It was Sunday, the day after swim & dive meet at Pomona Pitzer. My shoulders were especially sore from the competition, so cycling at Huntington Beach was the perfect way to warm down and relax with a world class view. I left Pasadena at 7 am, called my parents, and got breakfast at Korea Town (DTLA). To touch Highway 1, it takes around 1 hour from Caltech.
Arriving near Bolsa Chica State Beach, there were plenty parking spaces available. It is, although LA, winter, so the ocean is still cold. Also there was a forecast of rain in the afternoon. I unpacked my bike from the backtrunk, and began to warm up. First thing I noticed, it was insanely windy. Crosswinds were blowing from the coast, and you could feel your body adjusting balance just when you are standing up. So it took some time to get used to biking in such condition. One thing about me is that I go super fast on my bike. I don’t do long distance, I don’t have the stamina. However, if the ride is under 20 miles, I can go 20~30 mph comfortably. Bolsa Chica State Beach to Huntington Beach is ~4 miles (roundtrip of 8 miles).
The bike lanes are well-built, and you don’t have to look back to see if a car is coming, because the lane is completely isolated from the road. The only caution are people crossing the lane, but with my velocity, people ususally wait for me to pass them. Cycling to Huntington Beach was great because the crosswinds were diagonally blowing to support my direction, so I average 25 mph.
Coming back was the real challenge. Once I arrived at Huntington Beach pier, raindrops were beginnging to form and with the sea breeze, they gave good slaps on my skin. When such conditions occur, it is best to turn off the brain and just start moving my legs. 20 minutes into riding back, I began to see the parking lot where I started my ride. Fortunately, it became sunny for a bit when I was packing my bike into my car, so I was able to keep my car dry. Huntington trail is great, but I personally would not ride during summer, because I cannot imagine all the tourists in the trail.
Brayden Noh 