Jeremy Powers: Phil said his place was around here somewhere. Let me call him up. Phil,
I'm here where you said. Where are you? [music]
Jeremy: Okay. I know he said he was going to be here somewhere. Phil?
Phil Gaimon: Morning, Powers. What's going on?
Jeremy: What the hell? Phil: I didn't tell you? Somebody had bet
me his pink slip I couldn't take his KOM. Jeremy: What the--
[music] Jeremy: You said you were going to tour me
around California and I'm really psyched. I thought we were going to do it on bikes.
Phil: No, this isn't my car. I'm not allowed to drive this. This is just a rental. Everything's
fake in LA, Jeremy. Jeremy: When I got the word that I was going
to be heading to California, the first call that I made was to my old pal, Phil Gaimon.
Yes, the famous YouTuber, author, former pro-tour racer, current Strava pro, ironically retired
but seemingly completely unretired businessman, and knows how to stir up the internet on what
seems like a daily basis. When you call Phil, it's not like you really call a regular person.
You're in for a long conversation, but overall he was ecstatic to shred the hills of Los
Angeles with me. He also told me that we were going to be doing a Strava KOM segment, so
I knew I was going to be in for a day of it and oh, was it a day.
[music] Jeremy: Phil, this looks fancy.
Phil: Yes. This is Rodeo Drive. This is our first stop on the way to Hollywood is Beverly
Hills, downtown Beverly Hills. This is where, if you want a $100,000 watch, there's a bunch
of them around here. Jeremy: You brought your credit card, right?
Phil: If I save up, I can almost afford a coffee here.
Jeremy: [chuckles] Okay. [music]
Phil: We're on Sunset Boulevard going Sunset Plaza Drive?
Jeremy: Yes. Sunset Boulevard, so now we're in the thick of Hollywood. What's really cool
about LA is there's this mass city mess and then we can just sneak out and be in this
little cozy, quiet climb in no time, so we're going to do that. Sunset Plaza. It'll be our
warm-up before the KOM attempt. [music]
Phil: I think you won. I'll give you that. Jeremy: [laughs] This is amazing, man. 20
minute climb. Felt like we were going up through Monaco, coming up here. It was so pretty.
Phil: It's not bad. It gets real quiet because it dead-ends at the top so that cars can't
really even get through here. Jeremy: Okay. What are we looking at, though?
Phil: We got downtown, Hollywood, West Beverly Hills, Westwood. That's the Pacific Ocean.
Jeremy: You were telling me that a lot of famous people live up in this very side, this
hillside. Phil: Yes. I don't know anybody.
Jeremy: Yes, but we know that. Phil: Yes. This is-- I mean, wouldn't you?
Jeremy: This is prime real estate. Phil: If you weren't such a loser, you would
live here. Jeremy: Hey. [laughs] This is beautiful, yes.
All right, so what are we doing now? Phil: It's KOM time. You ready?
[music] Phil: We're just cruising over to Mulholland.
I just love how remote and quiet it gets in the middle of Hollywood.
Jeremy: Yes, it's awesome. You're just looking out here. Off to the right, it's all-
Phil: You can even find coyotes here, no problem. Jeremy: Right.
[music] Jeremy: Phil, so this is Mulholland. A lot
of your life has been spent on this very climb. Phil: This is my favorite road in the world.
Mulholland Drive. Jeremy: Yes, it's beautiful, man. Just looking
out over here on the right-hand side, what is this all over here?
Phil: That's the valley. Over there is the city. That's the valley.
Jeremy: Sweet. Why did you move here? What do you love about LA?
Phil: I came here on accident. I was out training in Big Bear. I had some friends here I came
to visit and I thought it'd be all city mess, and then I was like, "No, this is the best
riding in the world and the weather's perfect." I'm really soft with weather. My last four
years pro, I was living here. Jeremy: Yes, this is this good. You've definitely
been able to make a lot of things happen while you're out here. You've got the Cookie Fondo.
Phil: Yes. Jeremy: You've torn up the Strava segments.
Phil: I'm a YouTuber now. Jeremy: I know.
Phil: That can only happen in LA, really. Jeremy: You're really good.
Phil: And [unintelligible 00:04:34] Jeremy: What is your favorite climb out here?
There's so many to do off the PCH. What's your favorite day of riding, or what's your
favorite closest thing? Phil: The best of the best is Malibu, so you're
not getting the fun city stuff but Latigo Canyon is our crown jewel for Malibu. There's
a million of them. You can just do a different one every day, never get bored.
Jeremy: Having been able to do your Cookie Fondo, I think we actually rode this Mulholland,
didn't we, at some point? Or is this a different one?
Phil: We rode-- This is Mulholland Drive and that goes along the Hollywood ridge. It turns
into Mulholland Highway in Malibu, but between both of those stretches, every car commercial
you've ever seen is on this twisty, pretty road with the mountains in the back.
Jeremy: Tricksters, the naming of that. Phil: Yes. They connect. You can get through.
It's dirt, though. You'd like it. Jeremy: Yes, I'd like it.
[music] Jeremy: This is what you do?
Phil: Yes, we've got to go for a KOM now. It's a day. It's my job.
Jeremy: This is ridiculous. Phil: [chuckles] I know.
Jeremy: This climb has dirt on it, though. The one that we're looking at here. This is
the one you want to go for. Phil: Yes. Well, that's why I haven't got
it yet but I got to try. It's in my territory. Jeremy: I hate to tell you but there's no
way you're going to get a KOM if you don't have your Wahoo.
Phil: Right. Crap. Okay, what if we do something different? What if we do-- The first half
is paved. Jeremy: All right.
Phil: What if I rip the paved part and then hand you the Wahoo and we do it relay-style?
Jeremy: Is that legit? Phil: Well, somebody's going to flag it, anyway.
Jeremy: [laughs] Okay. Yes, I'm thinking maybe some type of-- Okay. Yes, this is like a baton.
Phil: Yes, exactly. Jeremy: It's like the Olympic thing where
they hand the baton. Phil: It's exactly the same thing, yes.
Jeremy: This should be good. Phil: All right, let's do it. Get all of these
stupid grams off your bike. Get your saddlebag off.
Jeremy: Are you wearing a skin suit? Phil: It's a speed suit.
Jeremy: It doesn't have a zipper on it. Phil: It's in the back. It's aerodynamics.
Jeremy: Oh my God. [music]
Jeremy: This is the transition, this is the road, and now we got the dirt.
Phil: Yes, that's where the dirt starts. I'm going to come flying around that corner. I
think if you start at that pole right there-- Jeremy: Right.
Phil: We ride side-by-side just like in the relay in the Olympics, all right? I'll take
the thing off, I hand it to you, and then you rip the dirt right there.
Jeremy: Okay. [chuckles] All right. Phil: All right. Then the last bit is you
go through this gate and then it's all paved to the top. I'm not sure which line around
the gate is faster, so what if we just experiment and we just each rip it and see right now?
Jeremy: Okay. You take this serious. Phil: Yes, you got to.
Jeremy: Okay. Count it down. Phil: Three, two, one, go.
[music] Phil: Okay. All right. Yes, it's that line.
For sure, that line is better. Wait, hang on. This just moved. Wait a minute.
Jeremy: Mom always said straightest line is the fastest line.
Phil: There we go. I think I found the best line.
[music] Jeremy: Okay. Good job.
[music] Jeremy: We just went for that. I don't know
what the exact time is but it was something like-- I think I had 8:15 or 8:20 on this.
It was like Noah's Ark out there. I saw snakes, bobcats, rattler snakes, alligators. There
was even a zebra. I'm not kidding, either. I'm being dead serious. All this stuff is
out here, so if we didn't get it-- There was even dog poop on the trail, not to mention
an oncoming car, a landslide. If we didn't get it, it's not my fault. That's all I'm
going to say. That's the hardest I've gone in a while. I honestly felt the adrenaline
of it. Really, I felt the adrenaline. I haven't felt that because I'm actually retired, unlike
you. Phil: Right. Congratulations, we got the KOM
by a minute. We did it. Jeremy: [laughs] I had already wrote the--
Phil: Philemy strikes again, or for the first time. We never struck before. We're probably
not going to do this ever again. Jeremy: I already-- Yes, we're definitely
not doing this again, but I had written, basically, in case I didn't get it, I did a segment at
the camera there. Phil: Of course. Part of Strava-- See, you're
a natural. Part of Strava is to have your excuses prepared ahead of time.
Jeremy: I definitely did. Phil: Bike racing prepares us for that.
Jeremy: Yes. Couch form didn't really set me up good for that. That effort hurt. I'm
going to put it on you. Hopefully-- Let's not look at-- They do a flyby thing, right?
Phil: Yes. Listen, we're not to analyze it to deep.
Jeremy: I don't want to look at that too much. Phil: It's already been flagged, anyway.
Jeremy: Okay. Phil: All right.
Jeremy: Where are we going now? Cookie time? Phil: Yes, let's get a cookie, man.
Jeremy: Okay. Get out of here. [music]
Jeremy: Phil, this is basically the Times Square of LA, essentially, right?
Phil: Yes, but it's much worse. Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, [unintelligible
00:10:47] setting up for the Oscars right now.
Jeremy: Hard Rock Cafe. What is that thing? Phil: That's the Chinese Theater.
Jeremy: All the stars are over here. [music]
Jeremy: We just made it into Griffith Park. Phil: Yes, sir.
Jeremy: It's beautiful in here. Phil: It's an oasis right in the middle of
Hollywood. There's three beautiful climbs close to cars and there's a nice little flat
path, which is like five miles. All real safe and chill. You deal with some intense city
stuff and then you get to relax and enjoy the riding up in nature.
Jeremy: How much time can you do it in here? How long is it?
Phil: All the different climbs, it's easy to do an hour and a half and never leave the
park. Jeremy: Really?
Phil: Yes. Jeremy: That is a huge resource. We see someone
coming up right now riding. A ton of people maybe drive out here, park, and then do a
ride? Phil: Yes, or wherever you are in the city,
you sneak out here, do a couple of hills. This connects-- You can ride up to the Hollywood
sign. You can connect through a bike path to the Dodger Stadium. There's another whole
park over there. Jeremy: Why are we going so hard?
Phil: I don't know. Slow down. Jeremy: Is this the spot?
Phil: Yes, this is it. The Trails Cafe. Jeremy: Nice. This is what it is. We're here.
You've dragged me all over LA, up and down these hills. I'm legitimately tired and I
can't talk anymore because I went so hard for that stupid KOM.
Phil: That's what we do. That's why we have a nice warm coffee to soothe our throat.
Jeremy: Okay, let's do that. This is live for the vlog.
Phil: The longer you stay in LA, the longer your coffee order gets. This is a dirty latte,
dirty chai latte with oatmeal. Jeremy: This tastes weird, but okay. We got
cookies. Phil: I got a chocolate chip cookie. That's
what I do. Jeremy: Yes, okay. This is inside Griffith
Park. Phil: Yes. Griffith Park is LA's Central Park,
if you will, so right in the middle of the city. There's all kinds of really nice hiking
trails, but it's a huge park. There's three different climbs that are close to cars that
I can ride up. It's a really special spot that I can sneak out to. I spend a lot of
time in here. Jeremy: That's amazing. All these things are
really right in very suburban, very central areas.
Phil: Yes. Jeremy: There's a lot of people here but seemingly
there's also a lot of really quiet spots, which I think is unlike any city that I've
been in personally, with the big climbs and everything like that.
Phil: That's the best part of LA, is how quickly you can get away from it.
Jeremy: I think it's the best-kept secret of LA and I think that's exactly what we've
been talking about the whole time that I've been here. There's so much-- You said earlier,
when we were talking about the GoPro, there's an hour and a half of riding in here alone.
For a regular layperson, they can park here, almost zero traffic or at park speed, and
have a great day. Phil: Totally.
Jeremy: You do two laps, you got a three-hour ride.
Phil: That's what all these people are doing. Jeremy: That's unbelievable. This is what
you do? Phil: Yes.
Jeremy: Literally, you go out, you rip around LA, shout out some sponsors.
Phil: Make videos. Jeremy: Make videos.
Phil: Yes. The KOM. Jeremy: Run the Cookie Fondo. Write books.
Tease people on the internet. Phil: It's not enough? Yes, it's enough, right?
Jeremy: It's a lot. I am impressed. I'm impressed about this little lifestyle that you've carved
out here in this seemingly place that you wouldn't think a professionally retired cyclist
would be. Phil: I appreciate it. Making it work.
Jeremy: Congrats. [00:14:20] [END OF AUDIO]