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Commutin’ thru the zone

August 18, 2006 on 4:24 pm | In Uncategorized | 3 Comments

I wanted to get some good cycling miles in my legs. So, I thought it would be a good idea to ride to work yesterday. One quick trip to Yahoo Maps, and my route was set. LA has been an unexpected bounty of sublime mtn biking in the San Gabriels, discovery of a die-hard roadie crowd, and the realization that the words “LA” and “I am a cyclist” indeed have Venn diagram overlap. Any residual Bay Area cycling snobbery is officially dead.

Anyway,  I had a route, a mission, and the need for some pain in my legs.  A range of LA grid diversity was there to explore. Starting past the $1 million suburban McMansions in Stevenson Ranch was nice – Starbucks (couldn’t be local in the grid). At 6 am, I was pumping up and over Newhall Pass…Wilderness….Gun Club… Freeway Underpass…Industrial Ctr. All in the first 8 miles.

Then comes a trip through Pacoima and San Fernando and straight into the heart of an Enterprise Development Zone. At 7 am, it was me, my 17 lb scandium wonderbike, cement trucks, and sleepy factory workers starting their day.

On the transition to Burbank, I was firmly riding into the LA we all believe in - past the large studios, hot cars, hotter moms, and the assorted staff going to make media magic.

Free capp courtesy of work, quick shower (bonus work perk) and on email by 7:45 plugged in and working the grid.

I still get a distinctly subversive vibe from riding to work and it reminds me of going to my first post grad corporate job in SF’s Financial District, pulling into the underground garage and having all the execs giving me the big thumbs up. They always loved the bike messenger imitation.  

got a more intense commute to work? I’d love to hear about it…