Sweet Ride USA – Public Ride

In Los Angeles, there are 2 constant things: awesome weather in November and a television show about dessert. Ok, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch, but there is one show that I’ve watched online whose main focus is biking LA to look for sweets and burning the calories off at the end of the day. Sweet Ride USA is hosted by the charismatic, Steve Isaacs, who not only participates in the consumption of these delectable desserts, but also pedals through this great city, filming its participants. I had the pleasure of meeting Steve about a month ago at a Ghost Bike art exhibit.

Here is the first episode to whet your appetite.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/udvsYaUFfk4]

Public Ride

When I was informed that there was going to be a Public Ride for their 4th episode on November 24th, I had to be part of this. It also helped that most of my LA bike cohorts were joining in on the fun.

On a beautiful Sunday morning, I hopped on my bike and rode the 12 miles from Burbank to Sunset Triangle Plaza. I was greeted by friends, and we spent 30 minutes socializing while waiting for Steve’s direction. The scene was pleasant as cyclists rolled in from all directions. Steve was passing out the Sweet Ride USA spoke card while getting his film crew ready. There was a primary videographer who was shooting with her DSLR camera. She actually went on location via car while the on-the-go footage was done by Steve and a few dispersed Go Pro cameras mounted on selected bicycles.

On the Road

Our ride rolled out at approximately 11:15 with about 50+ bicyclists. Our path included going North on Griffith Park Blvd, right onto Hyperion, right on Glendale Blvd, left on Fletcher, left on Eagle Rock Blvd, and finally a right onto York Blvd – a 6 mile ride which was safe and pleasant as we were not honked at even once. It was a bit sketchy on the left turn from Glendale to Fletcher, but we all made it safely through.

Mmmm… Donuts

Our arrival at Donut Friend in Highland Park immediately overwhelmed the little donut store. Everyone quickly started forming the line as soon as all bikes were locked up securely. Donut Friend featured a variety of donuts that they created, but the novelty lies within your own creativity as you can dictate what you want on your donut. It’s alike Chipotle or Subway of donuts in which you get to pick your donut and the various toppings. The ingredients weren’t your normal run at the mill peanuts and sweet jelly filling. We are talking about Sriracha sauce and basil to name a few unique selections.



I ordered a donut that was on their menu instead of creating my own. It was just easier that way since I knew I would’ve spent some time creating my own monster. I picked something called the Cherry 3, which was a glazed donut filled with Cherry filling. It was delicious! All the people who I spoke to really enjoyed their donuts. Diabetic cyclists beware! This is probably not a good place for those health conditions to be around in.

Wrapping Up

After about an hour of socializing, Steve polled the riders to see if anybody wanted to go see a cyclocross race in Glendale. A few of us wanted to ride back into downtown LA. I was part of that group. I actually led the group through Highland Park without using Figueroa. A few cyclists never rode through using the path we went on and some were seeing this for the first time. I was so glad that I can show a different perspective of LA to those folks.

I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting new friends and relaxing with others while we consumed our favorite alcoholic beverages. It was a perfect way to wrap up the weekend.

More Sweet Rides USA

Do yourself a favor and watch the second episode if you haven’t already done so.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/chG1p-sjyt0]

Steve informed me that they are still cutting the third episode. I can’t wait to check it out as the production value is high on all the videos thus far. The fourth one should be phenomenal as I get to see my friends. Having me on camera is certainly another bonus.

Did you go to the ride? Leave a comment below and say hello! We love hearing from our readers.