Mar 17, 2015 The other CycLAvia
Every now and then in Los Angeles, streets are closed off so cyclists can ride through the city without fear of motorized vehicles. And it’s pretty awesome to roll up and down a major thoroughfare like Sunset Boulevard, which is very familiar to me yet totally different on bikes with my family. It’s both exhilarating and lovely.
But this weekend wasn’t CicLAvia. (The next official days for cycling around the city will take place in the Valley next week and then in Pasadena in May.) I’m talking about the L.A. Marathon. My wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 8-year-old niece woke up at 5:00 a.m. to ride around Silver Lake and Echo Park before the race started.
It was a little like being in a zombie movie, cruising through the dark and deserted city and hearing distant drumbeats from Elysian Park where the opening was taking place, only seeing occasional police officers zip by now and then. One motorcycle cop stopped to inform me that the streets did indeed have motor traffic. And then we were alone again.
My family and I are neither the first nor the only ones to take such advantage of marathon barricades. There is a recent and well-documented history of pre-dawn bike races on the course. The danger and legalities of dark pileups led to the eventual end of unspoken approval by authorities and a crackdown that followed last year.
Our family-friendly bike gang peaked out at five and after our ride we shared expensive coffee at Sunset Junction as the sun was rising. We cheered on the wheelchair athletes, legacy runners, and elite marathoners from around the world who passed by before walking the bikes up the hill to eat some jook and watch the finishers on TV at my in-laws’ house.
Watch a cool morning. I look forward to doing it again and taking the kids further next year and catching up on sleep little by little this week.
Thanks for reading, and follow Imprint on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.