Spokes People : Mountain Bikers Hit the Trails for a Ride in the Wild

In the late 1920s, an ascent of Echo Mountain was an restful getaway, accomplished by a quick rail car ride up to the “White City,” a group of white-washed resort hotels built by entrepreneur Thadius Lowe.

Today, with the resort a ruin and the rail line abandoned, the pleasures of that trip are for the truly energetic: Walking is the conventional way up the thousand-foot incline.

But the Pasadena Mountain Bike Club gets there quicker. Members pedal up a fire trail every Thursday night to take in the peak’s inspiration point with its stunning night view of the San Gabriel Valley.

“We can still see the hotel and cabin ruins and the old wheel that hauled the rail cars up,” said club President Monte Smetherman. “A fire destroyed it all in the early 1930s, but the view’s still there.”

Smetherman’s group is one of a dozen bicycle clubs in the San Gabriel Valley with a combined membership of more than 1,500. Cycling clubs offer their members a form of recreation that incorporates physical fitness, camaraderie and sightseeing.

A string of foothills that spill onto wide boulevards make the San Gabriel Valley a premier spot for both mountain and street cyclists. Bicycle clubs offer access to hundreds of mapped routes that combine city, country and mountain riding as well as overnight touring.

Groups range from racing clubs and those for women to an “Over the Hill Gang” for older cyclists. Some local corporations have formed clubs that are open to non-employee members.

Most mountain bike clubs help maintain and patrol forest fire trails; a few groups exist solely for that purpose. Other clubs offer rides that combine skill levels--from recreational treks for beginners to fast-paced routes for experts.

Riding with a group often results in a longer, more intense workout, and clubs can be ideal for acquiring new techniques and making new friends.

Most clubs require members to wear helmets, since about 75% of all serious bicycle injuries are head-related, according to emergency room statistics.

Cyclists who join clubs are less prone to accidents, says John Forester, author of “The Effective Cyclist.” Although a simple fall will be experienced by an adult cyclist every 2,000 miles, Forester says, those who join clubs fall about once every 10,000 miles.

The following area bicycle clubs sponsor weekly or monthly rides, which are open to non-members.

* The Foothill Cycling Club, formed in 1972, has a repertoire of 150 bicycle routes available to its 350 members. Dates and locations of the rides are listed in a monthly newsletter, available to members who pay annual dues of $15. The group’s rides include the popular “Millies Hillies,” a 50-mile loop that begins in Monterey Park and climbs through numerous hills in Pasadena and Glendale.

Saturday and Sunday rides, ranging from 30 to 80 miles, begin at 8 a.m. and start from various locations.

Bicycle tour weekends and daytime mountain bike rides are offered during summer months. Club meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Call for location. Phone (818) 448-2985 or (818) 794-8443.

* The Covina Cycle Club, also known as the “Over the Hill Gang,” has numerous older riders among its 80 members.

“We have quite a number of cyclists in their 50s and 60s,” said member Bernie Wilner. “The older riders--some are in their late 70s--are often the stronger riders because they ride during the week and get more training in.”

The 20-year-old club meets in Covina Park each Saturday at 8 a.m. for rides around the San Gabriel Valley that are geared to all levels of ability. Members often organize overnight bicycle tours in the Santa Barbara and San Diego areas.

Meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the Covina Library. Annual $10 individual or $15 family membership fees include a monthly newsletter. Phone (818) 332-6124.

* The Velo Club of Claremont consists of 10 United States Cycling Federation racers who sponsor 12.6-mile time trails that ascend Mt. Baldy on the last Sunday in October. The club originated as the Mt. Baldy Cycling Club in the late 1950s. USCF is the sanctioned body for bicycle road racing.

Members meet for weekly rides on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Bud’s Bicycle Shop in Claremont. The 32-mile ride circles Bonelli Park. Annual membership dues are $15. Phone (714) 984-2971.

* The Pasadena Athletic Assn., formed in the early 1960s, has a membership of 40 USCF racers and holds a race in May.

Annual dues are $25, which includes a monthly newsletter. Club meetings are the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Call for location. Phone Normand Ayotte at (818) 796-5053.

* The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s bicycle club, formed in 1972, allows up to 20% of its membership to consist of non-employee cyclists.

Members meet each Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the southwest corner of the Rose Bowl for six laps (18 miles) around the stadium. About 15 members race in the group’s USCF “Tech Velo” team.

“We also promote bicycle commuting at JPL,” said club member Steve Matousek. “We try to get the lab to build more bike racks and install more showers in the lockers.”

Racing time trails are held quarterly at the Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale. The 250-member group also organizes the “Angeles Crest Century,” a 100-mile trek up and down Angeles Crest Highway, held in late August. Other area rides are geared to all levels of ability.

Annual membership fees, which include a monthly newsletter, are $2 for employees and $8 for non-employees. Meetings are quarterly. Phone (818) 306-6179.

* The McDonnell Douglas Mountain Bike Club, formed in 1988, also accepts non-employee members. The 55-member group organizes three rides each month, choosing from 40 routes that include the Mt. Wilson toll road, the Brown Mountain fire road and Chantry Flats, just north of Altadena.

Rides are geared to all levels of difficulty and range from 12 to 50 miles in length. Beginner cyclists meet the first Saturday of every month, intermediate cyclists the second Sunday and advanced riders the third Saturday. Call for times and locations. Annual membership dues are $5, which includes a monthly newsletter. Phone (818) 303-9445.

* The Montrose Cycle Club, founded in 1955, has consistently won high marks at national USCF championships. The club has also produced many Olympic and USCF national team members.

The club trains at the Encino Velodrome each Wednesday at 8 p.m. and participates in a weekly Saturday inter-club ride that meets at 8 a.m. at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge. The route takes cyclists on a 63-mile trek to San Dimas and back.

The club’s 80 members meet on the first Tuesday evening of the month. Call for time and location. Annual membership dues of $35 include a monthly newsletter. Phone (213) 227-9024.

* The Pasadena Mountain Bike Club holds weekly Thursday evening recreational rides on foothill mountain trails, including the Sunset Ridge and El Prieto trails and Beaudry and La Tuna canyons. Call for times and locations. The rides, ranging from 10 to 80 miles, are geared to all ability levels.

The group’s 75 members also perform trail maintenance and lobby the Forest Service to secure trail access for mountain cyclists.

The annual membership fee of $25 includes a monthly newsletter that lists ride schedules for mountain cyclists and a small contingent of USCF racers. Monthly meetings are held on the third and fourth Thursday of each month in La Canada Flintridge. Call for time and place. Phone (818) 794-4931.

* The San Dimas Mountain Bike Club, formed in 1991, cycles on more than 1,000 miles of trails. A weekly Saturday ride, ranging from 16 to 24 miles, meets at 9 a.m. in front of the REI sporting goods store in the San Dimas Village Shopping Center.

A weekly Tuesday ride, ranging from 18 to 24 miles, meets in front of the Performance Bicycle Shop in Brea at 9 a.m. The 50-member group, which has no membership fee, also helps maintain trails. Phone (818) 339-3127.

* The Women’s Mountain Bike and Tea Society (Wombats) organizes rides throughout Los Angeles County.

“One of our favorite places is the San Gabriel Valley because of all the foothill trails,” said co-director Nancy Beverly, adding that a handful of men belong to the 120-member club, which sponsors some co-ed rides. “We bring ice tea and cookies to every ride--that’s where we got our name.”

The group often cycles near Josephine Peak above La Canada Flintridge and along the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. Annual dues are $31, which includes a T-shirt emblazoned with a furry wombat riding a bicycle. Phone (818) 762-2462.

* The Mt. Wilson Bicycle Assn. was founded in 1985 to improve the image of mountain bicyclists who, along with hikers and equestrians, use Angeles National Forest trails.

“Because we’re a new user group, there hasn’t been a tradition of trail etiquette for mountain bikers,” says organizer Ray Juncal. “We do consciousness-raising for mountain bike groups. We teach them how to use trails without tearing them up--and how to approach horses and hikers while riding.”

The 300-member group also maintains six trails in the San Gabriel Mountains. On the last Saturday of each month, members clear brush, build retaining walls and remove rock slides along the trails. “Mountain bikers have a responsibility to repair trails they damage,” says Juncal. “We have to restore what we alter by our use.” Phone (818) 795-3836.

* The Marshall Canyon Mounted Assistance Bike Unit patrols 20 miles of trails in Marshall Canyon and the Padua Hills each Saturday and Sunday.

“We carry walkie-talkies so we can call the park rangers if there’s a medical emergency or fire,” says Michelle Messang, who helped found the group in 1991. “We all carry a basic first-aid kit and bicycle repair tools.”

The 35-member group has also aided in mountain rescues and often performs trail maintenance. Phone (818) 335-7522.

* The Pasadena Bicycle Task Force was commissioned by then Pasadena Mayor Jess Hughston in 1991 to transform Pasadena into a “bicycle friendly” city. The task force’s preliminary report advocated creation of bike paths along every Pasadena street.

“We’re also encouraging people to commute by bicycle, partly by creating all the bike paths,” says Hughston, who was designated Mayor of the Year by Bicycle magazine for his interest in city cycling programs. Phone (818) 577-9033.

* Team Glendale began in 1985 as a racing club with membership open to all skill levels. A weekly ride begins each Sunday at 8 a.m. in front of the Bicycle Mart, 1601 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale.

The 25- to 55-mile round-trip trek takes riders to various locations, including Hansen Dam, Balboa Park in Encino and La Tuna Canyon. Meetings are held the first Monday evening of each month. Call for time and location. Annual dues are $25. Phone (818) 244-9980.

The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission offers a free Los Angeles county bike map that details the county’s mountain bike trails and on-street signed and striped bike routes. Also included are bicycle safety tips and pertinent phone numbers for additional information.

Phone the Bike Map Hot Line at (213) 244-6539. For information about future county bicycle plans and programs, phone Patti Holmberg at (213) 244-6780.