- Date: May 4, 2008
- Distance: 34.1 miles
- Total riding time: 3.11 hours
We made a last minute (actually, last week) decision to participate in the 11th Annual City of Angels Fun Ride, 
a charity ride to benefit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Bloodmobile Fund. Like the Memorial Ride for Randy, it began and ended on the beautiful grounds of the Los Angeles Police Academy, a place where I spent many summers swimming in the pool and attending LAPD family picnics. Being here on this day felt bittersweet, and I wasn’t sure if I felt up to this ride, mentally or physically. However, in being here, I felt a bond with my dad this day and I knew he’d be pleased that I was going forward with it.
We parked in the lot at Dodgers Stadium located on the property adjacent to the Academy, assembled our bikes and gathered our gear. I swear, it takes about as long to assemble and check the bikes, don the bike clothes, and gather the gear as it does for a bride to get dressed for her wedding!
Jim’s ready to roll! Behind him, Dodgers Stadium is on the left and downtown Los Angeles is on the right.
Then, we rode across the street to the Academy. First, we stopped at the field to get our route slips before the ride…
… then joined the other riders waiting for the ride to begin. Here, we’re looking down toward the front of the line but the starting line is out of site.
Hey! We’re in the back… let’s move down a little toward the middle. Now, on the far right, you can see one end of the red/white/blue balloon arch that marks the official starting point.
Here’s the strategy: If we start closer to the front, maybe we’ll finish somewhere near the middle. 
Here’s the view of the group waiting behind us.
Like the Memorial Ride for Randy, this ride also had rolling LAPD traffic closures the entire route. Meaning, they blocked traffic at every intersection and we didn’t have to stop for a single red light.
We were part of the “recreational” riding group that rode at a moderate pace. The advanced group departed earlier and their route was faster and longer. The plan was for all riders in both groups to arrive back at the Academy at around the same time for the post-ride festivities.
The 34-mile route took us through many cultural and scenic parts of Los Angeles and Hollywood including China Town, Echo Park, a very long dark tunnel in which I prayed I wouldn’t run over anything or fall into a pit I couldn’t see, L.A. Zoo, Griffith Park, and many other sites.
We were barely out of the gates when I noticed that my bladder was full. Great! How many miles until the rest stop?!?
21 miles later, we arrived at the first (and only) rest stop at the John Anson Ford Theatre on Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood.
I hurried to find the shortest long line at the porta-potties. One guy was literally dancing on his feet waiting his turn in line.
On my way back to meet Jim who was waiting with the bikes, I stopped to grab some snacks to share — oatmeal raisin cookies, orange wedges and bananas. While I was there I met ‘travelmama’ from BikeForums.net!
The rest break ended while Jim and about two dozen others were still waiting in line at the porta-potties, so we ended up near the back of the pack for the remaining 13+ miles of the ride — which turned out to be a good thing, because this enabled us to ride solo or with just a few other riders rather than in a tight pack like in the first 21 miles. A tight pack requires closer concentration so you don’t bump into the riders next to or in front of you (or, so you can avoid those who almost bump into you).
The departure from the rest break began with a nice climb, followed a nice descent. Rolling along Forest Lawn Drive (Hollywood Hills) and sailing solo down the hill while the motor officer stopped traffic on all sides was a big thrill, to say the least.
Throughout the ride, we tried to keep our minds off “the hill” at the end on Stadium Way, the road back up to the Academy. It’s a tough climb about 1.5 miles long and this is where many recreational-type riders drop out. We wouldn’t talk of dropping out, only our strategy of getting to the top. About 100 feet before the hill, I prepared by shifting into a lower gear and began my mental pep talk: We climbed the hill in February on our heavy hybrid bikes, so surely we can climb even easier on our new light-as-a-feather road bikes. As we began to ascend, I engaged my whole mind and kept my thoughts positive — I would NOT drop out. I thought of Dad and imagined him cheering me on. I reminded myself to not look up, just stay focused on each revolution of the pedals, whispering “Push… push… push…”, maintain the momentum. Suddenly, I realized that I was passing other riders! Even more shocking, I still wasn’t in the lowest gear!!! I glanced in my mirror to check on Jim — Yes! He’s still riding! About halfway up I shifted down again to conserve energy. Somewhere along the way, a group of girls dressed in cheerleading uniforms and pompoms on the side of the street were cheering “You can do it! You can do it!”. (Though I didn’t verify this siting with any other riders except Jim, I swear this was not merely a hallucination.)
We hammered and pushed to the top. Yes — we did it!!! 
Jim proudly displays his medal.
We walked our bikes back up to the field for the post-ride lunch and raffle.
We found a comfy spot on the wet grass to eat our very tasty lunch: Sharky’s organic chicken/bean/rice burritos, chips, apples, and Hansen’s lime soda. There’s Jim, just below center, waving from the grass….
… and here he is showing off our lunch. His mirror is still attached to his cap… maybe he wants to be sure no one steals his lunch while he’s not looking. ;-)…
… and here’s yours truly, wearing my new Skin Cooler arm sleeves that really did help keep me cooler…
… and a few of LA’s (many) finest.
It was a beautiful day in every way… the weather, the ride, the setting, the food, the bigger purpose — an event that we’ll savor for a long time and plan to do again next year - maybe in the advanced group!
