It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best since you have to sweat up hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate rememberance of a country you have driven throgh as you gain by riding a bicycle


Ernest Hemingway




Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Tale of two cities

Malibu to Sunset Beach (59m)

Marine mist out in force this morning but still warm, made up for by complimentary continental breakfast , all a bit 'Cool Hand Luke but with pastries and coffee' Easy start to the ride straight onto the pch and then onto a bike path running along the beach, pretty much perfect riding , had arranged to pick up some new tyres at a large camping/bike store in Santa Monica where they let me change the tyres at the back of the shop. Also picked up new maps, camping gas and boil in the bags. Marine mist now gone so warm sunshine riding along the beach path next 20 miles . Pics below show difference with/without mist


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Amazing ride along LA's landmark beaches ( Venice, Manhatten, Redondo) all very cool as the bike path basically runs along the beach. Perfect really, stopped for coffee at a cafe overlooking beach.



Second half of ride real shit sandwich, hard stop start riding through LA urban sprawl, no shoulder, potholes, glass, loads of traffic, passing through pretty grim areas including huge refinery chocka with lorries . No choice but to crack on, pray no punctures and get through it. Eventually drop down into Seal beach and back to civilised riding, got a motel at Sunset Beach, nice little So Cal community with great beach and, funnily enough sunsets.





Bike Odyssey ?




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