Motodisiac

Whoever lives in the Los Angeles area and rides a motorcycle knows or at least have heard of this road called Angeles Crest Highway (just in case here is the wiki link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angeles_Crest_Highway). It is arguably one of the most beautiful roads and also the place where a lot of riders come to enjoy the twists and curves of the road along with spectacular views. This road however is also known for a higher casualty rate due to the same reasons mentioned above. And that is where my friend Motodisiac decided to take me for my first serious challenge.

We set off from his house at around 10:30 in the morning. He took his Aprilia RST 1000 Futura that comfortably accommodated his behind along with his girlfriend and 2 travel bags.

First serious test - approximately 30 miles of the freeway riding. To be frank I tried some freeway riding the night before. It was not that bad. So I was not really fearsome of that. As it turned out there were some challenges that I struggled with. Pretty much one problem - being able to keep a constant speed and staying close to my riding buddy. At higher speeds the wind was deceptively loud. And I’d instinctively start slowing down. Obviously I do have things I need to work on. But overall freeway riding did not feel stressful at all.

At about 11:30 we filled up or tanks at started our ascend up the windy road. That is where the serious sort of fun began. As Motodisiac told me I had to make sure I don’t end up on the opposite lane. I was a little bit concerned by the canyons going straight down on my right. Breath taking views that also take your breath away when you think of skidding right off the road. To skip ahead in the story I will say this - I felt really confident in what I was doing, did not get tired, nor did I get stressed out in the first leg of approximately 25 miles going up hill.

After having a quick lunch we continued our way up. And that is when the troubles began. First, all of the sudden the temperature dropped to like 55 degrees Fahrenheit. We even saw snow on a side of the road. Once that happened I had absolutely no inclination of going faster than 35-40 mph. And I had to ride about 15 more miles. My toes were numb (another reason one should wear riding boots and not sneakers), I could not shift well because of the ridges on my sneakers soles and also because my feet were numb as well (also the reason why one should wear riding boots and riding pants). Not one of the most pleasant experiences for a newbie rider on a windy road.

Wrap up my long post it took about an hour to get all the way down. I was pretty tired, mostly mentally as my brain was constantly calculating the right trajectories in turns. Add up numb toes and the doubled up concerns of the canyons now sloping down on my left. But I made it down safely. That’s the most important part.

I have a long way to go. But that day of riding was a good lesson in lots of things. Even though I did not have a single “oh, shit” moment I did see how things could and would go sour in a split second. Also the importance of the right gear can never be underestimated. I will do this ride again soon. Hopefully on a higher speeds and with meaner leans. Angeles Crest highway, I will be back.

P.S. I rode my bike today to the office. After yesterday this ride did not seem stressful at all. The sharks did swim around and occasionally would attempt to put me in a harms way. But I was slicker and faster.