Cycling over 400 miles from San Jose, California to Los Angeles (non-stop)
One thing that is unique about Los Angeles is the overwhelming size of it. While visitors and newcomers can be turned off by it’s enormity, anyone who has lived here for a few years is rewarded with a sense that “home” is everywhere. Regardless if you are in Santa Monica or Pasadena, Burbank or Long Beach, it’s all Los Angeles. It’s all home.
I was struck by this feeling this past weekend riding through Santa Barbara. My ride began Friday morning in San Jose. Now it was Saturday afternoon and I was somewhere around mile 330. I had been riding my bike for well over 24 hours without sleep and Santa Barbara was a predetermined bail out point. No matter how the ride went, I knew there was a train in Santa Barbara and if I could just make it there I could be done.
My ride had started a little after 5:00 AM in San Jose, California. My friend Kym was up there for work that week and we had planned on riding from San Jose to Los Angeles non-stop. She actually did most of the planning - mapping out the route and finding a hotel. I mostly just stressed about whether or not I really needed to carry an extra pair of socks and how my usual nutrition of rice bars wouldn’t keep for 36 hours of riding.
Due to a combination of not being familiar with the area, a long section of gravel climbing, and an average grade of about 70 feet per mile, we moved like molasses getting out of San Jose. We only covered about 20 miles in the first 2 hours. Looking back on the elevation map for this ride, this shouldn’t have surprised us. This section was incredibly hilly and we needed to consult our maps often so we didn’t get lost. Both those things slow you down. But in the moment being that “far behind” can really wear on you mentally.
Our first stop was a little over 50 miles in at a Starbucks. I needed a proper cup of coffee but in the small town we were in, a Starbucks would have to do. Plus their beans have twice the caffeine of most coffee shops, which was something I was craving (if you wonder why people who frequent Starbucks only go to Starbucks, mystery solved). This month was Sober October, which meant I was off cannabis for the 2 weeks prior. My homie Jae Spokes (who was also observing Sober October) gave me a pass to use cannabis on this ride and I took advantage by taking 2 hits off a joint. Something about riding in the morning with a cup of coffee just didn’t feel right without a little cannabis.
Feeling 110% rolling out of Starbucks, we continued our journey south towards Monterey. Hitting the coast was going to be a big milestone because then we knew we could just ride south and not have to worry about looking at the map. Plus I had never seen Big Sur before and what better way to see it than from a bicycle.
“Are you stopping to see the sea lions?” was a common question I got asked.
“No, we’re trying to get through as fast as we can,” I would reply.
“So what’s the point?”
Mile 100
It was a fair question. Most civilians can’t understand riding 100 miles so to try to explain riding over 400 miles was almost impossible. I had to save my energy for other things - like riding my bike.
The only disappointing thing about Big Sur was the food selection. From a riders perspective the choices are terrible. Most of the restaurants looked like the menu had most recently been updated around 1994 - but their pricing was set in the year 2030. I wasn’t about to pay $20 for a mediocre burger and without a fast food spot in sight I stuck to markets and relied heavily on my supply of nutrition powder. Around 9:30 PM we found a market with a selection diverse enough to make a “meal.” I was on full stoke to have my potato salad, cereal, soda, and beef stick dinner only to have the proprietor of the market kick me out, telling me I couldn’t eat inside. I huddled in my space blanket outside where the temperatures were in the 40’s Farenhiet. Eating some real food after 17 hours of spinning felt like ecstacy.
Rigging my space blanket into a chest protector was the second best idea I had on this ride - beaten only by an idea I got later on to completely wrap my space blanket around my torso with a cod piece sticking out of the bottom of my vest to protect my legs and groin. With temperatures falling in to the 30’s Farenheit this little bit of engineering literally saved my ride. I don’t mean to brag, but no one is as good at bootleg riding than me.
Rigging a space blanket in to an on-the-bike cocoon at SloCoDo Donuts in San Luis Obispo.
We were in the most difficult hours of riding as we approached San Luis Obispo. There comes a point around 3 AM when your body and mind just want to quit. My riding partner was really feeling the fatigue and I was not going to say no to an extended break so we found this 24-hour donut shop called SloDoCo Donuts to take a long rest. Right next to a few colleges, the donut shop was bumpin at 2:00 AM. We were definitely the only people over the age of 20 in there. The guy behind the counter was full of energy (coffee, he admitted) and couldn’t stop complimenting us when he heard what we were up to. It’s amazing how peoples energies can build you up in rough times. His enthusiasm paired with a large coffee and 2 donuts gave me new life. Kym took a nap while I carefully rigged up my space blanket to be an on-the-bike cocoon.
My spirits were high after some sugar, caffeine and positive affirmations from the donut store employee (thanks, dude!), but my riding partner was struggling and around 5:00 AM Kym let me know she wasn’t going to finish the ride. From a safety standpoint this was less than ideal. We were 220 miles in and just now going to split up. She would take 60 miles to get to the train and I would take 200 miles to ride home. Fortunately I do lot’s of at-night solo training so after carefully considering my options I charged ahead solo.
I spent the next 100 miles leap-frogging riders. Figuring this was probably the safest way to ride I would ask if I could draft off someone for a while - keeping lots of distance between our wheels - then get back in to my own pace when another rider came in to view. It was surprising to me to find out that most of these riders are not on Strava. I checked the Fly-By the next day but couldn’t track down any of my new cycling buddies. Nous avons le temps que nous avons. We have the time we have.
Mile 300
Getting back on the coast was refreshing because I knew once again I could spin without concern for directions. Things were starting to look more and more familiar - and then I hit Goleta, which is a small town on the west end of Santa Barbara.
Rolling in to Santa Barbara, things started to feel familiar. I had ridden up there a handful of times and I knew where the restaurants were, didn’t need to check a map for directions, and everyone looked recognizable - their style, their vibe all resonated with me. I was finally home. Santa Barbara isn’t part of LA (technically) but it is relatively close, less than 100 miles, and it’s Amtrak stop was a potential bail-out point if I didn’t feel like the ride was going well. However, with the scenery looking more and more familiar, I felt like I was already home. Nothing could stop me from finishing this ride.
I took one final stop in Oxnard to fill up on water and grab some candy and a Red Bull. Having had only 2 cups of coffee on this ride my body hadn’t been exposed to a lot of caffeine. I also hadn’t eaten very much candy. Now that I was in my final stretch I was willing to exploit both these drugs, sugar and caffeine, to the fullest.
Mile 380 was physically the hardest part of the ride. Up until this point I had experienced almost no discomfort. It started with pain in my achilles. After I dealt with that it became pain in my hip. After that, pain in my knee. The only thing I can attribute this to is at some point your body just wants you to stop. Having put almost 30 hours in to the pedals I think this was my body letting me know it didn’t have much more to give. Staying mindful to keep an easy pace I rolled the last 50 miles to Santa Monica. Very happy to report that the following day I had no pain or soreness.
Completing a ride like this is totally new to me and I don’t know what it means for me and my riding in the future. I have a fascination with going bigger and bigger all the time - but usually I am very calculated in the challenges I take on. Finding no glory in pain or suffering, I usually come up with a reasonable goal, train for a few months, then tackle that goal. But this ride put me in over my head in every way. It’s the longest ride (previous record 225 miles), most elevation (previous record 19,000 feet) and most time in the saddle ever (almost double). A good chunk of it was also done solo. I feel like I bumped right up against what I am physically capable of and got away with it. For now I think I’ve beaten bikes. We’ll see what goals I come up with for next year.
Gear for ultra-endurance cycling (400 miles):
Continental Grand Prix 4 Season - 25:
I got no flats on this tire over 422 miles. Enough said.
Anker PowerCore 5,000 mAh USB Battery
Need to keep your cycling computer, phone and lights charged. This is the smallest capacity battery I would recommend for over 24 hours of riding.
Cygolite Front/Rear Light Kit
This kit provides the best rear light on the market and a decent backup front light. 600 lumens is not enough for night riding, in my opinion. I rode during the full moon so this front light was adequate when my main light died.
Light & Motion - Urban 1000 Fast Charge
This was my main front light. It provides enough light even at it’s lowest setting for night riding. It’s fast-charging feature is a huge plus as well.
Ensure Nutrition Powder
I eat a lot of solid food and real food while riding, but I always supplement with Ensure to make sure I hit my calorie requirements.
Vibrelli Hydration Pack - 2.0 Liters
With this hydration pack I can carry enough water for 6-8 hours of riding. It also has a large compartment to carry extra food and gadgets. It’s been super comfortable on all my long rides.