave Rd (a epic climb) which ends on a road on the ridge over looking Santa Barbara- Camino Cielo. You would turn right when Painted Cave ends at Camino Cielo, getting about 10 additional miles of descents and climbs, topping out at just over 5000 ft! You would then descend a LONG descent of Gibraltar Rd, at the end of which there are tons of options to get back to the beach in Santa Barbara. There are very few places in North America where you can ride from a sea level beach to over 5000 ft, all in a 35-45 mile ride, and the views is all directions are incredible.
PM me if you would like an “escort” for any of the above :-)

Thanks a ton for the suggestions everyone. I ended up snagging an airbnb in Malibu and will plan to start near Pepperdine and hit Latigo day 1. Day 2 I'm thinking ill either hit that same area in the Santa Monica mountains or head up to Santa Barbara.

When are you coming to LA? The rain is in the forecast for most of this week, which will make riding in the Santa Monica mountains quite dangerous.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Mid-march

Great info.

This thread has me itching to ride when I visit Santa Monica next weekend. I'll be staying near 12th and Pico. Can you recommend a shop to rent a bike from, ideally mid-higher end all road or gravel bike?

Thanks!

brando,

Try Helen's in Santa Monica 310-829-1836

Perfect, thank you!

You're off by ~1000 ft. La Cumbre Peak tops out at just under 4000 ft.

You'll end up with ~5000 ft. of total climbing on that route...and it IS spectacular :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Oops- yes, highest elevation just under 4000 ft, TOTAL elevation gain of 5000- must have been defective memory from lack of oxygen level from the effort to climb there :-)