The Iconic Southern California Climb
From Santa Monica to Pasadena, The Bike MS Coastal Challenge has moved to the iconic Rose Bowl for this year’s event. You can choose your challenge of 100, 60, or 30 miles that travels through the San Gabriel Mountains and other iconic Los Angeles landmarks. This year the century riders will be riding through the Angeles National Forest and on Glendora Mountain Road, a popular stretch amongst locals and visitors. All routes also pass the iconic Huntington Library in San Marino.
Highway 39 is one of the ‘merit badge’ climbs of Southern California. It is an iconic climb that makes its way into the San Gabriel Wilderness, providing sweeping views as it makes its way around the San Gabriel Reservoir. With a steady grade that will require some tenacity and perseverance on the part of the rider, the rewards are immediate, with a sudden escape from the urban sprawl below. For this year’s Bike MS Coastal Challenge, the route will be including this segment, a guaranteed way to employ a ‘strength in numbers’ tactic while braving the mountain highway.