baldyskier
Member
It has been 2 years since I've skied at Mt. Baldy, due to 2 bad winters in So. CA. On Saturday I was in Claremont at Harvey Mudd College (Admitted Students Weekend for my daughter). Since I knew I had free time in the afternoon, I brought my road bike along and rode up to the Mt. Baldy parking lot from the college, starting at about 2:15 PM. The ride was about 15 miles each way, with 5000 ft. of elevation change. The weather was a little warm in Claremont (about 77 deg.), but cooled off nicely after I had climbed for awhile. It was a good ride, although the top mile or so was tough. I've biked up Baldy Road several times before, but it felt tougher this time. I ended up taking several breaks near the top, and even resorted to zig-zagging back and forth across the road (while watching for cars, of course). I was surprised to see quite a few cars in the parking lot, and fairly large groups of hikers.
I headed back down after about 30 min. By then it was in the upper 40's, and leg and arm warmers with a light bike vest weren't enough, especially with the wind chill created by my downhill speeds of 25-40 mph. I stopped to don a balaclava, but I was still cold.
Here is a link to an article that favorably compares the climb up Baldy Road to one of the famous Tour de France climbs, L'Alpe d'Huez:
http://www.socalvelo.com/sub/mount_baldy_road.htm
Pictures:
I headed back down after about 30 min. By then it was in the upper 40's, and leg and arm warmers with a light bike vest weren't enough, especially with the wind chill created by my downhill speeds of 25-40 mph. I stopped to don a balaclava, but I was still cold.
Here is a link to an article that favorably compares the climb up Baldy Road to one of the famous Tour de France climbs, L'Alpe d'Huez:
http://www.socalvelo.com/sub/mount_baldy_road.htm
Pictures:
