LA Marathon - Two-Wheel Style

I'm no marathoner, but triathlon has rekindled my interest in cycling. With a new high-performance tri-bike at my disposal, I've been looking for opportunities to test my improved speed. So, when I learned recently that there's a bicycle tour staged in conjunction with the Los Angeles Marathon, I decided to give it a try. Technically not a race, this "tour" is attended by all types of individuals on all types of bikes - literally thousands of them. What was not immediately apparent was that, in order to ensure the bike course is cleared before the runners arrive later in the morning, this tour starts at the crack of dawn.

So, I found myself rising at 3:45am for a quick breakfast and a traffic-free drive downtown in time to join the crowd somewhere reasonably close to the starting line. There we were, a swelling throng of bodies and bikes, huddling in the pre-dawn chill alongside the Coliseum, trying to keep warm and waiting for our anticipated release at 6:00am. Luckily, it was not particularly cold, but after 45 minutes, I was ready to get going! Overhead, I spied brilliant Jupiter and a number of familiar stars, but the gradually approaching dawn soon overpowered them. Suddenly, fireworks erupted from within the Coliseum and I knew the start must be close! Sure enough, a horn blared shortly thereafter and we were off - well, sort of.

Even within a reasonable distance of the starting line, it took several minutes of walking before there was enough room to really ride - and several miles beyond that before the crowd had thinned enough to really press for any speed. By now, I'd settled into a smart pace with three other riders, each of us pushing the others, as we rode through the industrial area east of downtown. I noticed one in particular was intent on drafting behind me, so I let him - figuring he'd take the lead sooner or later and break wind for me for awhile. However, we soon encountered a couple of steep hills as we crossed over the Harbor Freeway and I didn't see him again.

The experience of riding the wide boulevards of the city at the crack of dawn is somewhat surreal. These familiar streets, usually teaming with activity - cars, trucks, people, noise - now empty and largely silent, save for the rush of wind around me as I sprint along - present an utterly different face of the city. Clumps of people, scattered sparsely along the route, occasionally cheered us on and probably wondered what all these crazy riders were up to so early in the morning.

My bike computer registered 18 miles when I began to wonder what the total course distance was. Someone in the starting area had said he thought the course this year had been lengthened to match the running event - 26.2 miles. If that were so, I had a significant number of miles left to go. I began to ponder how much I'd have to ease up on my pace (now 22-23 mph) to finish strongly. By now, I seemed to be alone and just wanted to finish well. But as I passed mile 20, it was clear that only a couple of miles remained. Re-energized, I powered through the last few turns and sprinted for the finish line on Exposition Blvd.

Since this wasn't really a race, there was no official timing or position information, but my computer indicated I'd covered the 22.4-mile course in 1 hour, seven minutes, averaging just over 20 mph throughout. Not bad, considering the slow, congested start. After a bottle of water and brief rest in the finish area, I made my way to the car and headed home. It was still quite early, so I stopped for bagels along the way and arrived home in time to greet my sleepy family, just as they were contemplating breakfast - perfect timing. What an outstanding way to start a sunday!