HITTING THE ROAD : SCV CLUB SHARES LOVE OF PEDAL POWER ON TWO WHEELS, THERE ARE NO AGE BOUNDARIES.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

In Lycra-spandex shorts, form-fitting jerseys and aerodynamic helmets, two dozen cyclists ride in a tight pack along the wide, flat, lightly traveled streets of the Valencia Industrial Center in the waning daylight of a summer evening.

Members of Santa Clarita Velo, they are competitive racers who pedal around town on 20-pound bikes with inch-wide tires. Others are mountain bikers who relish rough, muddy terrain, and recreational bicyclists who prefer to soak up the scenery and fresh air at a more leisurely pace.

Though diverse in their personal style, the 110 members of the 5-year-old club share a love for the open road in a sport suitable for the sociable and solitary alike.

Many gather at Performance Cyclery, a bike shop on Bouquet Canyon Road, for Santa Clarita Velo's weeknight training rides that follow a route along Magic Mountain and McBean parkways, Newhall Ranch Road, Highway 126, The Old Road, Lake Hughes Road and the old Ridge Route. Riders travel the round-trip loop in about an hour.

Weekends bring longer rides - many 30 to 60 miles - and farther from home, like a Frazier Park-Mount Pinos excursion this weekend.

Club member Joyce Herrin said her love for the sport wasn't dimmed even after she had a nasty crash during a six-day bike trip across Utah in June.

``It was supposed to be 336 miles total. We went through Bryce Canyon and Zion (national parks),'' recalled Herrin, a manager with Newhall Land & Farming Co.

``I was on the last day of my trip, 20 miles from the finish line, and I crashed going down a hill,'' Herrin said. The 40-mph spill left the 51-year-old Saugus woman with serious facial injuries and lots of road rash.

``They told me that if I had not been wearing my helmet, I would not be here today,'' she said. ``They called in a plastic surgeon to put me back together.''

As part of the United States Cycling Federation, the club stages a road race each June with numerous events suitable for various types of cyclists.

The Chuck Pontius Memorial Criterium is named for a 28-year-old Santa Clarita city employee who died in a traffic collision March 31, 1993. Pontius, an avid cyclist who worked at City Hall, was hit by a left-turning car while riding his bike on Hasley Canyon Road near Del Valle Road.

Club President Cliff Lewis said Santa Clarita Velo also gives away bike helmets to local children's charities, so youngsters who ride along the city's new network of bike trails - along Soledad Canyon Road and in the Santa Clara River bed - will be safe.

Most club members, Herrin and Lewis noted, avoid the city trails. Although the paved paths are ``great for families'' because they are separated from speeding cars, Lewis said, the trails are often crowded with in-line skaters, walkers, joggers, and parents pushing baby strollers.

``The club doesn't use the bike trails much because they're not really conducive to the rides we do,'' Herrin said. ``We would have preferred that (the city) keep a bike lane on the street for us.''

Lewis likes that cycling is an exercise activity that he and his wife, Cathy, can enjoy together. And at age 49, he wanted a sport that would keep him fit without overtaxing his body.

``I don't like to run - I've tried jogging a couple of times and it just seems boring to me,'' Lewis said. ``I used to play softball until my late 30s, and then I realized I didn't have the knees to do that.''

Cycling is a sport Herrin expects to participate in for years to come. ``There are no age limitations on cycling,'' she said.

``We do 100-mile bike rides, and there are people in their 70s and 80s out riding and having a good time,'' Herrin said.

Although still healing from her injuries, Herrin has gradually resumed her cycling routine. Although all sorts of routes, terrain and scenery appeal to her, she has a favorite.

``I think anyone you talk to prefers flat, with a slight downhill and the wind at your back,'' she said.

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5 Photos

Photo: (1--color in SAC only) Riders from Santa ClaritaVelo make their way down Soledad Canyon Road in Valencia. The club stages a road race each June.

(2--ran in SAC only--color) Cyclist Craig Armstrong of Valencia enjoys a morning conversation before departing on a ride.

(3--ran in SAC only--color) no caption (woman club member putting on a bicycle helmet)

(4--ran in SAC only) Riders take advantage of a cool Santa Clarita morning as they ride toward Vasquez Canyon.

(5--ran in SAC only) Patrick Brady, outfitted in an aerodynamic helmet, adjusts his front tire before taking to the streets with the bike club.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News