Our Favorite Roads V

May 25, 2025.  Throughout Windbreaker Country, we are lucky to have many street segments that are part of historic neighborhood and commercial districts and have interesting stories to tell.  One such street is Mills Avenue, along the eastern edge of Claremont.  A portion of Mills Avenue runs through the Russian Village District of Claremont, which is comprised of 15 folk architecture style houses and was built by Konstanty ("Steve") Stys, a Polish (not Russian) immigrant, and others during the Great Depression.  

The District is located at the intersection of South Mills Avenue and East Cucamonga Avenue  The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.  Local residents nicknamed the houses built by Stys the "Russian Village", mistakenly assuming that Stys came from Russia.  The homes are constructed of local field stones from the alluvial plains around Claremont, as well as salvaged and recycled materials from railroad cars and debris remaining after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.  (Source: Wikipedia).

Looking south on Mills Avenue in the
Russian Village Historic District.  Ride On!

Weekend Ride Report

May 10, 2025. The stars lined up this past weekend and most of the local lads were in town and able to get out for an early Saturday morning ride.  With temps forecasted for the mid-90s, we rolled out early to try and beat the heat.  Our route took us east through Rancho Cucamonga, then north into Fontana and to Nealy's Corner.  We cycled back along the foothills with a well-earned finish at Butter Cafe & Bakery for coffee and a late breakfast.  Ride On!

All together at Butter Cafe and our
host with the most, Angel!  Thanks Angel!

Ride Report - Windbreakers Special Edition - Tour de Scottsdale 2025

April 12, 2025.  Several of our Southern California-based clubmates gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona this past weekend to participate in the annual Tour de Scottsdale Metric Century bicycle ride.  We joined our longtime club member Steve, who now lives in the Phoenix area with the title of our Windbreaker "Arizona Bureau Chief".

On the 1st tee at McDowell Mountain G.C.:
L to R: Craig, Ryan, Tom, Steve, John

Prior to Saturday morning's ride, we met up on Friday afternoon for a round of golf at McDowell Mountain G.C., followed by dinner and drinks at the club restaurant.  A warm afternoon in the low 90's gave us somewhat of a preview of the temperatures to be expected the following day for the ride.  After picking up our registration packets on Friday night at WestWorld of Scottsdale, we retired for the night to prep for the next morning's ride.

As the Saturday morning sun rose in the east, we anticipated a hot one, with temperatures forecast in the low-mid 90's by noon.  An early start was called for, with the gang gathering in the hotel lobby for breakfast at 6:00 a.m.  Following breakfast, we rode the short 2.5 miles over to WestWorld for the 7:00 a.m. mass start.

At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the riders left WestWorld and headed north toward Cave Creek and Desert Highlands, before heading east toward Rio Verde and around the McDowell Sonoran Mountain Preserve.  Later in the morning, as we got toward the end of the ride and entered the Fountain Hills area, the heat definitely picked up.  The Windbreakers hung tough, however, with stout finishes by all back at Westworld.

Later that evening, we met for a fantastic dinner and drinks, hosted by Steve and his lovely wife Ces at their beautiful home.  A great weekend with friends...Ride On!

At the starting line: L to R: 
Ryan, Joe, Tom, Craig, John (Steve joined later).

Happy New Year 2025

January 1, 2025.  To welcome in 2025, I was invited to join Windbreaker nextgen/son Greg for an early morning ride to Pasadena to partake in the 136th Rose Parade fun.  Meetup was bright & early (6:30 a.m. at Philz Coffee in Claremont), then wheels down heading west to the APU/Citrus A-Line rail station in Azusa. Following a short train ride to Downtown Pasadena, we debarked the train at Raymond Ave., riding north to our planned coffee stop at Copa Vida in Old Pasadena.  We then rode east along Green Street, one block south of the Colorado Blvd. parade route and the throngs of people along both street frontages.  At Wilson Ave., we were able to squeeze ourselves in to view some of the floats and bands participating in the parade.  With another train to catch at the El Monte Metrolink station, we rode south through East Pasadena, Arcadia and Temple City, through old neighborhoods of our youth.  The 11:00 a..m. Metrolink returned us to Upland, arriving at 12 noon.  A great ride and day...Happy New Year 2025!

A warm cup at Copa Vida in Old Pasadena

Catching some parade action at the intersection of 
 Colorado Blvd. & Wilson Ave.

Goodbye 2024!

Saturday, December 28, 2024.  A cold, crisp morning greeted the lads as we gathered at Benson/Baseline for a last Saturday morning ride of 2024.  We followed a familiar route through Windbreaker country; Baseline, Bonita, then Via Verde through the Covina Hills, then returning on Badillo through San Dimas, then for a coffee stop in Downtown Claremont.  We closed out our 20th year together as a merry band of cycling brothers, with anticipation and looking forward to more adventures ahead.

Gathered at our favorite viewpoint (affectionately known as 
"Puddingstone Pass"), along Via Verde at Bonelli Regional Park.
Ride On!

Season's Greetings!

 

Season's Greetings from the Windbreakers...Ride On!

Ride Report: Windbreakers Special Edition - California Roll 2024

December 14, 2024.  As we neared the end of another fantastic cycling year, and with the busy holiday season upon us, a few of the troops gathered on a cool, late fall Saturday morning for a ride to the beautiful Orange County coastline.  Following the drive to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, (ARTIC) it was "wheels down" at 7:45 am, then south along the Santa Ana River Trail toward the coast.  We left the trail in Costa Mesa, following nice bike routes through Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Newport Beach around Upper Newport Bay.  Following a stop at Juliette's in Newport for coffee, we commenced north along Pacific Coast Hwy past Huntington and Bolsa Chica State Beaches.  At Warner Ave. we turned east back toward the Santa Ana River Trail and the return ride back to ARTIC.  A beautiful ride totaling approximately 52 miles....Ride On!

The lads gather for a post-ride photo in front of ARTIC in Anaheim.
L to R: Tom, Mike, Joe, John.

Our route map for the day.