The Coffeeneuring Challenge is an annual tradition that I have enjoyed for 10 years now. The general objective is to visit 7 coffee shops by bicycle over the course of 7 weeks, biking a minimum of just 2 miles round trip on each excursion. There are various rules, and each year they differ slightly, but the general idea is to embrace the change of seasons by setting some rather achievable goals while continuing to get out on your bike. I love the excuse to get out on my bike, and the excuse to try different coffee shops. But the social side of it really enriches the experience, as we share with a community of people from around the world who share our love of cycling. The sharing mostly happens through a Facebook group for Coffeeneurs, but some share via Instagram or Strava or blog sites.
Each year there is a suggested theme, and participants are welcome to incorporate a theme within the theme, if so inclined. This year’s theme is “Small Wins”. In addition to noting my coffee shop, beverage (& accompanying pastry or snack), and mileage, I like to note which Bloomers I wore, which bike I rode, and with whom I shared the experience. This year, I decided to incorporate into the Small Wins theme, the small win of getting back into shape, a little at a time, after doing a number on my left knee in early June.
I still don’t understand how such a small, simple oops that didn’t seem to do much serious damage, can wreak so much havoc in my life. I suppose a big part of that is because my knee had already been feeling compromised. It had felt some mild pain off and on ever since I had taken a brief stab at jogging some months previously. But when I had noticed the pain, I made sure to go gentle on it. I did not go jogging at all once I had noticed it was not good for me knee. I backed off on higher impact activities and avoided painful poses when doing my regular morning yoga. The pain went away, but then would come back again a month or so later after going for a long walk or dancing. Each time I noticed the pain returning, I backed off again from anything that might aggravate it, and it would seem to heal just fine. Or at least until the next aggravation.
But that one fateful day in early June, I went to swing my right leg over the bike to begin a ride, needing to swing a little wider than usual due to a large package in a pannier on my rear rack. In that moment, when all of my weight was on my left leg, and the wide swinging motion involved perhaps a little twist, I felt something not-quite-right in my left knee. I proceeded to ride my bike to the office where I would mail the package and meet up with a client. It was a short ride, less than two miles. When I got off the bike, however, I noticed that walking was very painful. My left knee felt like it just could not bear the weight, or any weight. I hobbled around, managed to get through my client meeting, hobbled back to the bike and rode home, knowing that this knee pain was on a whole different level from what I had experienced off and on for the last several months.
With some guidance from Dr. Google, I started right in on the RICE protocol: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I read that it might take a couple of weeks to see improvement, and if it didn’t improve in two weeks, then I should see a doctor. So two weeks later, feeling no improvement, I scheduled a teledoc appointment. These are great because you can get a same-day appointment without having to endure an urgent care clinic experience. Over the video, I was asked to stand on just my left leg and do some kind of move to see if I had a torn meniscus. I passed that test, which seemed like it might mean good news. I was told to continue the RICE, and I was given a prescription for naproxen and for a knee brace, and referred for an X-ray and physical therapy.
The referrals took a while to get approved, and getting the X-ray turned into a comedy of errors, except it wasn’t funny. I went to the place I was sent to, waited for some portion of an eternity, only to be told they couldn’t do the X-ray because I needed authorization from my insurance company. I called the insurance company right then and there, and was told I did not need an authorization from my insurance company, so I handed the phone to the receptionist. The insurance company representative and the receptionist chatted for several minutes, after which I was told they couldn’t do it. I forget now what the special ritual was that had to be followed, but more than a week later, I was able to get my X-ray at another location.
I had to wait a month to get my first P.T. appointment, by which time I was 6 weeks post-injury. That gave me hope, but it was just one appointment. We were then about to begin a summer full of travel, so it would be another month before I would see the P.T. again. As I write this, I have now had 8 P.T. appointments, there has definitely been improvement, but hit has been super slow and gradual. It has now been almost 5 months since the injury, and I am pleased to report that I can generally climb up and down stairs without too much misery, and I can ride my bike. Unfortunately, though, my knee still swells up and hurts bad if I don’t keep it elevated whenever I’m sitting, which is pretty much what I do all day: sit at a computer. Eventually, I decided to see an orthopedic specialist, and he told me that, in addition to patellar tendonitis, which is what the P.T. was treating, I also have osteoarthritis. That’s why my knee doesn’t get better, because there isn’t really anything I can do about it.
So, after that depressing news, my small wins come with each little increment of improvement that I do experience. For the Summer, I kept my bike rides short, flat, and easy (for the most part). A few weeks ago, I found that longer rides (2 hours plus) seem to help my knee feel better by the next day. And more recently, I started gradually taking on some hills here and there. I ride slow, and I’m nowhere near my best condition, but I am getting back into it, and that feels good.
In addition to the “small wins” theme, I wanted to continue a theme within the theme that started with the post-covid era. That first coffeeneuring challenge after covid hit had a theme of “C+1”, which was about identifying one good thing, but was also expanded by various coffeeneurs in various ways. I chose to interpret it as always including a plus-one, or a companion, on each coffeeneuring outing. It adds so much joy to share the coffeeneuring experience with another person, and why not spread the spirit of coffeeneuring around? If covid taught us anything, it’s that we need to be around other people.
Anyway, here’s my control card for 2024:
Control No. 1: 10/6/24 Little Barn in Glassel Park
Beverage: Oat Horchata Cold Brew
Bike: Volpe
Bloomers: Sweet Love
C+1: Gender Expansive Riders
Small win: Riding up Montecito Hill
Miles: 26
On the very first official day, I was able to embrace a fantastic kick off ride to open my coffeeneuring season. One theme for me this year is to finally do the things or visit the places that I have been meaning to. About a year and a half ago, I met a woman named Vanessa who excitedly purchased a skirt and bloomers at a local bike swap event where I had set up my pop up shop for my side hustle: Bikie Girl Bloomers. It is so satisfying to meet someone who not only “gets” my product, but really gets excited about it. Vanessa gave me permission to take a selfie with her and put that out on social media. We have since had a relationship of following each other on Instagram, and greeting each other in passing at the local CicLAvia open streets events. Vanessa is always rolling in style, often with her Bikie Girl Bloomers and/or her Bikie Girl skirt. Vanessa told me about a group that rides together as the Gender Expansive Ride. Their rides are open to all kinds of people except cis-men, providing a cycling community for gender-nonconforming people and cis-women, and they are great about letting folks know in advance what level of challenge/hills will be involved in each ride.
After over a year of intending to try out one of their rides, I finally followed through and did it on this day when they would be riding up Montecito Hill. They were training for a competition called the Haunted Hill Smash. I had no interest in the competition, but I was feeling ready to test out how my knee would do on a nice climb. Vanessa didn’t happen to be a participant on this day, but I enjoyed meeting the group. Although I have ridden some noteworthy hills in this part of L.A., I had not climbed Montecito Hill, and it turned out to be just right for where I am on my knee recovery. It was also quite enjoyable to be able to join a group ride and immediately feel welcomed and experience a very positive sense of community. We rode up the hill and out onto the flat top to take in the view. Afterwards, we rolled back down and swung by a charming little vegan place in nearby Glassel Park called the Little Barn. I sometimes get nervous going to vegan places, as I’m not always confident my favorite food and drinks can be done that way, but Little Barn did not disappoint. I had their Oat Horchata Cold Brew, which was delicious. I have found that oat milk works very well in coffee beverages, and doesn’t feel like a compromise the way other plant-based milks can.
Control No. 2: 10/7/24 House Coffee Co. in West Adams
Beverage: Maple Walnut Latte with Brown Sugar
Bike: Gazelle Tour Populaire
Bloomers: Leaping Lady Leopard Print
C+1: Women on Bikes Culver City
Small win: Cool history lesson on Village Green
Miles: 16
On a few recent occasions, I had noticed an intriguing new coffee shop had appeared in the neighborhood. So, when the Women on Bikes Culver City announced they would be riding to House Coffee in nearby West Adams for the next Monday morning meet up, I didn’t want to miss out. But that wasn’t the only thing I didn’t want to miss: they would be riding to the Village Green, where one of our members is a resident and had arranged for a tour. The Village Green is an historic landmark in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood, a reflection of the “greenbelt” movement planned in the 30’s and built in the 40’s to provide moderately-priced residences in an urban community with no through-streets so that residents would be surrounded by green space. I had been to the Village Green a few times before, but learned so much more from the tour. I also enjoyed being able to walk through the grounds and appreciate the gorgeous garden setting.
After the tour, we rode over to House Coffee Co., where I relished the liquid dessert in the form of a maple walnut latte with brown sugar as well as a delightfully flaky sugar bun. My sweet tooth was in seventh heaven! House Coffee is defintely worthy of a return visit. Their menu of drinks offers plenty to arouse the curiosity and the tastebuds, plus the pastries are irresistable. They also have a nice bike rack right by the entrance, and a nice patio providing plenty of nice outdoor space in addition to the charming interior. Another small win: I learned of a cut-through bikes can take to get around the wall that separates the Baldwin Hills neighborhood from the Exposition bike path. These little secret passageways that don’t show up on Googlemaps can make a big difference when getting around by bike.
Yet another small win: I rode home from House Coffee on Harcourt Street, one of those lovely palm-lined residential streets that leave me feeling lucky to be a cyclist in Los Angeles.
Control No. 2.5: (illegal/bonus) 10/12/24 Coffee Outside at Elysian Park
Beverage: Coffee brought from home in French press thermos
Bike: Volpe
C+1: Rob
Small win: Got to bring home some primo coffee beans
Miles: 23
While this ride is not legal, in that it would be the third coffeeneuring ride in the same week, I retain it in my documentation as insurance, just in case ride #1 is disqualified as being part of an “organized ride”. But I could not find any prohibition on such rides in this year’s Rules, plus I don’t think group rides are the sort of official organized rides that had once been banned from eligibility. Even then, I ride to and from the group rides, so I’m always getting a legit ride of my own in the process.
This one was promoted by Ridewithgps as a #coffeeoutside gathering at Elysian Park, an iconic treasure in Los Angeles, with a storied history, and a beautiful landscape, home to Dodger Stadium, and featuring hilly spots with astounding views of the city. There would be a raffle for swag, including some premium coffee-making gear for those who enjoy making their coffee outside. We met up at Angels Point, a funky giant art piece/gazebo-like structure with a fantastic view of the cityscape and Dodger’s Stadium. My #1 ride buddy (who also happens to be my spouse) was game for a ride that morning, and was happy to join me for this meetup.
Elysian Park, like Griffith Park, is a wonderful and expansive (600 acres) green space right smack dab in the middle of this vast city, and comes with it’s own history. It was the city’s first park, dating to 1886, and in the 1960’s locals had to fight to stop the city from building a convention center on the land. As it was, a mostly hispanic community had been forced to give up their homes in order to make way for Dodger Stadium. The park is situated on Chavez Ravine, and includes many hiking trails, picnic areas, viewpoints, a Little League field, and some nice curvy, hilly roads to bike on. It is also home to the Police Academy.
We were pleasantly surprised to see a sizable turnout for the coffee outside event. It was fun to see the range of coffee-making set ups and the variety of people who came. I proudly laid out my coffeeneuring bandana, and proceeded to plunge the plunger of my insulated french press travel cup that fits perfectly in my bottle cage. There was a drawing for raffle prized, including some deluxe coffee-making kits and a variety of swag, but we did not win any of the loot. We did, however, get to take home some excellent coffee beans. The only challenge was figuring out what we could use to carry the beans home.
Control No. 3: 10/13/24 La Monarca in Boyle Heights
Beverage: Tres Leches Latte
Bike: Gazelle Tour Populaire
Bloomers: Sweet Love
C+1: Lynn & Jennifer
Small win: Rolling en masse through the 2nd Street Tunnel
Miles: 23
CicLAvia is an open streets event held several times a year in Los Angeles. The events are held in various parts of the city, but regularly return to the “Heart of LA” route that includes downtown, Chinatown, Echo Park, and Boyle Heights. The city closes several miles of streets to cars, allowing the streets to be filled with folks on foot, on bikes, on roller blades, on skateboards, and other creative non-motorized modes of transportation. The vast sea of humanity in all its colorful flavors always warms my heart and reminds me that I love L.A.
I met up with two of my regular ride buddies, Lynn and Jennifer, and we rode into downtown and joined the route where it passes through the 2nd Street Tunnel. It’s a fun tunnel to ride through, and it has bike lanes, but it’s even more fun to ride through when it is filled with bikes and free of car traffic. From there we continued on through downtown, Little Tokyo, and over the iconic 6th Street Bridge into Boyle Heights and Mariachi Plaza. We stopped for coffee at La Monarca Bakery, a treasure of East L.A.’s latino culture. I indulged in a Tres Leches Lattee and a palmier, both of which were sweet and tasty, without being over-the-top-too-sweet. Afterward, we retraced the route back through downtown and on to the remaining leg into Echo Park.
Control No. 4: 10/26/24 – Bar Americano, Washington, D.C. National Mall
Beverage: Hot Chocolate
Bike: Capital Bikeshare
Bloomers: Party Pants
C+1: DC Coffeeneurs
Small win: Cross-Country Coffeeneur Connection
Miles: 23
Cross-country coffeeneuring meet up! Coffeeneuring doesn’t get any better than this! Coffee-type beverage: check. Bike ride: check. Fellow coffeeneurs to share the experience with: check ++++++++. Beautiful weather: check. But that’s not all! I got to meet coffeeneurs I’ve previously only seen on social media PLUS I got to see my regular cross-country coffeeneuring buddy, Ilga, PLUS I got to see the Chief Coffeeneur AND the intern. Wow, wow, wow!
Every October I attend a conference in the DC area for patent nerds and other intellectual property attorneys. Somewhere along the way, I connected with some DC area coffee meet-ups for women on bikes, which is how I met fellow coffeeneur Ilga. The women & bikes coffee meet-ups either no longer happen, or no longer sync with my schedule, but Ilga and I have at times arranged to meet for a coffeeneuring ride during my visits. This year, that turned into a mega meet-up after the Chief Coffeeneur invited all coffeeneurs to join in on a Saturday that fell on the very day I had available for coffeeneuring after my conference had ended.
We gathered at Bar Americano, which recently set up a shop at a snack kiosk on the National Mall. I started out from National Harbor, where I snuck out of the last session of the program a bit early, and checked out a bike from the Capital Bikshare docking station just across the street from the Gaylord Hotel. From there, I rolled over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and took Royal Street through Old Town Alexandria to get to the Mt. Vernon Trail, which took me into DC. As has happened to me before, I got confused trying to follow the Google Maps guidance to get me onto the Francis Case Memorial Bridge, which has a sneaky access point just inside East Potomac Park (Hains Point). Despite my navigational challenges, which included getting confused again on the other side of the bridge, I made it to the Mall, past the construction near the Spy Museum, and found the group at Bar Americano. After a brief greeting, I docked my bike at a nearby station and joined the party.
It was a gorgeous sunny day, and the turnout for our group was impressive. It was especially great to reconnect with the Chief Coffeeneur and the trusty Intern, as well as to see Ilga and meet the real live people behind the posts I’ve seen over the years in the Coffeneurs Facebook group. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and lunched on some pizza, which helped to fuel the return back to Alexandria, which I managed without the confusion, and got back in time to catch my flight home.
Control No. 5: 11/03/24 – Amai Coffee, Santa Monica
Beverage: Amai Signature Latte
Bike: Volpe
Bloomers: Leaping Lady Leopard Print
C+1: Joni
Small win: Surprising my friend by showing up at her moment of special recognition
Miles: 26
A friend had let me know that the following weekend, a dear long-time friend of ours was going to be honored for her many years of service as curator of the art wall at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Santa Monica. For nearly 20 years, I was a regular at this church, which is where I met these friends back in 1998. It’s been awhile since the last time I’d biked to the church services on a Sunday morning, but I remembered enoying the 12 mile ride, and also thought this created another good coffeeneuring opportunity. One of my bike friends, Joni, lives in Santa Monica, so I thought I would see if a post-church coffee ride would fit into her schedule, and it did!
My friend who was being honored for her service was surprised and touched to see me there. I was happy to see her get this recognition, as she had done an amazing job of finding artists and arranging excellent shows, as well as raising money for the church through art sales. It was also nice to catch up with various old friends.
Joni met me there, and suggested we go to Amai, a coffee shop at 17th & Pico, right by Santa Monica College. I had their Signature Latte & almond croissant, which were excellent. They had several choices on the coffee menu that looked worth trying, so I just might have to go back for more. We rolled on through the college campus, and then made a point of passing through downtown Culver City, to check out what it’s like to ride in the bus lane now that Culver City has removed the wonderful protected bike lane that had been installed a couple years ago. The car-brained types had recently taken control of the city council, and thought they could relieve rush hour traffic congestion by reinstating a car lane that had been removed when the special bus and bike lanes had gone in. Of course, rush hour traffic is just as bad as ever despite the lane expansion. Meanwhile, because there are bollards separating the bus lane from the car lanes, we realized that we were slowing down the bus behind us as we cycled in that lane. When we saw an opportunity to pull off to the right and let the bus through, we did. Our verdict: we felt plenty safe biking in the bus lane, but did not like that doing so was undermining the benefit of having a designated bus lane.
We then rode the bike lanes on Adams Blvd, which we both agree is a much better alternative to the bike lanes on Venice Blvd, since the heavy volume of traffic, as well as the large number of busy driveways and intersections along Venice, make Adams a much less stressful option. Meanwhile, Joni suggested we find a place for lunch (yes, that soon after our coffee & pastry stop). Just past where the bike lane ends on Adams at Crenshaw, is a Johnny’s Pastrami shop, so we stopped there. It was over the top, but I was happy to see that a Johnny’s location is so close to where I live. I had never realized I had this great pastrami place just a pleasant little bike ride away.
Control No. 6: 11/10/24 — Pam’s Coffy in Los Feliz
Beverage: Brown Suga Pumpkin Latte
Bike: Brompton
Bloomers: Groovy Tie Dye
C+1: Jennifer
Small win: Finally getting to check out this funky historic place
Miles: 12
This is a place I’ve been wanting to visit since they opened in February. Quentin Tarantino bought & renovated the historic Vista Theater, and opened the adjoining coffee shop, naming it after Pam Grier, who starred in the 1973 film Coffy. I routed myself there via the new protected bike lane on Hollywood Boulevard and met up with my friend Jennifer. We enjoyed being able to sit outside and keep an eye on our bikes, but unfortunately the noise of crazy traffic at the adjacent multi way intersection is a detractor. I had a delicious Brown Suga Pumpkin Latte and Apple Crumble Pop Pie (like a pop tart / pocket pie treat), while she had the Bold Black Mamba coffee and a decadent chocolate mini loaf cake.
Control No. 7: 11/17/24 – Helm’s Bakery in Culver City
Beverage: Royal Latte
Bike: Volpe
Bloomers: Pink Zebra Bloomers
C+1: Angie
Small win: Biking in the shade and beauty of Culver City’s tree-lined streets
Miles: 17
The Helms Bakery District has been an attractive retail shopping zone for many years, ever since someone bought the old building in 1972 and fixed up the place. As they say on their website: “Helms Bakery District is a historical Los Angeles destination, with award-winning restaurants, a unique collection of design and home furnishings stores, and simply a perfect place to meet with friends.” More from their website:
First opening its doors in 1931, family-owned and operated Helms Bakery supplied local residents with its fresh-baked bread delivered “Daily at Your Door” for over four decades. While no longer in the business of baked goods, the Helms Bakery building remains a cherished local landmark, recognized for its architectural significance.
From its inception, the bakery was a pristine showplace and a model for mass production. Bakers baked on a large scale, creating breads, cakes, pies, wedding cakes, doughnuts, cookies and even cream puffs — over 150 items in all. For all of its organized chaos, not a crumb was ever out of place. Tour groups were invited to watch as ingredients were poured, mixed and kneaded by the ton. By 1965, the bakery consumed 780 train carloads of white and wheat flour on an annual basis. Over 2 million eggs were used in a single month, and at holiday time, enormous quantities of fruit and nuts went into the batter. All this, of course, required 1,798 miles of wrapping paper.
As much a promoter as a businessman, Paul Helms quickly thrust his local bakery onto the world stage. Helms bread soon became the choice of athletes and astronauts, presidents, kings and Rose Parade queens, chalking up honors that defined an era. Beginning with its designation as Official Bread of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the meteoric rise all but ended with the historic Apollo landing in 1969. At the 1934 California State Fair, it won the first gold medal for bread. Through the years its floats collected ribbons in the Tournament of Roses parade. In the early days of broadcast and again ahead of its time, Helms was “on the air” as sponsor of a hugely popular radio and TV cooking show featuring Helms baked goods. Jane Sterling, the host of the “Tricks and Treats” show, appeared as Helms Home Economist Coris Guy, the Martha Stewart of her day. Just months before the bakery closed, Helms Bakeries supplied Apollo 11 with its life sustaining bread, thus becoming the “first bread on the moon.”
The Helm’s Bakery is a newly-revitalized bakery on the premises, which, in its current form, describes itself as “a modern interpretation of the original including a multi-space layout with a full-service restaurant for breakfast and lunch (to open at a later date), a dedicated bakery with takeaway counter for prepared foods, as well as a retail section of specialty products”. My friend Angie and I were eager to check it out, now that it is in its soft launch phase.
When we arrived, we didn’t notice any bike parking, so we rolled our steeds inside and leaned them against a wall by the entrance. I was bit taken aback to realize what a huge space we had entered. It’s far more than just a bakery. In one corner, there is a deli counter. In another, the bakery counter. In yet another, there is a counter for coffee and pastries. In the center, you can find a distracting variety of cute things for purchase, ranging from cool cookie tins that look like an old-fashioned bakery truck, to packages of fresh, sliced brioche bread or Texas toast (I wasn’t sure which, and was too overwhelmed to study the details).
At the far end, between the deli counter and the baked goods counter, you can watch the bakery staff at work, slicing pies, rolling carts of raw cinnamon rolls to the oven, and overhead, there is a sign board. The sign board is in the style of an old train station sign, where the white letters on a black background are periodically updated to reveal a new message, like: “pre-order your Thanksgiving pies now” and whatnot.
Being eager to check out the cinnamon rolls, we got in the bakery line. It was a long line, but we were entertained by the window show of the bakery in action and attempting to take in the variety of items on display in the center shopping area. When, at last, we made it to the cashier to place our orders, we learned that there were no cinnamon rolls available. We asked about the ones we’d seen on the cart rolling by, and we were told those would be ready in an hour. Meanwhile, we had been gawking at the display of pie slices and giant cookies in the case before us, and decided to select some treats to take home with us. Angie ordered a slice of the corn & honey pie and a semolina pistachio cookie. I ordered four cookies: the semolina pistachio, chocolate pistachio, chocolate chip, and corn & caramel. We then moved on to the coffee & pastry line, where I ordered a Royal Latte and a lemon bun. While waiting for the latte, we found ourselves a table in the outside dining patio and then looked for a place to park the bikes. Turns out the only bike parking was two single-bike racks in front of a furniture store across the courtyard. Given how popular this brand new bakery is, they are definitely going to need to install more bike racks.
The Royal Latte features “house made earl grey—assam—brown sugar syrup & espresso”. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but clearly I had to try it. Holy cow, it was divine! Like sipping on a gentle cloud that leaves you feeling loved. The lemon bun sounded weird to me, but, hey, it was rolled like a cinnamon bun, so why not check it out since my longing for a cinnamon bun was denied. Well, as consolation prizes go, this was amazeballs. The flake quotient on this pastry was top notch. And that soft lemony taste worked quite well with the flaky pastry and the sprinkled sugar. My treats were so good, I will have to return another day to see if that was real, or if I only dreamt it.
After enjoying our goodies and some conversation on the sunny patio, we returned to our bikes, figured out how to carry our loot to be taken home, and rolled on through the beautifully-tree-lined streets of residential Culver City. We were headed to Jackson Market (which has been featured on Coffeeneuring rides in prior years), but missed a turn here and there, which only led to more beautifully-tree-lined residential streets of Culver City. Eventually, we got there, just to appreciate how cool it is that this charming little market/café sits right there in the middle of a residential block, yet does not destroy the beauty of the street. From there, we rode south on Jackson to the Jackson gate, which provides access to the Ballona Creek bike path. We used that path the circle back towards our part of town. Angie needed to get some things at the Wellington Square Farmer’s Market, situated at a nice midpoint between where she and I live. I made a quick pass through the market, and then headed home.
All in all, it was an easy 16+ mile ride, and a lovely way to wrap up the coffeeneuring challenge.
Now, let’s see what the next decade of coffeeneuring brings.
My chocolate glazed donut looked better before I got reckless carrying it in the little sack.
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WeLove2Bike! 