Exploring the Santa Monica Mountains

Link to Garmin Ride Data: Garmin Connect

Quick Ride Information: Route Distance = 55 miles, Elevation Gain = 5600 feet, average grade = 6+% with 10 sections between 11% to 14% grade, Ride difficulty = hard

Ride report:

I couldn’t ride with my friends from SoCalCycling on Saturday for their ‘Mystery Ride’, and was contacted by Kurt and Mark earlier in the week about a Sunday ride. I thought it would be fun to do a little climbing and put the route together. Unfortunately, as we got closer to Sunday, Mark dropped down to a 33% chance of making it, Kurt dropped out, Jason popped up for a 50% chance and by roll time on Sunday at 7:30 am I found myself rolling solo.

Route detail for canyon ride

Although it would have been nice to have had company, I am used to riding solo, and I understand that our ‘want to ride’ doesn’t always fit with other obligations in our lives. I gave it 5 minutes extra and then headed off. I have done segments of this ride before, but never combined them all, except Stunt Road, which I have ridden down, but never up. I love exploring and new routes, therefor my spirits were high.

Brentwood, Santa Monica and the coast were fogged in, but after a short climb up on Topanga the fog stayed behind and I was greeted by the sun to an absolutely amazing fall day in the mountains. Climbing up Topanga, Fernwood and Saddle Peak Road is something I have done quiet often lately, and I knew what was in store for me. When climbing this route, right after the right turn onto Saddle Peak Road, the first house to the right has a water spigot installed for cyclists and is one of the very few water sources found in these mountains.

don't forget to fill up on water - this is the address

Cyclists were out in strong numbers today, which is always nice to know when you ride solo. The ride continues up to the Saddle Peak Road/Van Schueren/Stunt Road intersection on top of the mountain. Today’s route drops down to the left and connects to Piuma Road, where a right turn starts the Piuma climb.

Route profile with key milestones, max grade and HR info

Once atop Piuma a long downhill follows, which ultimately dumps into Cold Canyon Road and connects to Las Virgenes Road (also known to some as Malibu Canyon Road). Turning right will bring a series of climbs and connect with Mulholland Road, right again and the next few miles are strong rollers.

Riding the rollers

Eventually Stunt Road turn comes into view and a right marks the beginning of a very long climb back up to the top of Saddle Peak. Stunt road was a good strength test for me and it is plenty challenging, serving up an average 8% grade. I really liked the road, but have to admit that I was plenty happy when I got to the top.

Back at the top looking towards the Pacific Ocean which is still under heavy fog on the coast

From here it is just a little climb over another ridge to backtrack my steps from earlier and return to the coast via Fernwood Canyon and Topanga. The 55 mile ride took me almost 4.5 hours with a moving average of 12.5 mph. I am not sure if this is good or bad, but I do know that this is a beautiful ride and I highly recommend it.

A great Century ride, and milestones too!

“Direction is more important than speed. We are so busy looking at our speedometers that we forget the milestone.”

If you are only interested in ride data and don’t want to read the ride story – goto myGarmin Connect page

It has been quiet a while since I was able to meet up with some great folks from SoCalRiders. Not officially a club, but clearly identifiable by the great cycling kit designed by our very own Jason. He and his wife Lisa just returned from a European vacation, in which Jason got to ride stage 8 of the 2009 Tour de France in the Pyrenees, a truly epic climb. Lisa, usually part of the group, did not join Saturday’s ride, because as I learned, Lisa is pregnant and they are having a baby boy in April – CONGRATULATIONS!!

SoCalRiders - from L to R, Jason, Mark, Herb & Tom (yours truly was not invited for the photo shoot - sniff)

Earlier in the week Herb sent out an invite to ride a Coastal Century for their CAM (Century A Month) and gave two ride options. Choice #1 was a 98 mile ride with about 1000 feet elevation change, or choice #2 a slightly different route adding miles and elevation to be about 108 miles and 3000 feet of elevation change. We met up at Neptun’s Nest on PCH (about 15 miles north of Malibu town center) and I had no clue which one of the routes I would join when I arrived at the meeting point. By the time it got close to roll time it was Mary, Herb, Jason, Andy, Kurt, Tom and I. We rolled out together and I said I would join Mary, Herb and Tom. However, they made fun of me and strongly suggested to get rid of the bike and just put my running shoes on if I were to ride with them, because that is all I would need to keep up with them. For the record, they are strong riders and have more centuries under their butts than I am likely to ever ride. They simply don’t enjoy the fast paced ‘hammer fest’ pace lines.

So, while we are debating all of this, Andy and Jason are pulling away. Jason is clearly the strongest rider in our group and Andy is not far behind. Besides, Andy only has one speed – FAST. For this ride Jason was worried about jet-lag because of his recent travel schedule, but I couldn’t tell a difference all day. After some more needling from Mary, Kurt and I decided to try and catch Jason and Andy. It took some real work to catch up to those guys but once there we settled in and it was agreed that we would take the longer climbing route as well as riding pace line with 2 minute pulls.

Our route - checker flag is start/finish, the '1' represent the 100 mile mark of the ride

When we reached our first stop I couldn’t believe the pace: a solid 20 mph – I never went that fast for that long before – milestone #1. I have to admit that in the back of my mind I was a bit worried, I mean we still had some 80 miles to go and that was a fast start. Jason and Andy were all smiles and ‘nice pace’ and I am just thinking ‘oh, boy, what have I gotten myself into?”

From L to R: Jim, Andy & Kurt

Leaving the rest stop we agreed to dial it down a bit, which worked for most of the time but the pace was still several miles/hour above my usual riding pace. Somewhere along this leg in the city of Ventura, Jason had a toe cramp, not fun for him, but much appreciated by me because of the break. While giving time for the cramp to subside, Jim (a self proclaimed local beach bum and often part of our posse) was out riding and spotted our jerseys. He joined us all the way up to the bottom of Casitas pass.

Coastal century ride elevation, HR Zone and HR

Once we hit the hills our small group split into two. Jason and Andy always up front and Kurt and I, bringing up the rear. I could kick myself for not bringing a camera, because as much as I love my iPhone, taking pictures while riding with the iPhone is impossible. The climb up to Lake Casita and then up to Casita’s Pass kicked my butt. There was no doubt that I could feel the impact of the earlier fast pace. The climb is really not that bad, with an average grade of 6% and a handful of 8+ sections thrown in. What made it just a bit more difficult was the absence of a breeze (ocean breeze blocked by the mountain), the sun high above in a cloudless sky and no shade to be seen anywhere. Not much else to do but gear down and pedal. It seemed forever to get up and over the pass (the last climb actually offered some shade going through Avocado groves) and the view from the top is absolutely spectacular.

Kurt and I seeking shade under an Avocado tree

It was there that Jason received a text from Herb letting us know that Tom turned around a long time ago due to two flats and a broken spoke (that is some tough luck!) and that he and Mary are about to reach Carpenteria. With nothing but downhill in front of us we arranged to meet up in Carpenteria at McDonald’s for fries and Coke. It was Jason who turned us on to this ritual and after 60 miles the fries loaded with salt and fat and the sugar from the Coke did wonders. We compared notes with Herb and Mary, discussed for a while if we should form up as one group, but Mary decided that she didn’t want to ride the pace line and quiet eloquently stated her reasons as to why.

Well fed and hydrated the six of us set off to make our way out of Carpenteria as a group, and once outside the city line the four of us would pick up the pace again. It was not long after that, when Andy started to have issues with leg cramps, which as it turned out would haunt him for the rest of the ride. Kurt and Herb are walking medicine cabinets, so they carried just about every remedy you can imagine, and loaded Andy with all sorts of stuff. It is a testament to Andy’s strength and HTFU (harden the fuck up) attitude that made him grind through the remaining 46 miles despite frequent cramp attacks. I didn’t trust my eyes at first when my Garmin beeped at me at the 100 mile mark and I saw a sub 6 hour ride time – Milestone #2.

A first for me - 100 miles in under 6 hours

I quickly hit the lap button to record this joyous moment. In retrospect I believe that the faster ride time is probably a result of many breaks in between, but it is what it is and I’ll take it. The last 6 1/2 miles were a series of rollers and Jason took it upon himself to become my coach and started to push and challenge. I didn’t meet all of his challenges, but I sure gave it my best. I am not sure if I was more surprised by the fact that I took the challenges or that I actually had that much left in the tank. He had me go into the big ring and out of the saddle every incline and stay up, up, up…. My legs would just quiver and he goes “ah, that’s just lactic acid, it’ll go away!” – yeah, right – it did go away and I was so proud to finish the last 6 1/2 miles with an average of 18.7 mph. Thanks, coach! – milestone #3

We waited for Andy and Kurt, stowed our gear, said our good byes and moved off into different directions. I later learned that Mary had a tough ride back for the last 25 miles, but like all the others in this group, rode through the pain and made it home OK. I was also able to get rid of two ghosts on this ride, as the route we took crossed paths with two other rides that did not end well for me: the first was in June when Murphy’s Law was dead set against me, and the second in July when I went over the handle bar in a pace line. – milestone #4

Who can ask for more?

More hills and a nice surprise

The early morning was filled with honey-do’s I had to get out of the way, and once done I had enough time to get a ride in. I decided to repeat the Fernwood Canyon ride (here is the Garmin Data) or if you rather read the ride description go here. I really enjoy this ride, because it is a good challenge without totally beating me up.

Looking back towards Santa Monica in the far distance

The weather was perfect, the ride up the mountain beautiful and uneventful. I used Los Flores to join Pacific Coast Highway and was puzzled by the number of riders on the road. After asking permission I hooked up with a group of 12 Amgen riders and learned that this was their last leg of the California Coastal Classic Ride, which started on Oct. 3rd in San Francisco. The guys and gals knew that they were close and the peloton flew down PCH – fun! They were headed towards the Yahoo Center and at the bottom of West Channel road I bid them farewell. A short climb up West Channel got me to Ocean and San Vicente were I was greeted by a sea of USO rider. As it turned out there were some 180 riders staged and ready to roll up San Vicente. Veterans on Harley’s were out in force to block all intersection, police as the lead and fire as the rear escort.

What are the odds to join up with another SF to LA ride? This one was the Ride 2 Recovery Golden State Challenge, which left SF on Oct 4th. A couple of guys invited me to bring up the rear with them which I gladly did. I was told that more than 100 riders in this group were injured veterans, with one form of disability or another. When they were less than 500 yards from the finish I quietly exited left, after all this ride was their challenge and it is theirs to bask in the glory of the finish. What a great bunch of people and I am so grateful for their services!!

USO riders as far as my iPhone can see

A helping hand is always appreciated, last hill, last push!

Great climbing route near Los Angeles Westside

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.  ~Author Unknown

It was Monday morning and I had a 3 hour window for a ride, and I was bursting with energy. The day was beautiful but breezy and cool for us Southern Californians. I spent a lot of time riding along the coast lately and so I wanted to switch it up and chose a route in my minds eye which I thought might fit into the time constraint, but also offered some climbing.

BW - SM - PCH - Topanga - Fernwood - Saddle Peak - Schueren - Los Flores - and back

If you live on the Westside this is a really good workout and great training route to improve the climbing skills. A short 8-mile warm-up ride north on PCH will get you to Topanga Canyon turn-off. As usual, pay attention to the traffic on PCH. This route is best in the morning hours, as the majority of the traffic is South bound, and the traffic flow reverses mid to late afternoon. Plus, the late afternoon sun will be in your eyes, as well as the car drivers coming up on you at 60 mph+. For these reasons I strongly recommend to avoid this stretch in the late afternoon hours.

A right turn onto Topanga Canyon will mark the beginning of the climbing portion of this ride. For the next 9 miles it is all up to the tune of ~ 2500 feet. The average grade is at 7% but you can see from the graph below that there are several segments in the double digits upwards to 14.5% grade.

Top 5 grade percentages on the Topanga, Fernwood, Saddle Peak Road Climb

That little stretch on Topanga, just before you reach the Village and turn left on Fernwood Canyon is a good test of how you feel on any given day. The shoulder here is very narrow and traffic usually does not allow you to canter up the road. Its hunch down and power through the grade which is between 10 and 14.5% for about a mile. You get some rest for a couple of hundred yards before the turnoff to Fernwood, which greets you with a series of steep S-curves to get you in the mood. The climb continues for the next 5 miles and you need to pay attention about half-way into this climb. Here, Fernwood turns into Tuna Canyon (returns to PCH),  but if you turn right you are on Saddle Peak Road (street signs and stop signs make that easy). It feels like you should be at the top at this point, but you are only halfway there. Saddle Peak Road will continue upwards another 2.5 miles, drop down for 500 yards, climb back up a bit and you a greeted at the top with at a 3-way cross road in the middle of no-where. Saddle Peak Road (which you are on), Stunt Canyon Road and VanSchueren Road.

The route in a close-up. The colors represent my heart rate ranges. The cooler the color, the lower the heart rate

There are many ride choices you could make from here with much more climbing ahead. It took me 1 hour 16 minutes to get here from Brentwood and it seemed the perfect turn around point given the time constraint. VanSchueren is to the left and is a “short screaming 1 mile sweeping fun down hill ride”. A sharp left turn on Rambla gets you quickly to another sharp turn onto Los Flores Canyon. Los Flores is a steep and very technical descent. None of the sweeping downhill fun, but very steep and narrow needlepoint turns. Make sure to feather your breaks to prevent a blowout because of over heating. The end of Los Flores brings you back to PCH and a 10 mile ride South will reach the outskirts of Santa Monica.

My ride distance from Brentwood was just shy of 36 miles with 3133 feet of climbing and the ride took 2 hours and 33 minutes. This is ride I intend to repeat many times in the future because of the challenge and also the beauty along the way. While riding on PCH you often see pods of Dolphins just off the coast, and the 360 degree views from the mountains are stunning. Days like these are a reminder of how fortunate I am to live here, all too often I just take it for granted.

A Ride of Silence

Today I met up with some of my riding buddies (SoCal Riders) in Santa Clarita for a ride of silence in memory of Joseph Novotny.

Ride of Silence in memory of Joseph Novotny

I did not know Joseph, nor have most of the 200+ riders which showed up today in the early morning hours. Riders came from far away places to join a last ride with Joseph. Highway Patrol and Sheriff’s Department did an outstanding job of giving the large  peloton protection by blocking major intersections for safe passage. I uploaded images from the ride and you can view them here. Joseph’s wife was overcome with emotion prior to the start of the ride and it set the tone for all riders. Santa Clarita Velo Club members took the lead and guided us through the 12 mile course. Passerby’s stopped and stared as this sea of colorful jerseys glided by in total silence, only the whirling of the chains telling of the force of kinship we all felt. After the organized ride our band of seven rode up Bouquet canyon, followed by Spunky Canyon and return via San Francisquito Canyon. A beautiful 44 mile loop with a bit more than 3000 feet elevation gain. You can see details of this ride including the ride of silence route on my Garmin Page.

Following is a recap by ‘The Signal’, a Santa Clarita Valley newspaper about the circumstances that lead to Joseph’s death. Say a prayer for him and those who are left behind.

By Jessica Selva
Signal Staff Writer
jselva@the-signal.com
661-259-1234 x518
Posted: Sept. 29, 2009  10:32 p.m.
POSTED  Sept. 30, 2009 4:55 a.m.

SAN FERNANDO — A Canyon Country man accused of killing a bicyclist while driving drunk appeared briefly in court Tuesday, just days before members of the crash victim’s cycling club planned to hold a memorial ride.

Marco Antonio Valencia, 21, is set to return to San Fernando Superior Court for his preliminary hearing on Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, the city of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Velo club are hosting the Joseph Novotny Memorial Ride of Silence on Saturday in memory of the 43-year-old Stevenson Ranch resident who died in the crash.

Valencia is charged with 12 felony counts for murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony hit-and-run and several other charges. He faces possible life in prison if convicted.

On July 11, an intoxicated Valencia killed Novotny and injured at least two others when he plowed his truck into a group of cyclists on a winding stretch of Bouquet Canyon Road, CHP officials said.

Valencia had already been arrested at least three times for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and was convicted twice before the fatal crash, according to court records.

In one of those previous cases, last year, Valencia was convicted of driving under the influence after hitting a power pole in Canyon Country and knocking out power for hours for nearby residents. His first DUI conviction was in 2007.

Valencia is being held in lieu of more than $1.3 million at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic.
Novotny, a Minnesota native, was new to the area.

Not long before his death, he had accepted a management position at a local water filtration company. His family and friends held joint memorials for him locally and in his home state.

The ride to honor his memory meets at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Westfield Valencia Town Center.

Shot at with a pellet gun

A friend of mine sent me this email today. It seems that aside from the usual dangers we face while cycling, there is no end to what people think off to up the danger level just a bit. Thankfully, in this case no one got seriously hurt and it is refreshing to see law enforcement taking a stand.

Hi Larry, A friend of mine was shot with a pellet gun in Feb and finally got his day in court today. I’m sending this to you to see if you think it’s Dockrider and Santa Ynez Valley B.C. email list worthy. If so, please send it out as a “heads up” for these things, and if not, it’s still an interesting story. Kathie THE BACK STORY FROM MY FRIEND DANA RUCKER How do you know it’s Valentine’s Day? You are shot in the butt…while riding your bike on PCH…except its not an arrow, its a BB gun…and its not Cupid, its a kid in a pick-up truck. Ok, I’ll start at the beginning… This past Saturday, my wife, a few friends, and I set out to do a 45 mile ride in Malibu along PCH. Around mile 35, just after we turned around at Las Posas, I felt a sharp pain in my left side. First, I thought it was a rock kicked up by one of the cars. But then I noticed the passenger of a passing pick-up truck was yelling and waving what looked to be a pistol, while he laughed and taunted us. Then I realized that I had been shot with something from that gun. I turned around and looked at my friend behind me and immediately realized he had been shot as well. We stopped to make sure we weren’t losing blood and everything was alright. Thankfully, we just had a few large welts on our behind from what must have been a BB or pellet gun. And even more thankful that we didn’t panic when we were hit so neither one of us crashed. We clearly remembered that it was a red Toyota pick-up with a RockStar bumper sticker. We considered calling 911 but decided against it since no one crashed and we just had a few welts. But we did want to report it, especially thinking they may be doing this to cyclists up and down the coast. So we decided to go to the next Park Ranger we see at a beach entrance thinking they will advise us on the appropriate action. We were quickly informed by the Ranger that they ARE Law Enforcement. We also come to find out they are very enthusiastic about this as well and put a park ranger who was on the road on alert. I happened to see that park ranger pull into the park just as we were leaving so I stopped to give him a detailed report and off he went, driving south in search for the truck. I thought for sure the truck was in Santa Monica by now, though. Unless they were dumb enough to pull over at one of the beaches and go surfing. Hmmm…about 5 minutes later, a different ranger pulled up beside me and told me they think they found the truck. I got in the car with him, leaving my bike with my wife and friend. Sure enough, they were dumb enough to pull over, park and go surfing. My friend, who had gone ahead while I was giving the report, had already stopped at the truck and was there with another ranger. The following is his account of finding the truck…”About ten miles pass and I approach a favorite surf spot. Cars are parked all along the road. I see a red Toyota…this one with Rockstar bumper stickers. Jackpot! I stop, look up and whom do I see? A very enthusiastic Park Ranger in front of me. We look in the car and we can see in plain view, the pellets and a bb gun under the seat. Now beach patrol is involved getting the surfers to come out of the water. The driver is the first to come out of the water and confesses everything when just asked to verify his identity. He gives up his friend “the shooter” who eventually comes out of the water. The driver, who owns the two guns found in the car, said his friend has done this many times before. The shooter doesn’t think this is serious because he’s smiling and chuckling for quite awhile. And quite frankly, I didn’t think it was that serious either. I was even wondering if any of the law enforcement were going to take this seriously but I was pleasantly surprised that the Beach Patrol, Park Rangers, LA County and Ventura County Police ALL took this very seriously.” The fallout: Both ‘kids’ (ages 18 and 19) were booked for 2 felonies – conspiracy to commit a crime and assault with a deadly weapon. The conspiracy part is because the driver slowed down to let the passenger shoot. Since both of the truck and our bicycles are considered moving vehicles, and since the BB gun was modified to look like a real gun, the crime becomes a felony. Our understanding is that they will most likely get the charges reduced to misdemeanor counts if they plead out resulting in a fine, and or, community service. Both went to jail Saturday and could have been released on bail. We were told that the parents didn’t post bail, though, possibly so the kids could spend the night in jail to reflect? But, as I understand it, if they weren’t out Saturday, they stay would stay through Sunday and Monday due to the holiday. That’s a long weekend in jail to reflect and maybe be scared straight. What’s to learn? Well, I don’t think kevlar riding shorts would be very practical so please make sure if something like this happens that you report it right away. I really expected to just have my statement taken and that’s that, but the response and involvement of the Park Rangers, the Ventura County Sheriffs, and CHP was fast and thorough, resulting in justice. We thank them and greatly appreciate their efforts. THE COURT CASE AS OF TODAY JULY 31 Verdict: 60 days in jail, 36 mo probation and they can’t get within 500 ft of my friend.

Why is it so difficult to just go out for an easy ride?

Since my return from the Eastern Sierra Century ride, I rode three times this week, averaging about 30 miles per ride. Every time I set out to ride I told myself: “Self, we are going on an easy ride. Keep your heart rate low and your cadence at an easy spin!”

The first ride turned out to be a hammer fest after the first few miles. Why? I have really no clue, other than the fact that I felt really strong and spotted a challenge in every little hill or straight-a-way. By the time I returned home, my Garmin showed an 18+ mph average, the fastest 34 miles I have ever recorded.

The next day I set out with the same intentions of making it an easy ride, but once I got to a stretch with little traffic and no stops, I found myself again in the drops, pushing hard for God knows what!

Today I smacked myself before the ride as a reminder to cool it and just cruise. I did well the first 5 miles, easy gears with easy spinning and enjoying a gorgeous day at the beach. But then it happened again, only this time I was forced to (well, sort of, not really!) You see there was this dude falling in behind me on a beautiful TT bike. Remember, I am cruising and I mean cruising at an easy 15 to 16 mph. So why in the world is this dude hanging on my wheel?

My brain says:”Let’s see what he’s got!” and without any further prompting my legs pick up cadence and in unison left and right hand and fingers shift rings and gears and in no time the speed is up to 22 mph. That sudden move got him off my wheel and I thought he got the message. I shift up one cog and keep spinning at a pretty steady 20 mph. A couple of minutes later the guy sits on my rear wheel again (no announcing himself by the way). OK, that does it. I go back to a pretty steady 22 mph and although he falls back a couple of feet, this time he is hanging in there. My brain says again:”this is going to be fun!”

Fun indeed, I know this route like the back of my hand and I knew that the next 3 miles were flat and sheltered from the wind. Then, there would be a sharp right turn and with it a mile with a very modest 1% grade, BUT, straight into the wind blowing in from the Ocean, making this grade feel more like 3 to 4%, depending how much it blows. While still sheltered, I amp the cadence up a little bit, but making sure that my HR stays in the high 3 to low 4 HR zone. I can tell pretty quickly that anything north of 24 mph is going to lose him. Hey, I am not ready to lose him yet and slow down a tad and even more with only 300 yards to the turn. Yup, he is sitting on my wheel again, panting, but smiling. Good, I am smiling too and here comes the turn.

Going into the turn I was already in the correct gear choice and before rounding the corner I was down in the hoods. The wind did not disappoint and was there as always. I am not sure how strong it was blowing, but I knew from my effort and top speed that it was no easy breeze. This stretch is about a mile and a half and I settled in to push hard and soon my ‘new friend’ was gone. At this point I have long forgotten that I am doing an easy ride.

When I reached my turnaround point I sat down to eat, drink and enjoy the beauty of the beach and settled in for some good people watching. As I mounted to turn back I spotted the dude coming down the path so I waited and said ‘hi’ to which I got no reply. I really don’t care if someone wants to draft as long as they a) say hello and b) ask for permission. This guy just ticked me off with his aggressive bounce on my rear. I have to admit though, it was kind of fun (well, actually a lot)! I realize that losing him was no great feat considering I don’t know about his fitness level, and for all I know they guy could have been at the end of a century ride. This was simply about the principle of attaching himself without asking for permission. Along those lines BikingInLA wrote a series of articles on Bike courtesy which are very well written and worth the read.

On the way back I forced myself to take routes which prohibit hammering (i.e. Santa Monica Beach path, Venice Beach). There are simply too many pedestrians, roller blades, dogs, kids and tourists to even think about speeding it up. But that got me thinking:” Why is it so difficult to just go out and ride? Why do I feel this urge to always push?”

I am very curious to hear your take on this – does this happen to you also? Do you have this urge to always push when you ride solo? I would love to hear your comments.