Didn't seem that long ago and I was posting about the snow in the Antelope Valley. Here it is, a few weeks later and I'm posting about the 78 degree days and moving to the shady spot at our apartment pool here in San Diego because I'm getting hot in the sun. This is the weekend I'm down in San Diego but all last week, my afternoon rides in the Antelope Valley were also blessed with temperatures in the mid to high sixties. I just can't imagine having to do fixed trainer rides in my basement while the snow piles up outside - as my Roadie buddies in the Mid-West and Eastern side of the Country are facing.
I'm typing this on Sunday after just completing the Cyclo-Vets Saturday ride course. I did the 45 mile Torrey Pines variation on my own today as both a recovery ride from yesterday and a chance to put some slower miles under my belt. Yesterday or Saturday, I also rode the Cyclo-Vets ride and here is my account of that ride.
I leave our apartment at around 8:00 am and head down the bicycle trail that drops into the North section of Qualcomm Stadium. The temperature is in the low 50s and I'm wearing arm warmers with my jersey but just regular bicycle shorts. The weather report is for temps to hit the high 70s to low 80s and I don't want to mess with taking leg warmers off when the temps go up.
I cover the 5.5 miles to Mission Valley Mall in about 20 minutes and see around 40 Cyclo-Vet members getting ready for this morning's ride. There is still 10 minutes to go so I start doing my usual spin around the mall parking lot to pass the time. I get about 3 laps in but figure it's time to head to the gathering spot with the other club members. I actually do a head count of members and get to just over 40 with more arriving. Quite a difference from my Antelope Valley Saturday ride where I'm lucky to have 5 or 6 other riders to spin through the miles.
Pretty much on time, the group heads West out of the parking lot on Camino de la Reina. Like the start of most Saturday rides anywhere in the Country, this one starts out slow and social. I'm new to both the club and the area so really don't have anyone to talk to yet. I only ride with the club every other weekend so that doesn't help either. I've learned a few of the hammerheads though, as that is the group I always want to stay with. But at this point in the ride, the hammerheads are content with cycling easy and talking about their adventures during the last week.
We turn right into the Fashion Valley Mall South Parking lot and head West to Fashion Valley Road where we turn right for the short stretch north to Friar's Road and a left so that we are heading west again. We stay on Friars until Napa, where the group makes a right turn and heads a couple of blocks north until West Morena Blvd comes up on our left. The group is still pretty social at this point but you can feel the anticipation of the group as the pace picks up to around 20 mph and a couple of the hammerheads begin to slowly move up toward the front. It is around this point that I also begin to move to the top ten point and wait to see what will develop. As we get closer to the Garnet/Balboa cloverleaf several riders increase the speed to near race pace and the "race" is on. I jump out of the saddle and stay with the top 3 guys as we merge onto the Garnet Ave off ramp to the right. I'm in the 3rd position as we circle the off ramp and enter Garnet with Santa Fe road coming up quickly on the right. I watch the first rider turn right on Santa Fe and stand up as he's heading up the 5% incline. I take the turn fast and jump up on my peddles and pass the number 2 rider and catch and overtake the number 1 rider as Santa Fe levels out somewhat to a pretty much steady 2% grade. I look back and see a group of 15 riders or so coming up so we let them envelope us and begin a fast rotating paceline up Santa Fe. Within a couple of miles Santa Fe ends and a bike path takes over. This path parallels the 5 freeway and continues North for a couple of miles. Speed is high but controlled as other bikes and runners share this path. I pretty much stay in the top 5 as the bike path comes to an end and we take the right onto La Jolla Colony Drive. La Jolla Colony Drive is a steady 2-3% upgrade and a great place for an attack. And an attack is what we get...a women named Cindy makes an excellent attack but can't free herself from the top 10 riders. Just as this attack settles down, I attack and separate 4 of us from the group. I make a fast right turn on Palmilla Drive with 3 guys right on my wheel. I rotate out from the front just as one of the guys attacks with another rider going with him. I try to go too but the 3rd guy can't make the jump and I'm stuck behind him. I swing hard to the right and using the gutter go around him ten meters behind the 1st and 2nd riders. We make the right turn onto Arriba St. and the 1st race simulator of this ride comes to an end. I ease up to the other two riders as we make the left arrow and turn onto Regents road and the first regrouping at Doyle Park. There is about a 10 minute break here as riders use the park's facilities and we wait for all of the group to gather. It is at this point that the group will break up into 3 groups. Some will go straight back the way we came, others will go to Carroll road and back, and my group that will head out to the beach and come back via both Torrey Pines and Carroll road.
There are at least 3 more race simulations and 2 more regrouping points on this ride. The next race simulation is more of a time trial up North Torrey Pines road. There is a parking lot with an exit road at the North base of the climb and the group starts timing there time trial at this point. At the top of the climb to the South is a flashing yellow sign and that's the end point of the TT. Today, I do the climb in 6:41. My Garmin shows about 1.45 miles and a climb just over 400'. One of the regrouping points is also here.
The ride continues and enters the 5 freeway North for an immediate exit on Sorrento Valley Road. The group continues S/E on this road leading to the second to last race simulation in Carroll Canyon. Carroll Canyon road is a "sprinter's hill" though I have not put my Garmin on it - need to remember to do that the next time I'm on this part of the course. This leads to another regrouping point at a Mexican tile store on the right about a quarter of mile from the intersection of Carroll Road and Miramar Road.
The last race simulation is on Kearny Villa Road heading South from Miramar Road. This several mile run is probably the most intense of the race simulations. The slight upgrade and head winds make for several attacks. Today, Dr. Arnie Baker (a local legend around here and in the club for his racing and coaching prowess)is driving a racing tandem with Janelle, a local pro racer, as his stoker. Arnie is always the guy to watch on this last part of the ride but on a tandem with a rider of Janelle's abilities, if you don't jump on their draft immediately it's over. With just around 300 meters to go, the tandem jumps and we're off. The lead group was already well over 20mph but the tandem surge is above 30mph and only several riders make the jump. I'm there, John, and Vince and a couple of other guys I haven't learned their names yet but the remaining 15 or so members of the group are OTB. As we get closer to the traffic lights at the end of the Kearny Villa run and slow down, John looks over at me and says, "I live for the last 200m of this ride." Or something to that effect. And I sure know what he means...
See the complete route at MapMyRide.
