50th Anniversary Velo Club La Grange Nichols Ride (VIDEO)

One of the best ways to end the week is joining the Velo Club La Grange Nichols Ride, but on this particular Sunday the going was even more special.

If you’re French like club founder Raymond Fouquet, going on a spin for Bastille Day during the grip of the Tour de France was reason enough.

That’s why for the club’s 50th anniversary celebration, the City honored the club at the intersection that bears his name on this timely Sunday.

Obviously, this is an event I wanted to be at, but sometimes it’s your turn to showcase some badass babysitting skills.

The wife had signed up for a class, so CV Jr. was under daddy lockdown which is always welcome.

 

 

She’s really gotten into watching cycling lately and when I asked her if she wanted to see a bunch of cyclists race (kind of), she asked if Peter Sagan would be there.

It wasn’t much of a letdown as she loves taking pictures, but the bigger problem was her waking up at 7:30am and not really having a plan.

I grabbed as many cameras as I could, tasked CV Jr with dressing herself and darted out the door towards Nichols Canyon.

Instead of going to the start at 8am, I normally meet up with the ride at Hollywood Blvd. at 8:30am when the pace picks up.

 

Lead group…leading out!

 

We were situated less than a mile from that point, but hoping that the ceremonies would delay the riders, I guess the police escort made up for that delay meaning I wasn’t totally prepared as people started making their way.

CV Jr. took position in the passenger seat of my car which not only provided her with a good vantage point to shoot pictures, but also kept this six year old out of harms way.

It took the group about a couple of minutes to pass, but once the last rider came by, we threw all our gear into the car and took a short cut up Willow Glen hoping to beat the lead group.

 

Cyclists be swarming…

 

To my surprise, we made it to Laurel Canyon with no cyclists around me meaning I had some time to set up a mile away at the Mulholland Scenic Overlook.

I thought this point would offer the best remain light on the route and while I thought I had ample time, not everything was turned on or properly set when CV Jr. told me the posse was coming.

Still, it was great being out there seeing all the smiling faces and CV Jr. directing me as everyone went by.

It’s nice to ride, but I still felt like I participated.

Enjoy!