2023 Southern California EUC Tour

Mt Baldy

October 14th through the 20th

The dates are set and the locations are waiting for us. I hope you can join the 5th annual and FINAL Southern California EUC Tour. Last year we had over 110 riders register for the Tour and our biggest day saw ~80 EUC riders!

What is the Tour?

If you are reading this then I assume you are a fan of the various locations that I ride around in Southern California and document on my YouTube Channel. I created the first Tour as an adjunct activity to the 2019 Los Angeles EUC Games. The Tour was a great success, with over 20 riders joining me on some of my favorite rides in the region. Great riding, great camaraderie, and the making of many new friends.

The second year saw a huge jump in participation and every year since has seen a big jump in participation. The growth in the Tour is mirroring the growth of our beloved sport; riding Electric Unicycles.

Last years Tour introduced the Castaic Lake ride, another awesome mountain vistas ride.

Who is the Tour Meant For

Are you addicted to riding the EUC? Do you have a wheel with at least 1800wh battery capacity (preferably much larger)? Can you ride 50-miles before breakfast and do another ride after lunch? If your answer is yes to every question, than this Tour will be the best time you'll have in 2023.

I wish I could accommodate riders of all experience levels but that is not the goal of the Tour. My Tour is a celebration of the EUC rides that I like to do. I certainly can't (and won't) prevent anyone from joining the Tour but I can't make accommodations for beginners (instruction, periodic waiting for you to catch up, etc.). You could always begin a ride with us and then stop when you feel you've had enough.

No apologies; the Tour is for hardcore riders and their hardcore wheels 😎

Tour Registration

Please register for the Tour by completing the following form and then joining the Telegram group (Southern California EUC Tour Telegram Group) where Tour activities can be coordinated.

Everyone who registers prior to October 14th will be entered into a free drawing to win my personal Begode Hero (excellent condition with less than 800-miles). So why not register? It's free 😊

If you make a mistake or decide later that you'll be attending different days, just resubmit the form. I'll be updating the public display of who's coming every few days. Your e-mail will remain private to you.

If you're unsure what days that you will be able to attend, leave them blank and re-register when you know more.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Day 2 (originally Castaic Lake) has been switched with Day 5 (orginally Angeles Crest) due to highway construction. Therefore, on Day 2 we will be meeting at the Angeles Crest ride location and on Wednesday we will be meeting at the Castaic Lake ride location.

Registered Attendees (October 13th)

144 Registered Riders!

Name	Wheel(s)	Days
Name	Wheel(s)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Anthony B.	Sherman S
Anson A.	Commander pro
Andrew S.	EX30
Lydia L.	Begode Commander Pro and Master
Ken T.	Shermax
Fred F.	S22
Rafael S.	Master
Justin W.	S22, EX30
Kenny M.	Sgerman max
John Z.	Master Pro
Jim C.	Commander pro
Jesse G.	Master Pro
John J.	Can’t make it, work got me. Hope to do
Sam G.	Veteran Patton
Primo P.	Commander pro (borrowed)
Andrey T.	Sherman Max
Joe H.	V13, commander
Kato L.	Master, EX30
Bryan S.	Sherman S
Richard T.	Ex30/CM
Jason L.	S22
Andrew L.	Nikola+ 100v 1800Wh
Jose J.	Sherman Max
Roman R.	S22 Pro
Gary L.	Begode Master and Veteran Sherman
Kato L.	Master, EX30
James C.	Master Pro, EX30, mTen4
Huy T.	Master Pro, V13
James Van C.	Extreme, EX30, MTen4, A2-Ankle Breaker
Shane E.	EX30
Shawn J.	Master
Yoro S.	Master Pro
Ryan W.	Monster Pro, EX30
Joshua M.	Ex30
Mathew R.	Mten4, Sherman, Master Pro
Nathaniel F.	Sherman Max
Samuel C.	Ex30, s22, mten4
Wayne M.	V13
Nhat N.	EX30
Celeste C.	Master, ex30
Jim G.	Master Pro
Marty B.	EX30, Master Pro, S22
Jerry J.	Commander Pro
Michael M.	All the wheels
Kieran T.	Master
Chris C.	EX30, S22, Commander Mini
Dave U.	Master Pro/Monster Pro/EX30/S22
Adam G.	EX300 and Master Pro +
Danny L.	EX30 & EXN
Michael M.	V12
Modi C.	EX30
Yoshi S.	Mten3
Miguel B.	Master Pro
Qu J.	Master 50e
Jimmy R.	Begode EX30
Wesley S.	EX30 - Custom
Natasha M.	Master
Henry V.	Sherman S Veteran Patton
Brad P.	Commnder Pro, Commander,
Paul T.	EX30
Tristan C.	V13
Daniel M.	Begode t4
Eli H.	Ex30
Dawn C.	Ex30, Master
David C.	Begode Master, EXN
Rian H.	Master pro, V13
Demian B.	Sherman S
Theo S.	EX30
Jody M.	AR Nikola+
Hill Q.	EX30
Epharim S.	Shermax
Bobby B.	EX30
Robert H.	EX30
Mark O.	Commander Pro
Chris D.	Patton, Sherman Max, MTiny
Nathan M.	All the wheels
Robyn S.	Commander Pro
Jeff M.	EX30
Mask A.	EX30
Dan G.	EX30
Melody K.	Commander Pro / EX30
Ben M.	Shermax
Daniel S.	V13
Flyboy EUC .	EX30
Jeff K.	ex30
Freddie N.	Sherman
Tim S.	Master
Paweł B.
Matthew B.	EX30, Sherman, T4
Cameron B.	Maspro, Master
Tom T.	EX30, Extreme?
Ron M.	V12
Chris T.	Master Pro and Master
Eddie M.	Ex30, Extreme, MTen4
Victor Y.	Veteran Sherman Max
Berik O.	Begode Master
Luke R.	Master pro
Jack C.	S22
Jason H.	Commander Pro
Adel A.	Sherman S
Travis N.	Veteran Patton
Sam B.	Master pro
Ken O.	Leaperkim veteran Payton
Derrick S.	Sherman-S
Ricky S.	commander
Arnold G.	V12HS
MICHAEL M.	V12,Master V2
Michael C.	EX20HS, Master, MTEN4
Ali A.	Cpro, Sherm, S22
Eric H.	CP, MP
LaPhyeal P.	EX.N HS
Codi J.	EX30, Sherman og
Arek G.	Begode Extreme
David S.	Sherman s
Max B.	Sherman S
Gregory M.	Veteran SherMax
Kevin L.	Commander pro
Kevin N.	V11
wes m.	EX30/Commander HS
Jason D.	Max & Master Pro
Vincent T.	Cpro, maspro, ex30
Raymond C.	Commander Pro
Frank F.	Sherman Max
Mark S.	EX20, Sherman, Extreme
Roger H.	Roger Wheels
Glendon C.	Master
Eugene K.	Master
Vasily N.	Begode Master 2400Wh
Thien P.	Master
Lynn A.	Veteran Patton & Sherman
Tom N.	Begode Master & 2700wh Nikola
ron l.	EX30 Maspro Master CPro
Elmer B.	Master
Kenneth T.	Sherman mac
Joe H.	EX30, Master Pro, Master
Bill S.	OG Sherman & Master
Justin E.	Ex30 and Extreme
Lem U.	Begode
Rob F.	Master Pro
Elias B.	OG Sherman
Shenheng G.	EX30, EXN
Brian Y.	Adventure (hopefully) or Patton and ex30
Max P.	EX RS Nikola S18
Marwin V.	S22, Sherman

The Tour

IMPORTANT NOTE: Day 2 (originally Castaic Lake) has been switched with Day 5 (originally Angeles Crest) due to highway construction. Therefore, on Day 2 we will be meeting at the Angeles Crest ride location and on Wednesday we will be meeting at the Castaic Lake ride location.

The locations and times for each day of the ride are set. However there is always the wildcard of forest fires and other unforeseen circumstances beyond my control. If one or more ride locations are affected there will be alternative rides planned for those days.

This is 2023 and you're a hardcore rider, right? This statement presupposes that you have a corresponding wheel. The perfect wheel for the entire Tour is one that has at least a 3200wh battery. For a couple of the rides, a 3600wh battery will be even better.

My Tour is primarily a touring adventure and as you'll see in the descriptions below, they are generally long rides. Although there may be some charging opportunities on a few rides I'm sure you'll understand that no establishment or location could support the charging of 50+ EUC's. So if you don't have a wheel with a large battery then some of the Tour rides will be unavailable to you. Day's 1, 3, 4, and 6 are more approachable with smaller class wheels, depending on your weight.

These are not fast rides. Typical cruising speeds will be between 20 and 25mph. However, for every ride there are plenty of opportunities to have spurts of high-speed fun.

It's best to maintain an attitude of adventure and to go with the flow of the events as they unfold during the day 😎

Tour Guidelines

For each day of the ride, be aware of the weather forecast and dress accordingly. It's highly unlikely that there will be any rain or cold weather. But you know what they say about weather. Also, bring energy food (just in case), always plenty of water, and probably sunscreen. It goes without saying (but I'm saying it anyway), be prepared for the potential of flat tires or other mechanical problems. I.e., Slime your wheels and carry tools, tire pump, etc.

Due to the size of our rides we will not be able to stop and wait for stragglers. I will be stopping at strategic spots to let everyone regroup. This would include whenever there may be a question as to which way we went. These are Touring rides not sprints around a city. The opportunities to get lost are essentially zero.

To facilitate the best experience for everyone, it's strongly recommended that you be running Telegram on your phone (especially on Days 1, 4, and 6) so that you can view my live location as we proceed with the ride. In the unlikely event that you lose track of 40+ riders, you will be able to see where we are via GPS. It goes without saying that your phone should be able to last the day. Power Banks are cheap nowadays.

Here is a map showing the meetup location for all the rides. The location may change if conditions on the ground (forest fire, etc) require a change in the venue. Any changes along these lines will be announced in the Tour Telegram group prior to the day of the ride.

Here is a Google Map that shows the route for each day of the tour. The routes are mostly accurate but there will be some changes prior to the start of the tour. Consider this a guide.

I also highly recommend that you load all the maps in your phone. The map above that includes all 7 rides can be loaded into Google Earth and viewed on your phone. There should be little deviation from these routes.

With my live location and the ride route loaded into your phone, it should be impossible for you to become separated from the ride.

Finally, Telegram will be used by me to coordinate various activities, such as when we are to regroup after lunch, etc.

And if you are visiting from out of town, the Telegram group is very useful for getting help with accommodations, recommendations, etc.

What to do between rides? Fear not being bored or worried about doing touristy things. Based on previous years experiences, you will struggle to find time to eat and sleep let alone looking for things to do.

Ride Etiquette

We are all adults here. I can't and won't police how anyone rides. I would hope that you be considerate of other riders and in particular pedestrians.

Many of us like to carve, some of us wildly so 😊. This can be dangerous in a large group ride. Know who is riding to either side and behind. When passing fellow riders, give a wide berth and make your presence known.

Please refrain from blasting your favorite music over speakers. Most people don't like your music at any given time, or ever. Bluetooth helmet speakers are wonderful and allow you to rock your ride to your favorite music without annoying fellow riders who would like to enjoy their surrounds. Don't be that annoying teenager riding down the street with the windows open blaring loud distorted music (yes, I was once that kid 😊)

The Beach

Water, sand, and bikinis

Saturday, October 14th

Well, I can't guarantee bikinis, but water and sand I can do 😊 We begin at the Pacific Palisades and travel south through Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Marina del Ray, Dockweiler Beach, Hermosa Beach and arrive at Redondo Beach to enjoy lunch and rest our feet. Then we continue to Palos Verdes Peninsula for some trail riding and beautiful ocean vistas. Finally we rewind the journey and travel back to Pacific Palisades.

We'll stop at some of the piers and take in picture worthy scenic outlooks over the Pacific Ocean and beaches.

This day will be a nice way to ease into the long rides during the upcoming week.

Meetup Location: Google Pin Be sure to meet at the pin (this is a very long parking lot - we are meeting at the end)
Parking: Same as the meetup location. Parking on Saturday should be ~$5. You can probably find free parking in the adjacent neighborhoods and wheel to the meetup location.
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: 60 miles. This will be a long day (10-hours), returning to our cars in the dark.
Recharge Required: Due to the size of this ride there will be no opportunities to recharge. Bring the longest range wheel that you have. Of course it depends on your weight but any 2200wh or greater wheel should do fine. In previous years quite a few people scrambled during our long lunch stop to find places to get a bit of a charge. So although there will be no coordinated charging it may be possible.
On our way back there is a fantastic RV parking location that has lots of free charging plugs and it is literally 10-feet from the trail. This would be a great place to charge if necessary.
Lunch: We arrive at the pier where we can park our wheels and choose from many takeout establishments in the area. As a bonus this spot has recently been converted to a skate park so I'm sure some of you can have some fun during the lunch stop.
Special Considerations: Bring a flashlight for the return since it may be dark by the time we return to the parking lot.

For those of you who cannot achieve 60-miles on one charge, you have two options:

Join us at the meetup spot but be prepared to Uber/Lift back to the parking lot towards the end of the day
Bring a charger and charge here on the way back
Meet us at the Venice Beach Pier (Google Pin). This eliminates 12-miles from the ride. We will be arriving at this location between 9:30 and 10:00. As with all the rides, my location will be updated live via our Telegram group, so you'll know exactly when we'll be showing up.

Angeles Crest

Test Your Stamina

Sunday, October 15th
The most epic mountain road trip to take on an EUC. It's so long with an amazing variety of glorious mountain scenery, that by the end of the ride, 10+ hours later, you will feel like the morning was forever ago. Guaranteed to be a most memorable ride.
For those of you who have not done long mountain rides it's important to realize that with regen it's typical to get ~30% more range then what you would get on flat ground. You may not want to believe this but I speak from 7-years of experience in the mountains. So don't let 90-miles scare you away. I will also have a couple of alternative routes that will allow some of you to join us at least 30-miles and choose to make it a 60 to 90 mile ride depending on your choices.
We start by ascending Hwy 39 where it meets up with Hwy 2 (these are two lane mountain highways with little traffic). There we take the first long break to rest after the 30-mile journey. Then Hwy 2 is followed for 30-miles to the next long break. In between you'll enjoy amazing mountain and desert vistas on pavement to die for. Then a 10-mile ride takes us out of the mountains and back to civilization where a 20-mile suburban trek brings us back to the meetup spot.
Alternate Route: For the battery challenged there is an alternate ending to the ride where the Mt Wilson Toll Road trail (see Monday's ride) can be taken down the mountain, shaving ~10-miles from the ride and adding a couple of volts to your battery (massive regen).
The final 20-miles of the ride is through suburbia with opportunities for locating charging spots including EV stations. As a group we will not be stopping for charging but for those with no battery options you'll be able to separate from the group to charge enough to make it back to the cars. And there's always Uber.

Even if you don't have the battery capacity for the full ride I would encourage you to join us and pay for an Uber for the final 1 - 20 miles that you can't make. The mountain riding is totally worth it and you'll never experience this by yourself. So go for it now.
Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: 30 to 90 miles
Recharge: No
Lunch: There will be two long breaks where a packed lunch/snack can be eaten.
Special Considerations: This will be a 10-hour day with cell coverage only during the last ~20 miles. Monitor the weather and potentially dress in layers. Bring lots of liquids and plenty of food to keep you going. There will be periodic rest breaks to keep your feet fresh.

Mt Wilson

Amazing mountain trails and vistas

Monday, October 16th

Our most challenging ride. We climb over 4500-feet from Pasadena to the top of Mt Wilson where we enjoy a lunch ~~at the Cosmic Cafe~~ The Cafe will be closed on this day so you will have to pack your lunch/snacks. The climb takes us on the original "Toll Road" built in the early 20th century. Now it's just a challenging (in some sections) trail. Everyone can do this ride, but expect to drop your wheel at least once on the journey. It's a ~9-mile trip to the top which will take us 2 to 3 hours to complete. There we can enjoy our lunch and visit the observatories afterwards.

Then we take a 5-mile journey down a winding mountain road with breathtaking views until we meet Mt Disappointment Road which will take us to a summit with 360-degree vistas of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Finally we return home via the Mt Lowe Road trail where we traverse a tunnel on the side of a cliff, ride challenging rock fields, and visit Inspiration Point. It's a very fun and varied ride down the mountain.

You are guaranteed to sleep very well this night

Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location and parking are one and the same - residential street parking.
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: ~35 miles. If you are battery challenged you can skip the Mt Disappointment Road section and wait for us to return. This will allow wheels such as the S18 (1100wh) to do this ride. Otherwise, depending on rider weight, any 1800 - 2200wh wheel or greater will be fine for this day but if you want to do Mt Disappoint (highly recommended) bring a 2400wh+ wheel.
Recharge: No

Lunch: Packed.
Special Considerations: Bring plenty of water as this trail can get very hot if there is no cloud cover. Also potentially dress in layers since the temperature can be 20-degrees cooler at the top. There is no cell phone coverage during most of the ride but there is Wi-Fi at the Cafe so you can connect to the world for a bit during lunch.

Fullerton Loop & Griffith Park

The Double-Ride Day

Tuesday, October 17th

This day will consist of two shorter rides. We start in the morning by riding the Fullerton Loop, a well known bicyclist route that loops through and around the city of Fullerton. It's a mix of paved and dirt trails, much of which is very picturesque. You experience a little bit of everything on this ride with plenty of optional challenges along the way. Although less than 12-miles, this will be a fun 2+ hour ride that will make some of you sweat.

Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: 13 miles
Recharge: No
Lunch: Nothing planned. You'll have to grab some fast food in order to make it to Griffith Park for the 3:00pm rollout.
Special Considerations: None

Then we regroup in the afternoon at Griffith Park for a ~25+ mile ride among the hills overlooking Los Angeles. We will visit the Griffith Observatory, Bronson Caves, and the Hollywood Sign (at Sunset). The trail riding here is spectacular and will offer you views of Los Angeles impossible to find anywhere else.

Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location
Meetup Time: 2:00pm. Plan to be riding at ~3pm
Ride Distance: ~28 miles
Recharge: No
Special Considerations: Since we will be riding after Sunset, dress in layers for potentially chilly evening temperatures. Also bring some additional lighting - the ride back from the Hollywood Sign will be very dark, in the mountains. There is spotty cell phone coverage during a lot of this ride.

Castaic Lake

Mountains, Lakes, and Desert Views

Wednesday, October 18th
This is mountain road ride that loops through the Los Padres National Forest. Spectacular mountain and desert scenery awaits you on your Sherman class wheel. We will be riding on low traffic out-of-the-way mountain roads and the final ~third is an old abandoned road that's closed to all traffic (except electric unicycles).

Midway through the ride we'll stop for our packed lunch and enjoy the northern desert vistas as we give our feet a rest.

As we return we'll be riding along side Castaic Lake for some refreshing water scenery.

Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: 75 miles
Recharge: No.
Lunch: Packed
Special Considerations: None

Mission Viejo

Orange County Odyssey
Thursday, October 19th
On this ride we experience some of the best paved trails in Orange County as we travel from the Saddleback Foothills to the Pacific ocean. There we stop for some food at Dana Point and a bit of recharge and return by a circuitous route that includes spectacular dirt trails, climbs to vistas overlooking all of Orange County and descents into beautiful ravines. An odyssey best describes this journey.
Meetup Location: Google Pin
Parking: Meetup location
Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am
Ride Distance: 47 miles
Recharge: None (but if you're really motivated you may be able to find a place to plugin during lunch). I can complete this ride on my 1800wh wheels, but you need to know your wheel and range
Lunch: We will be stopping at Dana Point Harbor where there should be a wide selection of eateries to choose from.
Special Considerations: For those with range anxiety, you can start at this location which will remove ~10-miles. As with the other rides, I will be sharing our live location via Telegram and we will stop here to pick you up. Arrival will probably be between 9:30 and 10:00

Mt Baldy

The Defining Mountain Road Trip and Trail Ride

Friday, October 20th

A spectacular 'road-trip' ride. We will take the scenic Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) from the base of the mountains to the town of Mt Baldy where we will eat, drink, and be merry at the Mt Baldy Lodge.

After lunch we will have our fundraising raffle where the winner will receive a brand new Extreme Bull Commander Mini, generously donated by the EUC Ungerground (thanks Lem!). 100% of the proceeds of the raffle will be given to the American Childhood Cancer Organization. I'll also do the drawing for my Hero giveaway. Winners of both wheels must be present at the lodge to win. No exceptions.

Fred Go has also donated his low-mileage Begode MSP as a raffle prize. It's sure to be a fun lunch at the lodge.

After lunch we will return via E. Fork and proceed to Cogswell Dam (last seen on the 2019 EUC Tour) for even more stunning views.

This is arguably the most scenic ride in all of Southern California. I'm not aware of anyone who is not awed by the experience. Although the road is often open to car traffic, it is lightly traveled. Expect to have most of the road to yourselves.

Ideally you will have a Sherman class wheel for this ride but we've demonstrated that a light rider on a 2400wh Master can make it to the top and get enough charge to easily make the return trip. At a riding weight of ~195-pounds I can do this entire ride on my Commander (3600wh) with ~50% battery remaining.

There will be alternative return routes available for those that don't have the battery capacity for the entire ride.

Meetup Location: Google Pin

Parking: Meetup location

Meetup Time: 8:00am. Plan to be rolling by ~9am

Ride Distance: 45 - 75 miles

Recharge: Generally no, but there will be some charge opportunities for a handful of riders (the lodge can only accommodate ~8 wheels for charging).

Special Considerations: Except for the beginning and lunch there will be no cell phone coverage. Dress in layers since it could be chilly in the higher elevations. Bring lots of water and energy food(?)

Electric Unicycle World