Summer has finally arrived, and this year, we're making the most of the season by recreating the summer vacations of our past. From reliving core memories like exploring your neighborhood on two wheels to creating new memorable experiences with your friends and family, we're here to help you unlock the best of summer.
Our first stop – the Los Angeles river with Gavin Brennan, an Australian ex-pat and founder of E-Bike Tours LA. When you think of LA, the words "bike-friendly" might not come to mind... but Gavin wants to change that by showing people the beauty of our hometown on two wheels.
We met up with Gavin for a tour of his favorite spots along the river and to ask him about E-Bike Tours LA, why he rides, and how he plans on spending his summer in our city.
Thousand:Why did you start E-Bike Tours LA?
Gavin Brennan: I was riding with other bicycle crews, and unless you knew these groups, where they meet, and matched their skill level, you wouldn't be part of this lovely community of riders. When I first discovered e-bikes, I realized that they democratize everything – you don't have to be as fit as a rider to get to places.
I bought two e-bikes so I wouldn't have to ride alone and I could show my friends all these parts of Los Angeles, no matter their level of fitness or skill with cycling. And over time, I've realized that for most people, it's the stops that make riding interesting, not the amount of miles you grind out.
E-Bike Tours LA grew from all of that, and now it's just accentuated my love of biking. I can reconnect people with bikes and share with them the things I like to do and see, like river stops and bridges and ice cream and sandwiches.
T: What do you love about riding with friends?
GB: I think riding in a group is such a unique thing because even though you're having a group experience with your friends, you don't have to chat with them. They're behind you, in front of you, and you're just rolling around living in the moment with them. You can allow your thoughts to come and go. I like to think of cycling with friends as "helmet time" rather than "talking to each other time" – you're all experiencing something wonderful together but you all each also get peaceful, personal time, and I love that.
T: What makes riding in Los Angeles special to you?
GB: I love taking people on these rides to show them the diversity of our area. In a city as sprawling as LA, there's so much to see and people fly over it and go, "Oh look, it's all big and horrible." But when you get down to it on a granular level, there's so much to see. From the people and the food to the flowering trees and the river – I just love seeing a big city from this small perspective. My joy is connecting with the world around me through all the things I see and smell and inhabit. Cycling feels really intimate with the city and it's totally changed my perspective on how I do things.
T: Take a Summer Friday with us. Where would you go and what would you do?
GB: I'll start with coffee and eggs in the morning. Then I'll get on my bike with some friends and by the afternoon, take my kite down to the Historic State Park. It's really something to ride my bike to go kite flying – it's such a rush.
T: What's a core memory you have of riding as a kid?
GB: My very first memory of biking was getting on my neighbor's bike. It was too big for me, but I had to go up to a fence and throw my leg off it and pushed to get going. It was really something – I just felt free. Growing up on bikes was the best in Australia, and when I discovered cycling here in LA, it reinvigorated my love for riding.
T: What safety tips do you have for folks who are newer to riding?
GB: One of the first things is to take your music out of your ears. Don't shut yourself off when you should be aware and intimate with the environment around you. Second, dress bright and make sure you're seen. Some people wear black on rides, and they just kind of disappear on the road. My last piece of advice is to be cautious at intersections. Many drivers are distracted and not paying attention to cyclists at intersections, which means you have to pick up their slack and be extra safe.
