Getting ready for NMBS#1

NMBS#1 is less than a week away.

I liked San Dimas. The picture is of Glendora Mountain road, a very nice road ride that starts from town and goes up into the mountains. Very few cars or motorcycles on the weekdays and a great grade. The only problem is the smog, it can get bad. One day I was riding in dense blue smog and there were not any other cyclists out, they must treat the really bad days like rain days.

We are now staying in Riverside, this is not a place I would recommend. It does seem that the city is putting money into improvements, which is good. But the crime rate is high and I wouldn't say I feel safe. The historic downtown area was nice, Todd and I had a great patio lunch before he left town. But two days later the same area was full of police cars parked every which way with police running around with shotguns while people ran the opposite direction.

I drove to another part of town to get groceries and the supermarket had an interior fence. The only way in and out was through a turnstile, you pushed your cart through one gate and walked around to the turnstile to walk in. I guess this system forces everyone to leave via checkout counters only. I checked out then set off the alarm system on the way out; I am still not sure what I did. Then I searched the Internet for a place to get a massage, I found all sorts of places that offered "discreet" entrances and good looking Asian girls. I thought "why do I need a discreet entrance?"

I pre-rode the Fontana course yesterday. Locals told me to park across the street at the shopping center as it was safer than parking at the park. I was happy to meet two other cyclists at the shopping center, safety in numbers...

For a more positive review of the area, check out Todd's blog (if he ever updates it), he seems to have found some things he liked.