Wolfpack Hustle

February 26th, 2008

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By Mihai Peteu

Okay, I have to admit I wasn’t expecting all the Wolfpack Hustle dudes to be in such good shape. I can’t believe I am still standing after that spicy 40 miles. Pretty much all pavement we touched, whether road or bike path was buttery smooth, allowing for sustained speeds of 21-24mph.

From Tang’s Donut at Sunset and Fountain, we rode around Silver Lake a bit then jumped on some unbeknownst yet awesomely fast bike path that eventually dumped us out into Burbank. We followed the Orange Line for quite a while, some people choosing to ride on the parallel bike path, some directly in the completely empty bus lane. A few breaks here and there, most notable being the 7-11 pit stops.

Next was sneaking into the Encino Velodrome, and that was quite the experience for someone who’s never been on a banked outdoor track. It felt weird to ride the straightaways, but catching speed on the turns was most excellent.

Rather than ride all the way back, two out of the three Westsiders in attendance decided to take the tough climb (but shorter overall distance) on Sepulveda. It was painful, but then the 20 minute descent during which we hit speeds of up to 35mph was well worth it.

Here rests my conclusion: this ride was on par (funwise) with the undergraduate Indian cultural show afterparty at Michigan State when I heard Punjabi MC for the first time. It was probably better than the first time I had all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ along with Hite beer. And I think it easily beats the excitement of any silly rule-restricted triathlon race I have ever done.

PS – Alexander Thompson completed this ride with an 8-pound laptop in his backpack, thereby making him a monster. All this time, I thought Crank MOBsters lacked leg power…