I did a bit of research and came across an article on Spinlister referring to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Spinlister (not a sponsor) helps active people connect with trusted bike owners all over the world. Pretty cool concept for those interested in finding a ride in whatever city you’re visiting. The blog post highlighted the loop with only four major roads that we need to connect with to complete the ride. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

I was chatting with some Super Squad members online and one mentioned Palos Verdes (PV). I’ve heard of PV but have never really explored the possibilities of riding out there. When coming across the blog, it looked more & more clear that we should head up there for a nice ride. It is the beginning of January and the weather here in SoCal is pretty nice. Can’t beat 70 degrees by the afternoon, sunny with a couple of clouds. Sorry, east coast.

Heading up to PV from Irvine wasn’t bad at all especially on a Saturday. Saw a good amount of fog rolling into the area but I got there early enough to drive the route before our actual ride with the local Super Squad. We started right across from the reservoir and parked at the trail parking. Plenty of spaces for everyone. The route starts at Palos Verdes Dr. E and winds through lush scenery and lavish homes. There were plenty of cyclists on the road as this is a “Perfect road for cycling”. About five miles in, we start seeing the Pacific Ocean and the fog has lifted a bit. We rode up to a turnout before the switchbacks to stop and take some photos. Which we did in amazement. What a sight to see. Clear enough to see Two Harbors on Catalina Island and a good amount of cargo ships.

After taking the group shot, we made our way down to Palos Verdes Dr. S which ran along the coast. Parker Pitman, the mad man that he is, wheelied almost all the way down the hill. It was pretty epic to see his control and speed first-hand. Now on a bigger road, we pretty much hugged the right side a bit more on this stretch because it tends to be busy with cars enjoying the scenery too. Now getting into mile 12 we saw a nice single track in the middle of the road for bikers, hikers, walkers, etc. This is where Parker shined rocking through the trail at full-speed bobbing and weaving making his way through. The SUPER73-RX had no problem flying in this type of terrain. I actually think it thrives getting a little dirty and using the full potential of the dual suspension.

Now we’re getting into mile 18 and there’s a trail named “Bridle Trail” that is just on the other side of the bike lane. It’s wide enough for everyone to take and empty enough that we can pick up some speed. It was surprisingly fun ripping up and over some of the bumps and shooting the gap between trees. There weren’t too many intersections so the group got to really have some fun following and keeping up with each other back to where we began our adventure.

I must say, it’s awesome to ride with a group that isn’t too timid to push the limits at times. Yes, safety first but we reached about 40mph on the bigger downhill and got to maneuver around some fun obstacles along the way. Pretty refreshing getting out of your comfort zone alongside some of your fellow squad members. I recommend riding the PV Donut Loop and look forward to the next time we all ride together.

As always, have fun and ride safe.