RIDE-Arc in the Harbor
I know there's at least a few cyclists who read this thing, so I'm putting this out there. RIDE-Arc is an awesome nighttime bike ride put on by some ex-Sci-Arc guys. They do nighttime explorations of neighborhoods in Los Angeles that touch on history, place and culture. This Friday night there's a 15-20 mile ride through the Port of Long Beach that they've organized - for those of us who don't work on the docks, a real opportunity to get out and see what goes on down there.
This ride is asking for a $2 donation to offset costs associated with the special location. Dress warm, in layers, and make sure your bike is in reliable condition, with a headlight (you should have a tail light too, they're life savers!) - I always pack an extra tube, a patch kit, pump and levers - just in case. Bring your driver's license - you may have to provide ID to get in to certain parts of the ride. I was on the October ride which also went into some normally off-limits areas - it was totally worth it.
Here's the location and time of the ride -
THE MEETING PLACE FOR THIS RIDE IS AT
THE PORT OF LONG BEACH ADMINISTRATION HEADQUARTERS, 8:00 PM -
SPECIFICALLY THE MOSAIC-MURAL + FOUNTAIN area.
WE WILL RIDE PROMPTLY AT 9:00 PM. (trying to catch up to us in the
port area is not recommended for your own safety)
WE ARE STARTING EARLIER TO ENSURE THAT BLUE-LINE RIDERS CAN MAKE THE
LAST TRAIN HEADED TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
Map: http://tinyurl.com/2wd9aa
The map points at 790 Harbor Plaza, where as the official address of
the Port of Long Beach is 925 Harbor Plaza... for the purposes of
visual mapping, the street number has been adjusted.
I'll probably be biking to the start point from my house, down Harbor to Anaheim, to Long Beach - anyone who can ride fast and doesn't mind riding at night in harbor traffic, feel free to contact me if you wanna come along.
Ride Update!!!- They've moved the start of the ride to 8:30. I'm tying to get any Pedro riders to gather at Sacred Grounds before 7 PM (there may be some slower riders joining up), with us leaving at 7 to get there in advance of 8:30 so that we can all sign waviers. Bring an extra tube for your bike, have a working headlight, wear a helmet if you wanna keep up your head crackin' lifestyle. You must have ID for this ride, as well.
I'll have a frame pump and levers with me, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't bring your own.
Note - the ride to and from the Ride-Arc site adds a total of 20 additional miles to your evening, for a total ride of 35-40 miles. You should have your own water/hydration on you.
Here's a Gmaps route to the site from Sacred Grounds on 6th.
This ride is asking for a $2 donation to offset costs associated with the special location. Dress warm, in layers, and make sure your bike is in reliable condition, with a headlight (you should have a tail light too, they're life savers!) - I always pack an extra tube, a patch kit, pump and levers - just in case. Bring your driver's license - you may have to provide ID to get in to certain parts of the ride. I was on the October ride which also went into some normally off-limits areas - it was totally worth it.
Here's the location and time of the ride -
THE MEETING PLACE FOR THIS RIDE IS AT
THE PORT OF LONG BEACH ADMINISTRATION HEADQUARTERS, 8:00 PM -
SPECIFICALLY THE MOSAIC-MURAL + FOUNTAIN area.
WE WILL RIDE PROMPTLY AT 9:00 PM. (trying to catch up to us in the
port area is not recommended for your own safety)
WE ARE STARTING EARLIER TO ENSURE THAT BLUE-LINE RIDERS CAN MAKE THE
LAST TRAIN HEADED TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
Map: http://tinyurl.com/2wd9aa
The map points at 790 Harbor Plaza, where as the official address of
the Port of Long Beach is 925 Harbor Plaza... for the purposes of
visual mapping, the street number has been adjusted.
I'll probably be biking to the start point from my house, down Harbor to Anaheim, to Long Beach - anyone who can ride fast and doesn't mind riding at night in harbor traffic, feel free to contact me if you wanna come along.
Ride Update!!!- They've moved the start of the ride to 8:30. I'm tying to get any Pedro riders to gather at Sacred Grounds before 7 PM (there may be some slower riders joining up), with us leaving at 7 to get there in advance of 8:30 so that we can all sign waviers. Bring an extra tube for your bike, have a working headlight, wear a helmet if you wanna keep up your head crackin' lifestyle. You must have ID for this ride, as well.
I'll have a frame pump and levers with me, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't bring your own.
Note - the ride to and from the Ride-Arc site adds a total of 20 additional miles to your evening, for a total ride of 35-40 miles. You should have your own water/hydration on you.
Here's a Gmaps route to the site from Sacred Grounds on 6th.
Labels: cycling, Port of Long Beach
8 Comments:
Bet your ass I'm going.
At the end of last month's ride, Alex was really hyping up the fact that the May ride was going to go someplace normally off-limits, someplace where ID would be required to get in and where they might possibly need a list of names in advance. My immediate suspicion was that it would be one of two places: LAX, or one of the terminals in the port(s).
I was kind of hoping for LAX--imagine riding down one of those runways with planes landing on either side of you!--but this will be cool, too.
So, yeah, I'm going, I'll ride with you if you want...it can be a little LOTE meet-and-greet.
Who else here rides?
I say anyone who wants to ride meet up at Sacred Grounds. We all know where that is. I've gotta look at the map and figure what time we should meet up, though.
Zackly what I was going to suggest. Figure in time for a quick caffeination session before saddling up.
The flyer says they ride promptly at nine, but in practice this usually means "some time between 9:30 and 10:00." On the other hand, they're probably paying the escort car (!) by the hour.
One suggestion: let's take Harry Bridges to Alameda to Anaheim. Much quicker and safer, with fewer intersections and almost no cross traffic. That's my usual route to LB and it hasn't failed me yet.
I'm updating the post with a route link from SG to the site.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=920495
They've moved the start time to 8:30.
I say we leave Sacred Grounds at 7PM, as there may be some slower riders joining up. I know you're on that track bike, and I'm riding cyclocross, but I've got no idea what the others might be riding, so I think thats fair wiggle room on the timing.
OK, 7PM it is. I'll be there earlier to caffeinate, if anybody wants to join me. I'll be the guy with, you know, a bike and stuff.
If speed and timing are a concern, we'll get there quicker if we veer right on 9th Street and down Pico. We'd shave about a mile off the route that way, and hit a lot fewer lights and stop signs. Also for the newbies it's one less bridge to go over. Like so. Perfectly safe, especially with a group of riders.
I wasn't sure if we could take 9th on bikes - I've never taken that route, and it looks a little confusing from orbit, so I played it safe with the right on Magnolia.
But we can take 9th - I don't think it will change much in terms of time, but it's a better view.
Hey, where'd you disappear to after the salt terminal? You missed the after party at the lighthouse, and the after after party on a rooftop on Long Beach Boulevard.
Michael and I ended up fixing a flat - and we both then followed the wrong group of riders (some early leavers who were going to the Blue Line - thanks to a well meaning, but unintentionally misleading Police Escort), by the time we re-oriented ourselves, Michael and I were on our own ride. We tried catching you guys at the Lighthouse, but we missed you.
You should have seen the tube. I caught a piece of glass that looked like some caveman knapped it into an arrowhead. It was a mess of slime in there.
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