So as you can tell, there hasn’t been much coverage from the ATOC. Instead of following the race each day, we’ve been riding in the cities that are hosting the race. Today, we woke up and hit Gibraltar. Or rather, Gibraltar hit us. It was amazing and there will be more details once my film gets developed. For now, this iPhone photo looks mad decent.
The Mountains of Madness…
Cloud Burst is my favorite ride in Los Angeles and last weekend, the Mudfoot and Golden Saddle Cyclery crew led a group ride up to and over the crest.
There are some mornings when you just vibe with your bike. It’s like you’re one unit, working together. Your legs are loose and you can just go. We all had that moment this morning. After a late start, we all hit our course and just cranked away. Our destination was the bamboo forests, in Moganshan. You can check out more below…
Killing two birds with one stone, we got in a little bit of riding today as, we knocked out some filming for the forthcoming Mission Workshop Acre line. We already had video and photos from urban riding and I had a hankering for some elevation. The hardest part about traveling is falling out of your riding routine. It had been a few days since I had even ridden my bike and I wanted to keep my legs loose and my fitness up, so we found a short and sweet climb to ride.
I threw my Mamiya 7ii in my musette and shot some, then at the halfway point, I switched to the 5D and the 40mm pancake, which these photos were taken with. Climbing in the horrible air quality and intense humidity was no easy feat. My lungs feel sore and my sinuses are in pain but it felt great to get the blood moving…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
It’s been a while since Patrick Seabase put out a video but it was worth the wait. The climb is serene and shit gets real around the 4:30 mark. Black metal and track bikes will always get a rise out of me. Well done man.
8Bar bikes pulled a team of riders together for a 4 day, 400km, 4,000m ride. Check out the teaser above and the full ride report here.
Klaus from Cycling Inquisition shared this with me and I couldn’t be more enamored with this project:
“Col du Tourmalet, Stelvio Pass, Mont Ventoux, Côte de la Redoute, and the Koppenberg. Iconic climbs differing in length, grade and location, but all of which conjure up numerous emotions and moments in cycling history. As iconic as these climbs are, however, they barely resonate with Colombian cyclists and fans. That’s because Colombia, with its sizable history in the sport, has it’s own climbs. Ones with tremendous amounts of history, lore and statistics to match.
Among the numerous climbs that dot the Andean landscape, three stand well above all others. Páramo de Letras, Alto de Minas, and the Alto de la Línea. One is the longest climb in the world, another defeated Fausto Coppi, while one has actually claimed lives, while giving birth to a generation of escarabajos.
This set of prints celebrates these icons of Colombian cycling.
Printed on uncoated, bright white stock, this set of 11″x16″ (27.94cm x 40.64cm) prints ships rolled. Each print shows the profile of the climb, and gives key information about each one. Length, climbing height, and maximum grade.
Dare I say, “suitable for framing”?
Each set also comes with a small booklet detailing the importance of these climbs, a sticker of a cyclist who has made his name on these climbs, and (don’t laugh) a piece of coffee-flavored hard candy made by the oldest candy manufacturer in Colombia.”
Every new bike needs a maiden voyage and last Saturday, that’s what we intended on doing. Ben from Argonaut, Billy and I headed out to Estacada, Oregon for some playtime in Mt. Hood National Forest. I had no idea what to expect other than “we’ll be climbing immediately. And that we did. Before reaching the ranger station at mile 25, we were in a good place. Billy’s sidewall blew out, but a simple dollar bill boot fixed that. Aside from the blow out, mechanical systems were good to go. For the time being.
Around mile 48, I noticed Ben and Billy pulled over immediately (I tend to be at the back a lot on 5-8% grade climbs up mountains). In all his crazy torque, Billy popped a spoke on his drive side, rendering his wheel a wobbly mess. I really wanted to finish the projected 120 mile loop but “no man left behind” is a more pressing mantra. At that point, it was snowing, the roads were wet and we were freezing as we descended at a whopping 14mph, awaiting the imminent threat of an exploded wheel. But alas, we made it to the ranger station, where we left Billy to be picked up by car as Ben and I trudged onward.
In the end, 75 miles and 5,200′ of climbing ain’t bad. Truth be told, it was too beautiful up there to make it a hammer fest, so I’m glad a mechanical merited some time off the bike for photos. We ended up at the Safari Club, a vegan’s nightmare. Why? See for yourself in the gallery. This is one of my favorite Recent Roll posts of all time.
Camera: Yashica T4 with Neopan 400 black and white.
From the day I flew into LA, all Kyle kept saying was “we’re gonna take you on the hardest ride of your life”. All I could think was “what? we’re going to Australia?”. Turns out, Cloud Burst, aka Cloud Bonk is a tough ride. Not the hardest ride ever, but a damn tough ride. So what qualifies as a tough ride? Well, for starters, you’re climbing for like 30 miles straight, from sea level to 7,000′. And there are no shops, no spigots, no nothing to get water. Just a crap shot of drinking from “the Earth”. Previous experiences with that cunt, Mother Nature has left me bed-ridden for days… So yeah, it’s not your every day, supported, group ride through the dainty countryside like a lot of centuries I’ve done are.
Cloud Burst does live up to its nickname and yes, it is a tough ride but how can you fixate on the negatives with such a rad crew? I had so much fun this day that the photos don’t even begin to capture it. Sure, it’s beautiful and yes, these roads are some of the finest California has to offer but to experience this ride with your true friends is something else.
That and the burgers are the top are the best! In the end, my Garmin was showing under 10k of climbing, so we hit Griffith to bring it to a nice and even 120 miles and about 10,300′ of climbing.
YEESH! I will say, this is the most fun I’ve ever had on a bicycle before and these photos are my absolute favorite 35mm ride photos. Ever.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
The Angeles National Forest is a magical place. If you decide to take any of its roads up for the full ascent, you’re in for a great day of climbing. One of my favorite rides is Mt. Wilson. From the Shell Station at the bottom, to the top, it’s about 18 miles up. It was the first time I’ve done any HC climbs but the group I was with made it feel like a walk in the park. It’s extremely breathtaking. Since we rode out to the ride, we totalled 60 miles and over 6,000′ of climbing.
Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.
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