I post this once again, modern travel is awesome. How easy it is to be one place and then just a few hours later a completely different. Automobiles are great, but the difference in air travel makes the difference seem much more extreme. Anyway, I talked my friend Sue into playing hooky and we drove over to Ojai. I wanted to look up my friends Robert Kobel and Ron Lathrop from Lawrence. They run the Bicycles of Ojai and I hadn’t seen them in a while. Plus, I heard there is good riding there.
So we went by the shop and caught up abit. And then headed up 33 to ride up to Pine Mountain. It’s 30 or 40 miles up and then you just do a U-turn and head back down. It was a great ride. 6000 feet of climbing in a little under 70 miles. It got pretty hot and the wind was gusting. It was just the ride I needed. Long, slow distance, even though the distance was only 70 miles, it was over 4 hours in the heat.
This morning I have an interview in Santa Barbara about the first MTB Nationals I won. We’re meeting at the Handlebar Coffeeshop. Trudi went by there during the Tour of California and told me that Aron Olson owes it. I had wondered whatever happened to him. Pretty cool starting a coffeeshop in Santa Barbara.
Then we’re going to ride up Gibralter. It’s only 40 mile ride, but there it is pretty much straight up and then down. Good views of Santa Barbara.
Okay, the internet here is super slow and frustrating. I am going to have to try to post this from my phone. I need to head over to the Handlebar anyway.
Robert at Bikes of Ojai.
The views are great from Hwy 33.
I saw this in a store in Ojai. I kind of thought of buying him since I have such a relationship with Bluejays.
This guy was in a bar/restaurant in Ojai, Dreek Creek. It was a cool place, kind of a weird, cool ambiance.
Love it Steve!
Robert! Fun times in Southland courtesy of him, even if I left with my bike in pieces.
We love Santa Barbara! A great ride is up Gibralter, over the mountains and take Painted Cave Rd. back into Santa Barbara. And yes, great coffee at Handlebar!
Is that a UFO in the “view from hwy33” photo?
I was in Ojai for the first time a few weeks ago and was blown away but the fabulous riding there (plus it is a cool town). Drove Hwy 33 on the way home; can’t wait to go back and ride it!
went on a ride with an intern at where i work today and she was out at our topeka site last summer as an intern, i asked if she knew you and she said yes she did your rides, her name is carren stika. small world once again.
JP-I remember Carren. She was doing the new Mars candy factory out south. She rode pretty good. It is always fun having new blood for the group ride, even if it’s just for a couple months.
Ron Lathrop is the guy who first got me serious about riding a bike in 1986 when he was working at Cycleworks. He is also the guy that made sure I didn’t get lost when things got fast during the Tuesday Night Ride in Lawrence. He is also the first cyclist that I noticed having shaved legs.
My first impression of a fast cyclist is Ron Lathrop….glad he is doing well.
Nice UFO pic on Highway 33.
Glad to see Bob! Ron was one of the first bike racers I’d starting training with. I am also glad to see them doing so well. Ron got me to learn how to track stand while we’d wait for the light to change green and race across the street on group rides. Many, many good memories of Ron and Bob.