Official 4th of July - GMR / GRR thread
#1
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Official 4th of July - GMR / GRR thread
Who's in this year ? Should be closed to traffic as it is every year.
Put me down for 8 AM from Boulder Springs...
Put me down for 8 AM from Boulder Springs...
#3
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#4
Dilligaf
Hey Genaro, I'm planning to be there. 8-ish AM is fine, but I'd rather start from the Glendora high school. They've got these nice solar panels that provide shade for the cars. Not sure if I'll have time for a "Gatorade" tail-gating party after the ride though.
#5
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Hmmm
I haven't ridden GMR in a long time. Not since 2018...spring. I ended up having rotator cuff surgery late 2018 and never got around to getting up to GMR once I was reasonably fit enough. I am now at my lowest weight in quite some time and I am interested tho I can't keep up with most even on my best days. Slow climber but I get there. I would start from Boulder Springs most likely IF I decide to give it a go.
I haven't ridden GMR in a long time. Not since 2018...spring. I ended up having rotator cuff surgery late 2018 and never got around to getting up to GMR once I was reasonably fit enough. I am now at my lowest weight in quite some time and I am interested tho I can't keep up with most even on my best days. Slow climber but I get there. I would start from Boulder Springs most likely IF I decide to give it a go.
#7
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missed this particular holiday ride, unfortunately, the last two years. have ridden it several times tho in the last two years. a great ride. a fun ride. a tough ride. arguably, the best mountain road ride in socal.
phenomenal comraderie amongst total strangers. given everything in play currently, gonna pass and will ride gmr/grr some other weekday or two this year. y'all hava blast and hope to catch you next year.
phenomenal comraderie amongst total strangers. given everything in play currently, gonna pass and will ride gmr/grr some other weekday or two this year. y'all hava blast and hope to catch you next year.
#8
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Hmmm
I haven't ridden GMR in a long time. Not since 2018...spring. I ended up having rotator cuff surgery late 2018 and never got around to getting up to GMR once I was reasonably fit enough. I am now at my lowest weight in quite some time and I am interested tho I can't keep up with most even on my best days. Slow climber but I get there. I would start from Boulder Springs most likely IF I decide to give it a go.
I haven't ridden GMR in a long time. Not since 2018...spring. I ended up having rotator cuff surgery late 2018 and never got around to getting up to GMR once I was reasonably fit enough. I am now at my lowest weight in quite some time and I am interested tho I can't keep up with most even on my best days. Slow climber but I get there. I would start from Boulder Springs most likely IF I decide to give it a go.
#9
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#10
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missed this particular holiday ride, unfortunately, the last two years. have ridden it several times tho in the last two years. a great ride. a fun ride. a tough ride. arguably, the best mountain road ride in socal.
phenomenal comraderie amongst total strangers. given everything in play currently, gonna pass and will ride gmr/grr some other weekday or two this year. y'all hava blast and hope to catch you next year.
phenomenal comraderie amongst total strangers. given everything in play currently, gonna pass and will ride gmr/grr some other weekday or two this year. y'all hava blast and hope to catch you next year.
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#11
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Here's the good news:
Angeles National Forest: Glendora Ridge Road, Mt. Baldy Road to Glendora Mountain Road Road Closed Open To Bicyclists, Hikers, And Equestrians 07/02/20 10:00 AM 07/06/20 10:00 AM
Angeles National Forest,Glendora: Glendora Mountain Road, Big Dalton Canyon Road to East Fork Road Road Closed Open To Bicyclists, Hikers, And Equestrians 07/02/20 10:00 AM 07/06/20 10:00 AM
Angeles National Forest: Glendora Ridge Road, Mt. Baldy Road to Glendora Mountain Road Road Closed Open To Bicyclists, Hikers, And Equestrians 07/02/20 10:00 AM 07/06/20 10:00 AM
Angeles National Forest,Glendora: Glendora Mountain Road, Big Dalton Canyon Road to East Fork Road Road Closed Open To Bicyclists, Hikers, And Equestrians 07/02/20 10:00 AM 07/06/20 10:00 AM
#12
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Is there a better than average bike crowd there on July 4th? I mean that in a positive way as in like what would be at a paid organized ride a la century, metric, i.e. more fun to be climbing, riding...
#13
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it will be busy there on the 4th but some will defray and do it on the 3rd or the 5th. some people stage from encanto park. some from pioneer park. some from the high school.
some from the very base. and a few from elsewhere. take plenty of water since there will likely be a crowd at the (mt. baldy) village for water. a few will come up from the 39/grr
but most groove up gmr from the gmr/sierra madre intersection. may be a few mtn/gravel bikers mixed in here and there as well. if ascending, stay as far right as you can and
if descending, stay as far right as you can. there are always a few riders going beyond their usual capabilities on a holiday weekend. you don't want to be collateral damage.
given the circumstances currently, not personally comfy "sharing" the mountain with a few hundred (or more) similar-minded cyclists. that said, if you can safely swing it, riding
a closed gmr on the 4th of july (or at any point during that holiday w-end) is a must-do/bucket list ride for socal riders imho. the camaraderie and vibes are even better than the climb and the views.
some from the very base. and a few from elsewhere. take plenty of water since there will likely be a crowd at the (mt. baldy) village for water. a few will come up from the 39/grr
but most groove up gmr from the gmr/sierra madre intersection. may be a few mtn/gravel bikers mixed in here and there as well. if ascending, stay as far right as you can and
if descending, stay as far right as you can. there are always a few riders going beyond their usual capabilities on a holiday weekend. you don't want to be collateral damage.
given the circumstances currently, not personally comfy "sharing" the mountain with a few hundred (or more) similar-minded cyclists. that said, if you can safely swing it, riding
a closed gmr on the 4th of july (or at any point during that holiday w-end) is a must-do/bucket list ride for socal riders imho. the camaraderie and vibes are even better than the climb and the views.
Last edited by diphthong; 07-01-20 at 01:52 AM.
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#14
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I'm suddenly feeling like I should give this a shot. I'll be the old Fred on a 20th-century mountain bike.
Thanks for the info, since I've never done this ride. The high school sounds like a good option.
How long does the whole thing take? Looks like about 15 miles, right? Maybe 2.5 hours up, half-hour down? Heck, I could be home in time for afternoon BBQ.
Thanks for the info, since I've never done this ride. The high school sounds like a good option.
How long does the whole thing take? Looks like about 15 miles, right? Maybe 2.5 hours up, half-hour down? Heck, I could be home in time for afternoon BBQ.
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From Encanto Park all the way to Mt Baldy Village and the return, it takes me 4.5 hours at a touristy pace. I have done it on a 35 lbs 29'er and it took over 5 hours round trip.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4558390604
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4558390604
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Cool, thanks for the info. Touristy pace sounds about right.
#17
SuperGimp
Usually yes, hard to say this year with all the Covid related shenanigans
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#18
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Where to fill water?
My first time to Baldy - I'm looking for it on 7/3, due to slightly lower temp.
Other than at Mt. Baldy Village (mentioned earlier), are there any other opportunities to fill water?
Cheers!
Other than at Mt. Baldy Village (mentioned earlier), are there any other opportunities to fill water?
Cheers!
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No, plan on bringing all you need for the approx 22 miles to Mt Baldy Village. There is no spring water along the way either.
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#20
Dilligaf
Hey Genaro, slight change of plans - a few guys from my club are starting at 7:30 (crazy bastards), so I'll stick with them. Hope to see you anyway. Look for a guy with hairy helmet.
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Just got back from Mt Baldy Village via GMR/GRR. Couldn't be a better day. Overcast lifted early. All the gates are closed including the two where GMR-GRR intersect. I did not have any vehicles or cyclists coming down GMR into Big Dalton. Four motorcyclist deputies were sweeping the area clear of vehicles. Be aware there are service vehicles still up there.
#23
Dilligaf
So did you guys do it? The crowd was smaller than in previous years, but the quality of the riders was better. I'm an average climber (about 1 hour to the shack, a tad over 2 hours to the village) and usually I pass quite a few people up the hill. Not today though. Also, I didn't see people riding on the left (ooga-booga's advice obviously worked ) and I didn't see anybody dying for water on the side of the road. It looked like everybody knew what they were doing. Bummer I didn't see any of you guys.
Happy 4-th of July y'all!!!
Happy 4-th of July y'all!!!
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Yes, I was there! What a blast! Very fun. I had no real clue where or how far I was going, so I kept asking people stuff, like, "Is this the Shack?"
One guy complimented my "hybrid," which was funny. Another guy said, "Nice bar-ends!"
I didn't make it to the village. I started out a half-hour later than I meant to, and was about two miles from the village when I hit the time that I had set for myself to turn back. Glad I did, because it was enough to do the three or four climbs on the way back down. This was a much longer ride than I've done in a while. Some day I'll do the whole thing, maybe even on a road bike.
I started from the high school, leaving at 7:30. Was back to the car before11:30, so a little under four hours all told.
I'm sure you passed me at some point, JimmyNH. Oh, wait … I remember a guy in a Deutschland jersey calling out to a Jimmy after he passed us, come to think of it. Huh. Next time I'll put a "BF" tag on my butt.
One guy complimented my "hybrid," which was funny. Another guy said, "Nice bar-ends!"
I didn't make it to the village. I started out a half-hour later than I meant to, and was about two miles from the village when I hit the time that I had set for myself to turn back. Glad I did, because it was enough to do the three or four climbs on the way back down. This was a much longer ride than I've done in a while. Some day I'll do the whole thing, maybe even on a road bike.
I started from the high school, leaving at 7:30. Was back to the car before11:30, so a little under four hours all told.
I'm sure you passed me at some point, JimmyNH. Oh, wait … I remember a guy in a Deutschland jersey calling out to a Jimmy after he passed us, come to think of it. Huh. Next time I'll put a "BF" tag on my butt.
#25
Dilligaf
Hey Chinghis, that must've been me. We started around 7:35 from the high school. The guy in the Deutschland jersey is from my club (don't let the jersey fool you - he is a nice guy, just a crappy choice of an outfit ). I had a USA Cycling kit and no helmet - very easy to recognize. You must be a very strong rider if you could do this ride on a hybrid. Making it within 2 miles from the village means that you've done the toughest part.