Cycling up Angeles Crest

I decided to skip my usual Wednesday night workout with the Pasadena Triathlon Club at the Rose Bowl and do a little solo workout on my own.

As you may know, Angeles Crest Highway between La Canada and Angeles Forest Hwy reopened June 3rd to traffic ( and ).  You may also be aware that there were a few fatal accidents reported since the opening ().

I'm here to assure you with the right precautions, mental preparation and knowledge you can safely navigate your way up the mountain on your two-wheeled steed.  

Some tips in no particular order:

• Equipment: bike helmet required, first aid kit recommended, cell phone recommended, flat repair kit required, wind breaker optional, front/rear lights recommended
• Nutrition: plenty of water, carbs and electrolytes.  Plan your nutrition based on not having access to any water or calories on the way up or down.
• Pacing: go at your own pace. Not the pace you wish and not your companion's pace. This is not the mountain to burn out on, if your goal is the top, pace yourself to the top.
• Rest: there is no shame in taking a 10-20 second breather in the turnouts. This helps you to recover your breath, heart rate and takes pressure off of your big working muscles. You will be amazed how fresh you feel when pulling out back onto the road after a short rest. Also, no need to dismount, just keep turning those legs to keep the blood moving.
• Distance: from Angeles Crest and Foothill to just before Angeles Forest it's just over nine miles.  Elevation gain is 2400 ft and it qualifies as a Cat1 climb for the number junkies out there.
• Good news: you don't have to make it to the top. At any point you can turn around and you have an amazing descent in front of you. Feel accomplished to get as far as you did and make plans to go a bit further next time.
• Pedaling up: stay as far right as possible. Ride in a straight line, especially if you hear a car approaching from behind you.  If there is room and no there is debris on the side, outside the white stripe, ride there! When you have a larger area where you can fit two or three cars side by side, ride at least ine car width outside the white stripe. I recommend lights especially if riding in the early/latter part of the day as the road goes in and out of shadow.
• Road debris: be very careful of debris. Some of this is sharp rock that has been sheared away from the rock face and is hazardous to your tires. Stay clear when you can and I highly recommend lightweight armored tires (conti gatorskin or gp4, or michelin krylium) instead of lightweight race tires.
• Descending: Before descending, inspect and wipe your tires clean of debris. High speeds tend to warp tires as well as warm them up from increased braking. Any cuts or slashes will be magnified by the change in tire temperature and pressure and are unsafe to ride on. Stay to the right when you can but know that you may use the whole width of the road as long as you are not impeding traffic. If you see/hear a car behind you wanting to pass: first, safely pulling to the right and decreasing speed is only necessary if you feel unsafe; second, allow the car to pass (signaling the driver helps).  Also, having climbed for anywhere between 40 minutes and 2 hours, you will be quite warm and sweaty. Going down will create the opposite effect, so you might get chilled.  I recommend a foldable wind breaker or vest to help keep you from getting too cold on the descent.

Hopefully now you have the tools to confidently and safely ride up Angeles Crest Hwy.

Perhaps we will cross paths one day, I'll be the slow guy on the right!