Hidden Treasures: Oat Mountain

The valley is full of cycling riches and I’m glad it takes more than one man to cover it.

If you’re not already onto him, Cameron Bond is one of the area’s most exciting riders taking on whatever obstacle is put in front of him.

LostCyclist01

Cameron Bond being Cameron Bond. Photo Credit: Cameron Bond

Not only is he a name to be reckoned with locally, but he had a top 25 finish against some heavy competition in the prestigious Red Hook Crit earlier this year.

Another significant note is we’re both teammates on the bicycle.net racing team. We haven’t actually raced together. He’s much faster than me. My wonky knee has thrown out much of doing team rides most of the year, but I can still use the word teammate.

He recently entered the blogging world covering his exploits in The Lost Cyclist, which so far shames me into reminding myself how dull my life has become.

This week he took on Oat Mountain, a name rarely mentioned due to its remoteness beyond the friendly confines of Chatsworth:

LostCyclist02

Oat Mountain is the highest peak in the Santa Susana Mountains and sits North of the San Fernando Valley. The road leading to the top has to be the best kept secret in all of Los Angeles; 6 miles long and gaining 2,600ft.

I’ve always wanted to ride, but I’ve only heard stories about its shoddy conditions, extreme grades and questionable access. There’s also the thought that some of Charles Manson’s cult is still lingering around there. So, there’s that.

He also went along with Jason Rivera. We’re both teammates on the bicycle.net racing team. We haven’t actually raced together. He’s much faster than… I think you get the point.

Maybe someday I’ll have the balls to climb it, but I’d definitely wouldn’t on anything less than my cross bike. But then again, I probably don’t have the gearing there either. What’s the point? Just read Cam’s blog.