Wanted to share a slideshow of some pretty stunning snaps from my ride yesterday up Mt. Baldy with Ben Bostrom and Stu Bone. It was a spectacular ride – 6,000 ft of vertical gain in about 24 miles up to the ski lifts with pitch ranging from 5%-10%. Quite amazing that we could be in such a winter wonderland just a 30 minute drive from downtown LA, but that is part of some of the less understood beauty and diversity of living and riding in Los Angeles. Its not just LAX, Pico Blvd., traffic and strip malls. Its also places like these – easily accessible with just a modicum of effort.
On the ride up, all 3 of us drank our own preferred home-cooked pre-ride superfood green drink plant-based nutrition concoctions as Ben regaled us with his mad knowledge master class on the wonders of bees and beekeeping. We then suited up and headed out in blue skies up Glendora Pass. A spectacular road with epic landscape views and nary a soul in sight. We entered winter at 3,000 feet, and as the photos show, were forced to ride across snow & ice covered roads in places.
Many people know Ben as one of the world’s best superbike motorcycle racers in the World, currently rocking #23 on his Jordan Suzuki for Michael Jordan Motorsports. But Ben is also a seriously hardcore mountain bike racer, finishing on the podium at all sorts of crazy races all over the world. Not bad for a side job. Just to keep things even, Ben decided to ride his 29’er. Given all the snow and ice, he made the right choice. And he still kicked my butt without raising his heart rate. That boy can ride a bike like few people on earth. I was killing myself just to keep pace – not copacetic with my typical aerobic zone early season routine!
Lots of great conversation, including much about Ben’s vegan nutrition program. Another master class. Over the years, he has experimented on himself, honing his whole food plant-based plan down to a knife’s edge — a top athlete fueling on plants and exotic superfoods to superbike/mountainbike greatness. He definitely knows his stuff and I learned a lot of things I look forward to incorporating into my own nutrition program.
Plus he has endless tales about riding dozens of miles on flatted out carbon rims, and wiping out on $700K superbikes at 180mph. My takeaway? I’m a puss. Ben’s the real deal.
Anyway, good times. Hope you enjoy the photos. B&W’s taken on my iPhone 4 using Hipstamatic with John S lens & BlackKeys Supergrain stock. Color photos by Stu.
Oh and here’s a birds-eye view of Ben rocking his stuff on his “other bike”:
