There’s a normal script for retired athletes.
You make your announcement, people remember you for one last time and then you fade away.
Not Phil Gaimon.
It could have been easy for him to get lost in the news among all the others who recently left pro cycling, but his mission of being a racer and doing it clean still continues.
If I’m the first one bringing you the news that Phil has been KOM hunting all over the Los Angeles area, then you’ve been living under a rock.
He’s not going after those easy, short segments in obscure locations records (like me), but really the who’s who of KOMs you’d like to own.
Nichols Canyon. Mount Wilson. Mandeville Canyon. Latigo. Mount Hollywood Drive.
Last year was all smiles no matter how trashy things got.
Look at my list of most essential climbs in LA. Phil now leads half of them.
And counting.
While this has been a fantastic run, there’s more to Phil than just internet glory.
As he positioned himself in the cycling world, Phil hasn’t just ridden to show how you can race clean, but also that cyclists care.
For the second year in a row, Phil is teaming up with LACBC to clean up Mulholland.
Last year was a lot of fun with a ready to crew of volunteers who ranged from competitive cyclists to people who had nothing to do with bikes, they just wanted to clean.
We’ll be set up further west this year at the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook (8401 Mulholland Drive) where not only will we clean up Mulholland, but also the Betty Dearing Trail which is popular for mountain bikers.
The time to clean up is now!
If you want a join, we’ll be meeting there at 9:30am, or if you want to ride with us, we’ll be leaving from the Universal City Metro Station at 8:30am.
We’ll be providing cleaning materials, but if you’re riding up, a lock and a change of shoes would be a good idea.
Afterwards, we’ll be heading to Sweet Salt for brunch and free cookies (it’ll probably be a good idea to wash your hands there).
Just to let you know, this isn’t a photo op for Phil.
He really wants to clean.
Last year, he disappeared for twenty minutes only to emerge from the hillside with a bag full of trash only to grab an empty one and get back at it.
So if you want to clean up Mulholland just as hard as Phil does KOMs, sign up on the LACBC or Facebook page for this Saturday.