Back in the Saddle

The end of the semester is finally here. In September, it seemed like this week would never come, but here I am, two final exams away from home. When I came out to LA in August, I couldn't think past November 7th - it was such a big date, a date I had been counting down to for an entire year.  It's hard to believe it's been four weeks. Recovery has been wonderful, and I will never forget the whole experience, but it's time to start working toward the next challenge.

Yesterday I used my car for the exact purpose that made me buy it. Equipped with my bike and a riding buddy, I drove out to Malibu. There are so many things that frustrate me about LA - the traffic, the pollution, the prices, the superficiality - but sometimes I focus only on what I don't like and I become blind to all the good. An overcast, drizzly Sunday afternoon on PCH shed light on the best of LA for me.

After driving through Santa Monica, PCH becomes everything I love about California, and America. There are some stores and restaurants, but the attraction is the landscape, where the hills melt into the Pacific. Obviously you're going to see Lamborghinis whizz by, but there are also a fair number of beat up station wagons with surfboards strapped to the roof - a rarity in the most image-driven city in the country. I don't need to plan a trip to Malibu. Park on the side of the road somewhere that looks like a good starting point and go.

Yesterday, that starting point was just past Will Rogers State Beach. We rode up to Pepperdine, climbed up to the top of the campus, then continued north on PCH. It started to rain as we descended out of Pepperdine, but it was kind of refreshing. I never picture rain when I think of riding in Malibu, but it was more enjoyable than you would think. This summer and fall, long rides taught me that I do my best thinking when I'm out pedalling. Without that weekly release for the past six weeks or so, I've been letting all this stress build up. Out in the rain, pushing a quick cadence over the rolling hills in Point Dume, I felt free again. Of course it's nicer to ride when it's 70 and sunny, but somehow the rain made me feel more focused and connected. We turned around where PCH juts back to the coast after Point Dume, and cruised back. The road flattens out as you get back towards Santa Monica, so the last five miles were really fast. Climbing up canyons, I hate my triathlon bike, but the feeling of being in aero and powering down PCH makes up for it and then some.

Yeah, LA can really suck. But for every skinny fake blonde girl in the hills, there is a surfer or a cyclist or a runner who puts up with it all because they think it's worth it to live the life of a laid-back Southern Californian, soaking in the sun in December. Life can be simple. Don't cry for me, I'll be just fine spending my weekends climbing in Malibu or Palos Verdes, running up Topanga Canyon, pulling on my wetsuit at Tower 26. And on that note, with a more optimistic outlook, I'm ready to saddle up.