7 Good Reasons Why I Love Los Angeles By Bike
There’s always a reason to simply love a sunny place…
But is that also a really freaking good reason? I don’t think so. There’s certainly more to a location than just “nice weather”. The same goes for California!
Ever since I moved back to good cold Germany, there’s one thought that doesn’t leave my mind: How much I miss riding my bike in Los Angeles. There are some very specific spots and activities that let my heart beat faster whenever I daydream about California.
Here’s a list with 7 of my favorite things to do by bike in Los Angeles:
#1: Early morning rides fueled by Bulletproof Coffee
Getting up at 5 AM and leaving the house to meet friends for coffee at 6 AM was one of my favorite pleasures when I was living in LA. It’s exciting to get up before most others do and hit the road, instead of rolling around in bed for another two hours. Riding through the empty streets in the morning glow always gave me a feeling of “being at the right place at the right time”: The air smells fresh, the hustle and bustle is yet to come, you can take up the whole street and speed it up a bit if you want.
But what would an early morning ride be without a decent coffee? One of my favorite spots to get fuelled up was Bulletproof Coffee on Main Street. I typically ordered a Vanilla Max - but be careful, there’s MCT Oil in it! My riding buddies and I drank it at one of the outside tables, all the while chatting about our route and newest gear. It’s one of those routines you establish once and would never want to miss again.
Afterward, it’s always time to roll into the sunrise. And as you might’ve noticed, those can be quite spectacular in California. I’d call that a perfect start into the day!
#2: Mandeville Canyon climb: The perfect pre-office ride
The climb up Mandeville Canyon is not only a great workout but also super accessible, compared to other destinations like Las Flores Canyon or Tuna. You just ride through Santa Monica, take a few more turns (Don’t laugh! That’s what it feels like!) and boom, you can start grinding up the hill.
The route leads through upscale residential areas in Brentwood, and although you’ll never get a real panoramic view, you’ll definitely see a lot of fancy houses and suffer through many winding streets. The route is just over 5 miles in length and is recognized as the longest dead end road in LA. There’s usually not a lot of traffic, so going downhill is a-ma-zing. Overall, you can expect to gain around 1,000 ft (305 m) and lose at least 2 pounds.
The only thing that gets me every single time is that 10% climb at the very end, right before you reach the top. It’s nasty, and I’ve seen a lot of seemingly strong roadies struggle and give up midway.
Although I only rode up Mandeville Canyon a couple of times, I heard that it’s a very popular spot for cyclists who’d like to get a quick and effective workout in, right before heading to the office. This is mainly because it’s very accessible and not too far away from the city. I personally always thought that this was such a great idea.
Just wait - that’s exactly what I’m gonna do if I were to get an office job in LA. They better have a good shower and nice amenities to support my cycling lifestyle! That’s all I got to say about that.
The struggle is real!
#3: Stop at the Bike Shop Santa Monica, eat pancakes at Shoops and have coffee at Urth Café
This combination has been perfect from the very beginning. When my ex was still working at the Bike Shop Santa Monica, we regularly rode to Redondo Beach and back before he had to start his shift at 10 AM. And what happens after a speedy morning ride along the water? Yes, you get hungry. VERY hungry. So, I usually just ran across the parking lot of the bike shop, while he started to entertain the first customers, and ordered us some breakfast at Shoops. It’s a European style deli that not only serves German sausages and sweets, but also the BEST bacon pancakes in town. Yes, they’re heavy, and yes, drowning them in maple sirup is especially rewarding, and not weird at all. We would then savor our breakfast for hours, hidden behind some helmets on the counter, always making sure not to eat in front of the customers.
Obviously, a hearty breakfast should go along with some awesome coffee. Am I right? Well, today’s your lucky day, my dear cyclist who comes to visit the Santa Monica Bike Shop - the famous Urth Café is right across the street! I can 100% recommend the Spanish Latte with almond milk. It’s my absolute favorite drink and I get it every single time. As you might’ve noticed, I’m a lover of habits! It’s a good thing - nobody at Urth Café cares anymore whenever I show up fully kitted and wobble back across the street, trying hard not to spill my coffee, drop my sunglasses or scatter my change all over the ground.
#4: Hill repeats in Santa Monica
That’s how it looks like on my Strava (Find me under Aline Dgd!)
Alright, I think I talked enough about food and coffee for now. The most important thing after a meal like that: Make sure to get rid of those extra calories as soon as possible! And I can say with absolute certainty: I found the perfect spot for it.
There’s a block in Santa Monica (check out the map) where you can find several streets with short but steep hills parallel to each other. So here’s what I would do on a regular basis: I’d start at the very left, ride the hill up as fast as possible, make a right turn, go down the next street, make a left turn, go up the next hill… You get the idea. It’s a strenuous workout and probably not everyone’s idea of fun on the bike, especially when the sun is burning down around lunch time, but I can only recommend it.
The best thing about it: Only a few people enjoy torturing themselves like that, so it’s kinda easy to compete and get QOMs or KOMs there. I do suspect that I have a knack for short, steep hills, though. They’re the perfect tease.
Unfortunately, compared to LA, Berlin is as flat as a pancake (pun intended!).
#5: Redondo Beach Pier
Riding to the Redondo Beach Pier is always going to take up a big, soft spot in my heart. Many exciting things happened there.
When I started out cycling, it was the Redondo Beach Pier that seemed like the perfect place to take a break and then turn around to ride back home. It was my longest solo ride at that point, and I felt incredible for tackling a distance that I had never dared to ride before. I stopped at a bench overlooking the harbor, ate my protein bar and listened to the screaming seagulls flying over the boats. I then walked my bike over to a car exhibition that took place right there on the pier. It might sound stupid, but that day, I felt like a kid that just walked to school on its own for the very first time.
Since then, rides to Redondo Beach have become my regular and most popular route - before work, after work, in summer and in winter. It’s one of those places you always feel safe to return to.
#6: Rolling up and down the hills in Palos Verdes
Riding to Palos Verdes is a fascinating route to take. The first time I tackled it alone and almost got lost before even reaching it. I stopped after the first or second big climb, took in the stunning ocean view… and chickened out.
Later, I returned and gave it another shot. It was one of those scorching hot Californian days that require tons of sunscreen and that will ultimately leave you with a cycling tan that lasts the whole year. Shortly before I reached the Trump golf course, I ran over a rat. Yes, I am not kidding, that happened for real.
What I like most about riding in PV are the rolling hills and how you get into some kind of flow. It goes like this: You see a long climb ahead and think to yourself: “Oh, boy, another one.” But by the time you reach the climb, it’s either half as bad as it looks, or you gained some speed from a descent right beforehand. Even the steepest hills can be overcome like that. It’s when I learned one important rule: The faster you go downhill, the easier uphill will be!
Besides that, the views on this route are stunning. Many times, I wanted to leave my bike on the side of the road and simply stare at the ocean for hours. The combination of landscape, expensive houses and fun rolling hills make those rides through Palos Verdes one of my absolute favorites.
#7: Sunsets at Will Rogers State Beach
One of the first places I took my bike to was Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades. It’s almost at the end of the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, usually very quiet and not as crowded as the beach in Venice or Santa Monica. It’s the perfect spot to head over to, especially after a long day at work.
I made one of the benches overlooking the ocean my secret go-to-place whenever I felt overwhelmed or restless. Music in one ear, the crashing waves in the other… All I had to do was close my eyes and feel the warming sun on my face for a while, and I’d feel like I had just been reborn.
I can say with absolute certainty that California beat every sunset or sunrise so far. I don’t know what it is about a big body of water, but I feel more connected with myself whenever I’m close to the ocean. That is probably the biggest reason why I fell in love with California and that lonely bench on Will Rogers State Beach.
My recommendation: Don’t be afraid of riding in the big city. Enjoy it!
Sometimes, cycling in- and outside of a big city like Los Angeles can seem quite intimidating to someone who’s not used to it. But I can assure you: It’s worth it. Santa Monica has a lot of great bike lanes, and if you don’t want to ride in the city at all, you can always just cycle along the beach.
I’ll write another dedicated blog post about the best cycling routes in Los Angeles at some point, so be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram!
Did you have the pleasure of cycling in Los Angeles yet? Let me know in the comments, on Instagram or on Facebook!