Griffith Park has served as a staging area for many local weekend rides over the years, one such being the Sunday morning La Tuna Canyon ride of the mid-1990s.
The route: This ride began at the parking lot near the pony rides near the parks' Los Feliz entrance, although I seem to remember it shifting at some point over to the Zoo lot. The group started out at an easy pace through the park, headed north on Victory Blvd through Burbank before cutting over to Glenoaks, and then briefly onto Sunland before swinging right onto La Tuna Canyon Road. This is where things would normally begin to heat up. Depending on who was out, and whether or not anyone wanted to kick things off, the pace could pick-up and the group become strung out on the flat lower section, or not until the grade steepened up. Certainly by the time the top, and first sprint point, came in sight the only people left up front were normally the climbers. There was a general regroup at the top before heading down the other side, along Honolulu Avenue through La Crescenta and Montrose, to Verdugo Blvd and the second sprint point at the so-called Hospital Hill. There was another regroup here before the peloton raced down Descanso, Chevy Chase and Berkshire, just skirting the hills of La Canada-Flintridge. There was a third sprint near the end of Berkshire, before the group swung onto Highland and Linda Vista, running down the Arroyo Seco up above the Rose Bowl. From there we would take a number of streets back through Eagle Rock and Glendale, moving as fast or slow as traffic and lights would allow, eventually ending up back on Los Feliz and into the park. Sometimes there would be a final sprint here, though it was usually lightly contested.
The La Tuna ride was one of those strictly seasonal rides, starting in on the first weekend of November and ending when the first races kicked off in early February. Since it was a winter ride, it tended to be more relaxed and social, riders generally doing it to maintain their fitness during the cold months. Of course, as anyone who has been involved in the racing scene knows, this does not mean the the ride was not competitive. Anytime you get a group of racers together people are going to be hunting for bragging rights. For this ride, most of those rights were to be found at the top of La Tuna Canyon, or at the Berkshire sprint. Though I did the ride for four years from 1994 through 1997, most of my palmares came on the much less prestigious Hospital Hill.
Many of the local teams would be well represented on this ride, including Team Ape, Team Xtreme, Squadra Folgore, Aztecas, and PAA, and on nice winter days the groupo could easily top 50 riders. Frequently groups would branch off the loop bound for Big Tujunga Canyon and Angeles Crest, or do the loop first, and then tack on more mileage at the end, but the Tuna ride itself came in just under 36 miles. Not a whole lot of big names on this ride, but a few; Olin Bakke, for instance graced it with his presence, and others who made respectable names for themselves, including John Slover, Mitch Boggs, Darren Rogers, Dave Ward, and many whom I knew by first name only (Anthony, who seemed to always be the first to summit La Tuna), or like myself, were mostly fodder in the field, while striving for a top ten.
Though I moved from the immediate area, and therefore stopped doing this ride, I understand that rides have continued to follow this route after leaving Griffith Park on Sunday mornings. The Love Ride, leaving the Park at 8:45 follows the same route until Montrose, where they apparently stop for coffee, and then head back from there, rather than going on along Berkshire and Linda Vista above the Rose Bowl.
The La Tuna ride was one of those strictly seasonal rides, starting in on the first weekend of November and ending when the first races kicked off in early February. Since it was a winter ride, it tended to be more relaxed and social, riders generally doing it to maintain their fitness during the cold months. Of course, as anyone who has been involved in the racing scene knows, this does not mean the the ride was not competitive. Anytime you get a group of racers together people are going to be hunting for bragging rights. For this ride, most of those rights were to be found at the top of La Tuna Canyon, or at the Berkshire sprint. Though I did the ride for four years from 1994 through 1997, most of my palmares came on the much less prestigious Hospital Hill.
Many of the local teams would be well represented on this ride, including Team Ape, Team Xtreme, Squadra Folgore, Aztecas, and PAA, and on nice winter days the groupo could easily top 50 riders. Frequently groups would branch off the loop bound for Big Tujunga Canyon and Angeles Crest, or do the loop first, and then tack on more mileage at the end, but the Tuna ride itself came in just under 36 miles. Not a whole lot of big names on this ride, but a few; Olin Bakke, for instance graced it with his presence, and others who made respectable names for themselves, including John Slover, Mitch Boggs, Darren Rogers, Dave Ward, and many whom I knew by first name only (Anthony, who seemed to always be the first to summit La Tuna), or like myself, were mostly fodder in the field, while striving for a top ten.
Though I moved from the immediate area, and therefore stopped doing this ride, I understand that rides have continued to follow this route after leaving Griffith Park on Sunday mornings. The Love Ride, leaving the Park at 8:45 follows the same route until Montrose, where they apparently stop for coffee, and then head back from there, rather than going on along Berkshire and Linda Vista above the Rose Bowl.
What is a good way to encourage bicyclist to be quiet when they ride on my street early in the morning? I deeply respect the riders ortsmanship. I hope to find a way for them to respect my weekend sleep. Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you.
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