Riding With My Dad

Today I skipped the Agoura Cycles road ride for something much more personal, a good mountain bike ride with my dad.

We took off from my house here in Newbury Park and snaked our way over the the Santa Monica Mountains.  As we rode up to the top of the black bitch, we suited up for what we knew would be a cold decent and boy were we right.  

After dropping in we shot over to the single track that runs adjacent along the road and settled into a nice pace as we worked our way down the canyon towards the beach.  Just before hitting the campgrounds, we made our way to the sky by heading up Overlook trail.  The ground was tacky and smooth, which made for spot on riding.

By the time we made it over to the top of Backbone, we had covered 15 miles.  As we made our way back to the canyon floor, we had one of the most perfect runs you could ever imagine.

We aimed back towards the black bitch talking about rides past, Rocky Peak, Johnson's Motorway, Lone Oak and more.  When we came up on Dos Vientos, I decided to treat him to some of my typical stomping grounds and gave him a taste of some tight switchbacks that lead to the housing track just above Albertsons.

My dad isn't necessarily a fan switchies, but he made the most of it and gave me a good laugh as he attempted to swing his rear end around the tight turns.  Needless to say, he nearly ended up in the bushes a few times.

The whole ride was 3 hours and 30 miles.  Try that on a mountain bike and you'll feel like you just did a century on a road bike.

So now as I sip my wine (who are we kidding, gulp it down) I can feel the ache in my legs.  Good ride Pop, you made me what I am today.