Los Angeles River Ride

Worst organized ride I have ever done. If you call being taken through the bowels of Long Beach and Los Angeles industrial areas, cruising past the jail, and sprinting through sketchy neighborhoods this is your ride otherwise take a pass. This was my first century and the finish was pretty anticlimactic. I wouldn’t do this ride again. Oh and the finishers medal was the worst I have ever seen.

This ride was the worst one that I have ever been in. There was nothing scenic about it! There was no lunch provided and the finish line was not very eventful. I would not recommend this ride to anyone. Pick something else.

The day started off with some issues with registration. Nobody seem to know what was going on and who is taking care of the riders. I recall someone just saying «just give them their wristbands, don’t worry about the names… it doesn’t matter anyways».
So there was small crowd for the century which was manageable. We made the pit stop at el dorado park and there was no signage that specified which direction to go around the lake. Perhaps if there was arrows or people who volunteered for the event knew what was going on. Thank you very much for attempting to make a pleasant experience.
As far as the route, it was just okay. Nothing memorable… I got lost a few times. There was some arrows on the ground that got covered up in Chinatown. A little advice for entering Chinatown. Be very careful of the drivers and pedestrians. There was a few people that I was following that commented on the traffic in that area.
The rest stops were excellent and the bathrooms were up to par. Snacks were good.
The thing that pissed me off was the fact that there was no XL shirts left. I know I signed up a little later but seriously?
I could not commit to next years event.

Pretty sure after riding the 50 mile route yesterday, I’m officially a ride or die chick.
My cycling experience is pretty pathetic; I have a dilapidated cruiser that taps out after being on the road for more than 5 miles. However, after being turned on to this event from various Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition eblasts, I figured, the time was now to jump on the two-​wheel band wagon.
Registration was super easy and about $ 45 (gets you a t-​shirt and tote bag, and of course, snacks and security along the route). Getting the wrist band the day of was a piece of cake as well (they also had a weekend where you could pick up your packet at local REI stores to avoid any wait the day of). They have many options to choose from depending on what you’re comfortable with: family ride, 36, 50, 75, 100.
I rented a bike that would put out for more than a trip to a coffee shop and back from Downtown Los Angeles Bicycles a couple days before the ride (ballsy and super last minute, but that’s the kind of gal I am) for $ 75 (with a $ 20 overnight fee so I could pick up the day before).
So, for a total of about $ 120, I got a 50-​mile tour of LA that included areas I would never discover on my own. While some of the ride runs parallel to the river and you’re cycling along its path, half is spent on the mean streets of LA, and though they may be mean, they’re not run a muck with traffic, so it was pretty safe to take over the streets.
There are a grip of bikers who take part in this ride, so the energy is super infectious and the hidden sense of competition (even though it’s not a race), helps you from focusing on mileage and more about keeping up with your fellow cyclists. While 50 miles may have been a bit ambitious for a beginner like myself, I felt so accomplished when I rode through the finish line. The «festival» at the end was a bit lacking, but then again, once you’ve put your body through the ringer, the last thing you want to do is party hardy. The registration didn’t include food or beer after the race, so you’re on your own for that, and maybe that’s something that could be included in the future so riders can feel the sense of community after that was so apparent on the road. The complimentary massages for all was a nice touch!

I am a half– centurian! Thank You Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition!
I completed the 50 mile leg of the LACBC River Ride! I’m super proud of myself!
Now — the actual event was pretty organized. Riding along the «majestic» LA River was actually majestic at times. You’re supposed to just enjoy the scenery, which IS entirely possible at certain points.
REGISTERING:
Register Online! Since this was my first time on this ride, I just paid the fee without thinking about it. I just really wanted to prove to myself that I could do it! When I told people about the $ 60+ dollar fee, they were curious to know why it was so much.
There were perks to picking up your ride day materials early from an REI location, but I did not have my stuff together enough to do that.
LACBC advocates for bike riders on all fronts. They lobby for safety, equality and access for bicyclists all around the city. You must check in if you’ve registered online and haven’t already picked up your «packet.» I just got a wristband that I was not entirely sure what it was used for besides identifying me.
You do not get scanned as you pass checkpoints (which would have been useful for people like me who are just curious how fast they were going). This would have also been beneficial for the picture process, which was about 6 miles in.
PICTURE:
Not included in the registration price — it should be! It was an extra $ 20 and you have to estimate when you passed to photographer. It was nice that there were signs to tell you that the photog was coming up in so many feet. It’s a pain to try and look for your photo on their website, though.
PARKING:
Plenty of parking about a mile away. Then you bike from the lot (or the street if you’re like me and arrived half an hour before your race start time) and it’s a great warm up. Parking on Flower sounds super far — but it’s really not! Plus, it’s not so scary to bike to the starting line because there are lots of people headed the same way as you are!
Disney sponsored a secured lot, but it was full when I got there. It took me about 8 minutes to casually bike to the startling line. There were no hills or anything ridiculous. Once you enter Griffith Park, there is reduced traffic because 1.) it was so early, and 2.) they had the roads reduced and blocked off (mostly due to construction).
THE FAIR:
Kind of empty, but they DID have a band that played in the afternoon, and there was a free bike valet section! They had free massages for participants once you returned, and a nice VIP area that had tented shade. There were plenty of grassy areas to picnic, or you could’ve bought an expensive plate from the Autry museum’s food court. Meh.
I would have hoped for more free things for participants. I got a t-​shirt, medal and some energy bars.
STARTING THE RIDE:
The starting line situation was kind of confusing. you were able to start pretty much whenever, after the century riders (100 miles!) had all left. The rides are separated by distance, so the longer the distance you are biking, the earlier your start time will be. Here are the options are at the website:

MY RIDING EXPERIENCE:
I wish I would have gotten the name of the hot girl at mile 8. If you’re reading this, you are beautiful, and I wish I had stopped long enough to talk to you over by the bike re. You had gauged ears and long hair and a gorgeous smile. I was sweaty and trying to roll out my IT band on the bar. Sexy.
Other than that — I loved it! It was the perfect day to ride that far! It stayed cool for most of the day, then got warmer as the day went on. There were stations set up along the way with water, snacks, bike repair, first aid, and some even had bathrooms/​porter potties. The route was not difficult, either. Mostly flat.
The route takes you through the city at points, and along the river bike path for most of it. There was always a ride marshal not too far from me, checking to see if I was okay and if I needed anything.
There is no one cheering for you, so you should bring a source of entertainment if you get bored easily. I used my ipod for the whole ride, I just turned it down low. There were even kids biking 50 miles, too! I only stopped at Dills park on the ride out. There were people picnicking there, too!
I’ve only had a few previous spin classes. Sometimes twice a week for the past few months. I had no idea how far I could ride a bike until this event! I like to think I am pretty sporty, so If you feel the same, you should totally do it next year! I will probably do the 50 mile ride, again.
One word of advice: TRY YOUR BIKE SEAT OUT FOR AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF TIME before you ride! get a comfy seat, or padded shorts, or and extra gel seat if you can! I had padded shorts AND a get seat cover and I still was sore for about a day after!
I could go on and on, but Unilocal is telling me that I’ve reached my limit.

I rode the century option (100 miles) for the 11^th Annual Los Angeles River Ride this past Sunday with my girlfriend and friends.
It was a nice ride that traveled through parts of Los Angeles that I have never been to or even knew existed. Most of the course was on the river path but parts of it was through the city with some rough roads.
It was a good turn out and everybody was nice and friendly but when you have a ton of cyclist and cars on the road together it doesn’t always work out. Saw cyclists and drivers do stupid things.
The course was well marked until the end which seemed to have just stopped. The support was good in the beginning but was falling apart at the end. They either started packing up or didn’t plan properly.
I will most likely not ride this again since it wasn’t as scenic as I would like and the support was a little lacking. However, the registration was only $ 65 or less depending on which option you rode.
Thanks Los Angeles/​Long Beach and the other cities for putting up with a mass of cyclists that took over the streets this past Sunday.