A Not So Short Ride

Saturday, May 14, 2005, at 11:02AM

By Eric Richardson

My plan to take an easy 5 - 10 mile ride today as a warmup for tomorrow's LA River Ride didn't quite happen. Instead I got a little carried away and rode from Studio City to Downtown -- the long way. I rode Moorpark over until it ended at Riverside, then Riverside east past Disney and through bits of Burbank and Glendale before wandering into Griffith Park. I bought a smoothie and a bottle of water at the Pony Ride Refreshment Stand, and watched little kids ride ponies and trains. Then I got back on the bike and rode the rest of the way through the park, and continued along Riverside until it ended at San Fernando. I took that to Pasadena Ave, which put me on the North Broadway bridge, and right back on my normal route home from work.

But instead of just making the easy ride home through Chinatown I got the bright idea to check out Elysian Park. I pass the North Broadway entrance all the time, and I'd heard of the park but never been in it. I had no idea that it was close to 600 acres. I also had no idea that it went up so far. And yet, I rode most all the way to the top, even stopping to buy a snack and check out an inning of Little League at Elysian Fields.

Coming down was easy. The road wound down to Stadium Way, and then from there I hit Elysian Park Dr. down to Sunset. A left on Sunset took me to Beaudry, which quickly connected me to 2nd St. and the tunnel under Bunker Hill.

bikemetro puts the direct route from my start to finish at 13.5 miles, but I'm pretty sure the way I did it had to be 20. No matter which is technically correct, my unofficial mileage count for the week has now just crept over the century mark.

50 more tomorrow...