Today, I hooked up with Annette from www.glendoramtnroad.com, Matt, Mark, Meme, Bryan, and Carl for a challenging ride up Glendora Mountain Road. The weather forecast called for partly cloudy, but there was nothing "partly" about the weather. It was cold, cloudy, foggy and wet. No rain fell but there was so much moisture in the air it might as well have been raining.
Kevin showed up on his mountain bike to give us a good send off. He had to sit this ride out due to a blood clot in his leg. Hopefully he'll be fine but, on doctors orders, he has to take it easy.
Carl, Meme, Mark and Bryan headed up the mountain early and I sat back with Kevin to wait for Matt and Annette. Around 9:00 am, Annette arrived and after a few hellos we started our voyage up GMR. Someday, I'll get to Mt. Baldy, but today my goal was the Maintenance Shed. Annette and I road up GMR about three fourths of a mile to wait for Matt.
The first mile or two up GMR is pretty steep. Somewhat unwelcoming is the climb, it can easily discourage novice riders and force a turn around. This is exactly what happened to Meme on his first attempt up GMR. Today was Meme's second attempt with about three to four months of consistent riding under his belt. Unhappy with his first failed attempt, Meme (and Mark) made it about 2.5 to 3 miles up GMR before turning around. Not to bad given this is Meme's second attempt and Mark's first.
Carl and Bryan were real troopers today. Last weekend, Bryan had a bad crash that sent him to the ER. Preliminary x-rays showed a break in his shoulder but after a CAT Scan there was no breaks but rather heavy bruised muscles. With that said he showed up for a ride and made it to the Maintenance Shed! He's hoping to keep consistent with his rides. Carl, you'll have to take Bryan to 605 trail next weekend.
Carl did really well today. Last time we rode GMR, Carl made it to Jacob's Turnout (Its about 7 miles up and I think that's what its called). Today he made it to the Maintenance Shed with Byran. Annette, Matt and I cheered them on as they made that final 30 feet.
Along the way up we met two guys from Claremont determined to get to Mt. Baldy. I'm sure they made it but it must have been really cold up there! At the Maintenance Shed we met Kim from Pasadena. We also saw a nice AC Cobra!
Because the roads were wet on GMR, there wasn't a lot of vehicle traffic today. This was truly a treat. The few motorcyclist up GMR were cautious and obeying all traffic laws. Who'd of thought! (Note to self, cold wet days are great for riding GMR)
Other Photos of Riders on GMR
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