I live adjacent to UCLA in the westwood area and I want to find new routes to take that are not congested with traffic. I always take San Vincent down to the beach, then to the marina. Are there any good routes to take that actually has open road or bike lanes nearby?

I grew up in Westwood. I moved to the valley about thirty years ago, though, so some of these suggestions may be a bit foggy or innacurate in spots. Most of these rides, by the way, are fairly short. You can squeeze them in on weekdays.

1. Find your way to Sepulveda, perhaps via Montana. (It's best to keep your riding on Sunset Blvd as short as possible.) Head north on Sepulveda to Mulholland via the bridge that crosses the freeway just before the famous Sepulveda tunnel. Go east on Mulholland. Careen your way south on Beverly Glen back to Westwood.

2. Do the Tour de Bel Air. Head into Bel Air via Hilgard and its North of Sunset extension Copa de Oro. Navigate (okay stumble) your way to Chalon Road...which is one of Bel Air's more consistently through east-west streets. Ride eastward on Chalon until you reach Beverly Glen. Now you have a choice. You can cross Beverly Glen and explore the streets in the Holmby Hills, or you can go south on Beverly Glen and then turn right back into Bel-Air at Bellagio Road. Bellagio Road is Bel-Air's other major(?) east-west thoroughfare. It'll take you back to Copa de Oro. It's shady. It's beautiful.

If the above routes aren't macho enough for you, try going west on Chalon or Bellagio Roads so you can climb either Chantilly or Roscomare Roads. Be aware that Roscomare is a major commuter route. It can get crowded.

3. Do the La Grange cycling club route. Navigate your way east along the flats (perhaps on Santa Monica Blvd) to Nichols Canyon. Ascend Nichols Canyon to Mulholland. Go west on Mulholland back to Sepulveda. Drive this one first, so you can check it out.

4. On your San Vincente ride, instead of cruising southward toward the Marina, march your way northward on PCH to Topanga Canyon. Go up Topanga into the San Fernando Valley. Ride east on either Ventura Boulevard or the series of through streets just south of the boulevard (Dumetz Drive, Wells Drive and Valley Vista Blvd) until you get to Sepulveda again. As suggested in #3, drive this one first.

Have fun. In any case, it's good that you're contemplating breaking out of that dull, simplistic parade up and down San Vicente. Forza!

Thanks for taking the time to give me the info. I appreciate! :D

It was a pleasure to respond. I used to do these routes in my early twenties, a long, long time ago. They've jogged my memory. Maybe I'll start doing them again myself...

By the way, in Bel Air, Stone Canyon Drive up to the reservoir is a nice amble for a sunny afternoon. Also, if you continue west from Copa de Oro on either Bellagio or Chalon (they merge into one street at one point), you'll go hill and dale all the way to Sepulveda. There's a street called Linda Flora along the way that'll verge right off of Chalon, and which will eventually reconnect with Bellagio just above Sepulveda. It's a scenic detour worth taking.