From the day I flew into LA, all Kyle kept saying was “we’re gonna take you on the hardest ride of your life”. All I could think was “what? we’re going to Australia?”. Turns out, Cloud Burst, aka Cloud Bonk is a tough ride. Not the hardest ride ever, but a damn tough ride. So what qualifies as a tough ride? Well, for starters, you’re climbing for like 30 miles straight, from sea level to 7,000′. And there are no shops, no spigots, no nothing to get water. Just a crap shot of drinking from “the Earth”. Previous experiences with that cunt, Mother Nature has left me bed-ridden for days… So yeah, it’s not your every day, supported, group ride through the dainty countryside like a lot of centuries I’ve done are.

Cloud Burst does live up to its nickname and yes, it is a tough ride but how can you fixate on the negatives with such a rad crew? I had so much fun this day that the photos don’t even begin to capture it. Sure, it’s beautiful and yes, these roads are some of the finest California has to offer but to experience this ride with your true friends is something else.

That and the burgers are the top are the best! In the end, my Garmin was showing under 10k of climbing, so we hit Griffith to bring it to a nice and even 120 miles and about 10,300′ of climbing.

YEESH! I will say, this is the most fun I’ve ever had on a bicycle before and these photos are my absolute favorite 35mm ride photos. Ever.

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