As some of you might know I’ve participated in the Los Angeles Marathon every year since 1994 either as a marathon joggawalka, bike tour rider or on three insane occasions: both. Since the marathon’s inception in 1985, it has taken place on the first Sunday in March. This year as we all know that all changed because history and tradition don’t mean diddlysquat in Los Angeles when dealing with a select group of churches whose congregants proved to be too righteously lazy to figure out alternate routes to their various houses of worship along the marathon route. As such, this year the marathon and its bike tour take place on Memorial Day, May 25, which puts the LA in LAME.
Back in February, knowing I was going to be forlorn when for the first time in 14 years there would be no over-priced organized bike ride to participate in at the break of that day’s dawn, I went ahead and decided to do my own that first Sunday in March. Then in a stupendous failure of planning and remedial calendar comprehsion, I set it for the second Sunday in March thinking that was the first Sunday. When I realized the error of my ways (after the first Sunday – doh!), I said fuck it and postponed it.
So now, as part of my Bike Every Day In May campaign, I’m bringing it back for this Saturday May 9. It is a unique route of about 37 miles (mapped here) rolled at a recreational pace starting and ending in Silver Lake at Silversun Plaza (Parkman and Sunset Boulevard). It will include visits (either stops or bike-bys) to the following places:
Exposition Park
Central Avenue Jazz District
Watts Towers
The 6th Street Bridge
The LA River bed (via the access tunnel to it off Santa Fe under the 6th Street Bridge; providing its not too sketchily populated with murdering crackhead fiends upon arrival)
Olvera Street
City Hall
Bunker Hill/Disney Concert Hall
MacArthur Park
Alvarado Terrace
The Original Pantry (for breakfast)
It will gather at Silversun Plaza and roll out at 7:30 a.m. Now, as when I first came up with the idea, I didn’t expect much in the way of company but on the chance there might be one or two of you that would be keen on a nice mid-sized morning roll around town that includes some pretty unique places, if you’re interested and available it’d be great to have you along.
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