Founder of Grand Prix Leaves Legacy

On the back wall of local bike shop Ted's Manhattan Cycles, a cartoon separates the world into two types of people.

"There are only spectators and gladiators," it reads.

The slogan sets the tone of the shop, which is lined with bike racks and racing gear. Owner and racing legend Ted Ernst, in true gladiator style, is always moving on his feet.

"Standing is a bike rider's death, 'cause all the blood goes down in your legs," Ernst, 78, said. "You get no circulation, and you've got stale, dead blood. So you ride your bike to get moving."

Two years after Ernst opened the shop in 1960, he launched the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix —a 1.4-mile course that draws contestants from across the country and the world. About 1,000 people are expected to participate in today's race, which stretches up Valley Drive and down Ardmore Avenue, from 15th Street to Pacific Avenue.

In preparation for the race, Ernst is organizing a box of more than 1,000 safety pins into bundles, so that contestants can easily grab them to fasten their ID numbers to their jerseys. He occasionally interrupts our interview to chat with customers and answer their questions.

Ernst started racing in 1947, at a time when he estimates there were only 1,000 bike riders in the country. He was inspired by his father, who was also a racer and owned a bike shop in Chicago. Ernst spent the next decade training, traveling and racing around Europe and South America, though he never received a large enough sponsorship to enter the prestigious Tour de France.

Back in the States, Ernst declined to take over his father's shop and instead moved out to California, where he lived in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach before settling in Rancho Palos Verdes. He modeled his own bike shop after a family-oriented store, refusing to upgrade to a "big modern boutique."

When Ernst saw that there was no formal racing in the South Bay, unlike the yearly races near his hometown, he got the approval of the police and fire departments and the Manhattan Beach City Council to start the grand prix, which is now sponsored by Chevron and in its 49th year.

Ernst, who retired from competitive racing in the 1970s, takes a background role, giving advice to the grand prix committee, helping with event staging, managing the kids' races and dismantling the race course.

In the early 2000s, Ernst sold the shop. But when business dropped and the lease expired, he asked longtime friend Manny Felix to take ownership after reaching an agreement with the new owner. Felix, former rider for the Mexican National Cycling Team, first started racing when, during his newspaper route job, he was captivated by a pack of bike racers that zoomed past him. Hearing about a race in San Diego, he rode across the Mexican-American border with some friends. He later made his way to Manhattan Beach, where today he is working to rebuild the shop's credibility.

Though Ernst is less involved and visits the store now only by appointment, he said he enjoys encouraging cyclists, beginners and pros alike. Ernst advises that the pain from bike riding should come from the intensity of the exercise, never from a poorly fitted bicycle.

"You want to get off the bike and go, 'Oh God, I'm beat up. This is terrific, I love it,'" said Ernst. "You shouldn't get off the bike and say, 'Aw, my neck hurts, my back hurts, what the hell am I doing this for?'"

Locals can still see Ernst riding several times a week, putting in 15 to 20 miles around the neighborhood.

"No matter how hard you want to ride, it should be fun," Ernst said. 

Ted's Manhattan Cycles is located at 110 N. Sepulveda Avenue in Manhattan Beach.