The 4th and final LA Tourist Race of 2026 is officially in the books, and it was definitely one to remember.
For anyone unfamiliar, LATR is a local gravel-style event with a fun twist: there’s no set course. About 72 hours before the start, checkpoints are released, and riders have to collect book pages that match their race number. How you get there is up to you, as long as you make it back to Let’s Ride Cyclery with all your pages.
This round had four checkpoints, so I spent some time building what I thought was the most direct and least ridiculous route. It ended up being a big lollipop loop with about 90 miles and 11,500 feet of elevation gain, which could be ridden either direction.
I planned to go clockwise, but in true race-day fashion, a few friends convinced me to reverse it literally on the start line. So I hit "follow route in reverse," and we were off.
My buddy Sean Estes came down for the race, which made the day even better. We rolled out toward Big Tujunga with about 100 riders, but once the climbing started, we settled into our own pace.
With 30-plus miles and over 7,000 feet still showing on ClimbPro, it was clear this was going to be a long day out.
The day had everything: good legs, bad thoughts, big climbs, sketchy descents, and a few "why are we doing this for fun?" moments.
The highlight, or maybe lowlight, was dropping down Condor Peak on gravel bikes with 50c tires. It's an exposed backcountry trail that really belongs on a trail bike, and by the bottom, our bodies were completely cooked.
From there, we had about 16 miles back to the shop, naturally into a headwind. Sean and I traded pulls, rolled into Burbank, pulled out our wet and sweaty book pages, and officially finished 4th and 5th.
Cold drinks, BBQ, and war stories were waiting at the finish, which is pretty much the perfect ending to a 7.5-hour sufferfest.
LATR always delivers something memorable: unpredictable routes, a little suffering, and a whole lot of Type 2 fun.
