LAKE PIRU : 10,000 Motorcyclists Expected at Muscular Dystrophy Benefit

With 10,000 motorcycle riders expected to visit Lake Piru on Sunday, state Highway Patrol officers said Ventura County residents should avoid parts of California 126 during the morning and late afternoon.

“Love Ride 9,” billed as the largest one-day fund-raiser by motorcycle riders in the world, will bring 10,000 to 15,000 motorcycle riders to the Lake Piru Recreation Area.

Motorcycle riders participating in the event, which raises funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., will begin their trek at 10 a.m. in Glendale and go north on Interstate 5 and east on California 126.

Traveling in groups of 200 to 300, they are expected to arrive at Lake Piru between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Following a picnic and live entertainment at the lake site, the caravan is expected to begin leaving about 4 p.m.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Webb said he would advise motorists to avoid California 126 and Interstate 5 between Piru and Glendale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. through the early evening.

“It might be quicker to go around” on the Ventura Freeway, he said.

But for those motorists who will be traveling through the area, the Highway Patrol has assigned extra patrol cars to maintain safety, particularly at the Main Street turnoff leading from California 126 to the lake.

The public will be welcome at Lake Piru Recreation Area throughout the day Sunday because the riders will be confined to the park’s main picnic area, said Vicki Infantino, a gatehouse clerk at the park.

“The rest of the lake is open to the public,” she said.