From one end of the valley to the other.
The City of Santa Clarita’s 6th annual Bike to work day was a success, and I can say that first hand because of the many people I have seen on the trails this week.
In a typical week I spend three to five hours just commuting to and from work, driving from Castaic to Canyon Country, that’s thirty minutes to work one way.
I have ridden my bike to places in town before, but never from home to work and I wondered how long it would take or if I would even be able to do it.
As bike to work day approached I was challenged to see if it was possible to make it to work on time, how hard it would actually be, and how sweaty I would be when I arrived.
I decided to bike to work Thursday but unfortunately a flat tire prevented me from riding on the actual Bike to Work Day. (See pictures of my journey at the end of this story)
Tire fixed, I set out at 7 am Friday morning from my home in Castaic. The air was crisp and cool: perfect riding weather.
As I made my way down the old road I came to the first obstacle of my morning ride, the dreaded Hasley Canyon roundabout, which actually was fairly easy to navigate thanks to the low volume of traffic.
The portion of the ride between Hasley Canyon and Rye Canyon is perhaps the hardest part of the ride due to the headwind that kicks up and the lack of scenery.
After skirting the water treatment plant I picked up a bike path that goes directly under the I-5 and the Old Road.
The path between the I-5 and McBean Parkway is the best part of the ride: its very smooth, is home to lots of wildlife and offers some of the best views of the Santa Clara River in town. Not to mention the newly renovated bridge that crosses the river and connects the trail to Magic Mountain Parkway.
A helpful hint to those wishing to get to McBean using this path: it does not connect to Avenue Scott, it goes under it. The best course of action is to leave the path just before the Avenue Scott Bridge and use the streets to cross the bridge. Once on Avenue Scott stay there because the only way to cross McBean is to use the signal where the two streets intersect.
Between McBean and Bouquet Canyon Road the bike trail leads you behind the Bridgeport development, which offers views of some very nice water scenes.
The last leg of the ride tested my endurance, that pesky headwind picked up at the Saugus Speedway and didn’t let up until I was inside the KHTS building on Soledad and Camp Plenty. In addition there’s a gradual hill from Bouquet to the studio, that will leave any hamstrings burning.
The entire 13.73 mile trip took me exactly one hour twenty eight minutes from door to door, and my heart rate never rose above 140 bpm.
My commute tripled for a single day but the ride saved me from having to go to the gym Friday evening to do cardio.
I brought a change of clothes in a backpack and changed out of my sweaty clothes, which weren’t really that sweaty, but to spare my coworkers I changed.
On a scale of one to ten I would call this ride a 7, because it isn’t terribly difficult, but the length and the wind boost it up a little.
The best part of the entire trip is that once inside city limits the only time I was on the street was for a short jog on Avenue Scott, and there was a sidewalk available the entire time.
The views from the bike paths offer a sight that is unavailable by car, and these trails are family friendly and a great way to see a
different side of our valley.
Hasley Roundabout: Seems intimidating but is actually very easy.
The Old Road: This open area can cause problems when the headwind picks up.
I-5 Tunnel: The start of Santa Clarita.
The newly restored bridge that connects the Industrial Center portion of the bike path to Magic Mountain Parkway.
Looking towards the Santa Clara River away from the I-5.
You can barely make out the I-5 through this orchard of oaks.
If you ride too fast, you might miss this gem in Bridgeport.