Well, it's just one week to go until the Boulevard Road Race. I've been training for this race for about 5 months now. I did manage to get in 175 miles this week, inspite of my hectic work schedule lately. Went out a did the course pre-ride this morning with a group from Ranchos and Chip, from NCCC. The course is pretty intense. Lots of downhill for the first 10-12 miles, then uphill until the 22 mile mark for the end of lap one. It will be two laps. I think the strategy for the race will be stay with the front group and conserve energy until the last 2 miles. At that point I will just be ready for anything. Today I kept my heart rate down in the low 170s. On race day, I will just have to do what I have to to stay with the front group. My hr always seems to go up a bit with the anxiety of competitive group rides, so I'm expecting a 5-6 beat per minute jump during race conditions. It doesn't matter that I've done over 5000 miles in the last 5-6 months in preparation for this race. It will be intense, as I've been told from many that have done the race in the past. On the other hand, I have all of that fitness to rely on. Bad day aside, I'm in pretty good shape and should do pretty well. Right now I'm at 182 pounds and feeling great. My training plan has been working well and it's time to put it all to use. Yes, this is my first race and until recently, I thought I might win it. After talking to numerous racers that have done this race, it sounds like it is ultra competitive and I will be happy to finish the race, let alone a top ten finish. Don't get me wrong, I'm an ultra competitive person and I'm not going for a ride next Saturday, I'm going to.........win damn it! I may be wrong, but I've invested too much time to try to do anything less. Good, I'm getting myself phyched up here.
For any of my non-ridinig people reading, the pain involved is unbelievable climbing! The flats, downhills can be exhilarting and fun, but the climbing is harder than anything I've ever done in my life. Nothing even comes close. I'm pretty good at climbs of 3 miles or less and maybe average 7-8%. Anything longer or steeper and gravity starts to wreak havoc on my 182 # frame. 175 #'s sounds good about right now, but all of my family and friends are already telling me I look anorexic (if you saw me with my shirt off you would hardly think so!) I still have some baby fat to lose and until it's gone, I'll keep droping weight.
Anyway, the plan for this week is to take it easy, go for a few good rides with some intervals to keep the intensity up, nothing too dramatic. Hopefully stay off the trainer and get on the road. My schedule this week should allow for it. I may take the rv out on Friday am to Boulevard and do one more lap prior to the race. I'll see how things go this week at work and watch the weather closely. I don't mind riding in the rain, but the race could get dangerous on the descent with rain.
The forecast next Saturday is for possible showers and 40 degrees. That will atleast keep the ice and snow away. Probably won't be too active on the blog this week unless something dramatic happens, so I'll post up results after the race!
Steven
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday Ranchos Ride
These Saturday rides have been my salvation lately, as I just haven't been able to put the miles in during the week that I used to. Ranchos was planning a southern route this day, so I would just ride from the house up to the starting point, then the ride would take us up into Ramona and down through Poway, where I would peel off and be done early with the same miles as the group. No dice, plans changed when I got to the start. We all agreed that the 78 going up to Ramona was going to be really wet and busy due to the traffic going up to Julian to see the snow. Lots of debris on the road and such. They decided the Northern route would be better, Jesmond Dean, Circle R, 395, etc. This wouldn't be a problem but I had to be at the airport by 1:00 so time was of the essence.
The ride started off as it usually does, nice warm up pace. The roads were really wet, so I had my fender on. Not sure of the advantage of this after looking at my rear brakes pads and drivetrain. It appears that the fender may keep the splatter off of your back, but it just constantly drips onto the rear brakes and cogset in the back. We headed out Jesmond Dean, which usually gets everyone's attention since the pace picks up pretty quickly towards the top. Gary is usually one of the instigators on this ride and today was no different. I was feeling really good and stayed with the few front guys. I decided to make a psuedo sprint over the top and was able to make it there first.
Next hill was Circle R or Castle Creek. I have been down this a couple times, but never up it, so I was a little gun shy on taking the lead on this. Gary was up front when someone yelled "flat". Gary kept going, but we all slowed for a moment, then decided to wait at the top. I was able to keep a good pace up this, but never caught up with Gary after the hesitation. Once we got to the top we headed back over towards 395. I was doing some different tactical things just to test my legs and went off the front for awhile. I know that it sounds feable, but these guys don't just let you go off the front so, it is worth the effort for the practice. They caught me at the top and we headed back down 395 for a break at the campground.
Next was Champagne, I hate this hill, ugh! I always try to conserve energy when going at this thing. It's not all that steep, which really keeps the pace up, but it is a couple miles long atleast. Three of us were off the front from about mid-way up the hill. I stayed back in 3rd until the 2nd guy started backing off. When I saw the gap get to about 5 feet to the front guy, I went around, at which point, the lead guy suddenly backed off as well. I knew that was coming, as no one wants to be up front. I just hit a steady pace and kept an eye out for who was behind me. With about a quarter mile to go, I moved my heart rate up to a steady 188. Up to this point today, I was keeping it in the low 180s on the climbs. I was able to pick up the pace and drop the guys off the back, or atleast about 50 feet or so.
From there, Jay and I headed back down to Poway so I could get to work. I knew I was going to be late to work. Nice cool down pace on the way back. Jay used to race and gave me a lot of intel on the Boulevard Race coming up. Probably the most valuable info I have got so far.
I was happy with my performance, I felt good and was able to sustain really hard efforts for long periods on the climbs. I was able to get in 140 miles this week, so I'm not off too far with my training. Of course, this week is going to be a ball breaker with lots of flying and simulator training.
The Kurt Kinetic has been working out great. I'm sure these intervals are really helping out. I don't spend more than about 1:30 on the trainer, as it would drive me nuts I think.
The ride started off as it usually does, nice warm up pace. The roads were really wet, so I had my fender on. Not sure of the advantage of this after looking at my rear brakes pads and drivetrain. It appears that the fender may keep the splatter off of your back, but it just constantly drips onto the rear brakes and cogset in the back. We headed out Jesmond Dean, which usually gets everyone's attention since the pace picks up pretty quickly towards the top. Gary is usually one of the instigators on this ride and today was no different. I was feeling really good and stayed with the few front guys. I decided to make a psuedo sprint over the top and was able to make it there first.
Next hill was Circle R or Castle Creek. I have been down this a couple times, but never up it, so I was a little gun shy on taking the lead on this. Gary was up front when someone yelled "flat". Gary kept going, but we all slowed for a moment, then decided to wait at the top. I was able to keep a good pace up this, but never caught up with Gary after the hesitation. Once we got to the top we headed back over towards 395. I was doing some different tactical things just to test my legs and went off the front for awhile. I know that it sounds feable, but these guys don't just let you go off the front so, it is worth the effort for the practice. They caught me at the top and we headed back down 395 for a break at the campground.
Next was Champagne, I hate this hill, ugh! I always try to conserve energy when going at this thing. It's not all that steep, which really keeps the pace up, but it is a couple miles long atleast. Three of us were off the front from about mid-way up the hill. I stayed back in 3rd until the 2nd guy started backing off. When I saw the gap get to about 5 feet to the front guy, I went around, at which point, the lead guy suddenly backed off as well. I knew that was coming, as no one wants to be up front. I just hit a steady pace and kept an eye out for who was behind me. With about a quarter mile to go, I moved my heart rate up to a steady 188. Up to this point today, I was keeping it in the low 180s on the climbs. I was able to pick up the pace and drop the guys off the back, or atleast about 50 feet or so.
From there, Jay and I headed back down to Poway so I could get to work. I knew I was going to be late to work. Nice cool down pace on the way back. Jay used to race and gave me a lot of intel on the Boulevard Race coming up. Probably the most valuable info I have got so far.
I was happy with my performance, I felt good and was able to sustain really hard efforts for long periods on the climbs. I was able to get in 140 miles this week, so I'm not off too far with my training. Of course, this week is going to be a ball breaker with lots of flying and simulator training.
The Kurt Kinetic has been working out great. I'm sure these intervals are really helping out. I don't spend more than about 1:30 on the trainer, as it would drive me nuts I think.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Just an update, been busy.
Been working out on my trainer during the last week. San Diego has gotten more rain this week than we've gotten in the last two years. Thank god I got the trainer last week. It's been working out great for intervals. I haven't been able to go out and put in 60 - 70 mile rides during the week like before, but the intervals are what my training plan calls for at this time anyway.
I'm still working with a customer from Sweden to get his CE 500 license. It's taking a long time, but that's all good for the business, so the cycling has sacraficed a bit. I don't see any let up in my schedule until the week of the Boulevard Race. I missed a preride last weekend of the course. I'm hoping to make it out to pre-ride, but it looks like it'll have to wait until the week of.
I have been watching my food intake as I haven't been able to burn as many calories lately. It's been working. I can see a noticable difference in my body fat percentage. I need to get my bodyfat percentage checked professionally. I'm assuming that it's in the 11-12% range, but that's a wag at best. I'm now 184#s @ 6'2". Climbing is getting much easier as I lose the weight.
I'm riding with Ranchos tomorrow morning. I know the route very well and am looking at gauging my fitness on this ride. I'll post up how it goes over the weekend.
I'm still working with a customer from Sweden to get his CE 500 license. It's taking a long time, but that's all good for the business, so the cycling has sacraficed a bit. I don't see any let up in my schedule until the week of the Boulevard Race. I missed a preride last weekend of the course. I'm hoping to make it out to pre-ride, but it looks like it'll have to wait until the week of.
I have been watching my food intake as I haven't been able to burn as many calories lately. It's been working. I can see a noticable difference in my body fat percentage. I need to get my bodyfat percentage checked professionally. I'm assuming that it's in the 11-12% range, but that's a wag at best. I'm now 184#s @ 6'2". Climbing is getting much easier as I lose the weight.
I'm riding with Ranchos tomorrow morning. I know the route very well and am looking at gauging my fitness on this ride. I'll post up how it goes over the weekend.
Monday, January 18, 2010
It's Official Now, I Have a USCF Racing License!
I went ahead and got my USCF Racing license this evening. $60. Had to have the license to sign up for the Boulevard Road Race. This race has been in my sights for months and it's only a couple weeks away now.
My work schedule has been hectic lately. I've worked something like 20 days in a row. Very unusual for me. It's all good though. I've backed my mileage down from the 180-200 range, down to 120 per week. I've raised the intensity as well.
I've started into the high intensity intervals that have been avoided for many months now. In order to get these done with all of the rain that was expected this week, I went and got a trainer. I got the Kurt Kinetic Rock n Roll. I had heard good things about it and I like the idea of it being flexible from a comfort standpoint. The only trainer I had ever been on up to this point was during the fitting of my bike back in August. I have found it to be great for intervals and for shorter workouts in general. Nothing replaces the bike for 50+ mile rides, but when I have an hour and a half to get a ride in prior to work, the trainer let's me waste no time at all. Additionally, the intervals are right on. No traffic, stop lights, signs, etc. I have really been able to get the most out of the intervals. My heart rate is off a little bit. Not sure if this is normal for trainer riding or not, but I'm having a hard time getting my heart rate up into the 180 range, with my max being the upper 180s or I've seen 192 a couple times. Getting my hr up on the bike is not a problem, especially in a group environment. Although the hr is low, the legs are burning something fierce. Maybe this is just an illusion that the workout seems harder on the legs. Maybe I'm just focusing on the pain since there isn't much else to focus on in my garage.
Anyway, I will be on the trainer in the am tomorrow for a good 2 hour workout. We are expecting heavy rain overnight, so this should workout great. I don't think I could spend a winter riding a trainer, as the other parts of the county do. I put my computer in front of me with some music or something on to pass the time. Passing time with the intervals going isn't too hard, but droning along at a steady pace could drive a guy up a wall.
One other thing I've been dealing with lately is de-hydration. I have been doing quite a bit of flying in our Citation. The envirnomental system in jet aircraft really dry out the air. As an example, I could fly across the country for 5-6 hours, drink 5 bottles of water and never have to use the restroom. Flying for 4-5 hours per day, drinking as much as I reasonably can, still leaves me de-hydrated. This definitely comes to light the following couple days if I'm riding. It's hard to pinpoint exactly the effect on performance, but it's noticable as far as endurance is concerned. Last Saturday, towards the end of my solo 70 mile ride, I was having a cramp develop in my left upper leg (vmo muscle???). I have never had this before and believe it to be because of the de-hydration. The flying is back down and I'm doing more simulator time this week. This should be the case for the next two weeks leading up to the race.
My work schedule has been hectic lately. I've worked something like 20 days in a row. Very unusual for me. It's all good though. I've backed my mileage down from the 180-200 range, down to 120 per week. I've raised the intensity as well.
I've started into the high intensity intervals that have been avoided for many months now. In order to get these done with all of the rain that was expected this week, I went and got a trainer. I got the Kurt Kinetic Rock n Roll. I had heard good things about it and I like the idea of it being flexible from a comfort standpoint. The only trainer I had ever been on up to this point was during the fitting of my bike back in August. I have found it to be great for intervals and for shorter workouts in general. Nothing replaces the bike for 50+ mile rides, but when I have an hour and a half to get a ride in prior to work, the trainer let's me waste no time at all. Additionally, the intervals are right on. No traffic, stop lights, signs, etc. I have really been able to get the most out of the intervals. My heart rate is off a little bit. Not sure if this is normal for trainer riding or not, but I'm having a hard time getting my heart rate up into the 180 range, with my max being the upper 180s or I've seen 192 a couple times. Getting my hr up on the bike is not a problem, especially in a group environment. Although the hr is low, the legs are burning something fierce. Maybe this is just an illusion that the workout seems harder on the legs. Maybe I'm just focusing on the pain since there isn't much else to focus on in my garage.
Anyway, I will be on the trainer in the am tomorrow for a good 2 hour workout. We are expecting heavy rain overnight, so this should workout great. I don't think I could spend a winter riding a trainer, as the other parts of the county do. I put my computer in front of me with some music or something on to pass the time. Passing time with the intervals going isn't too hard, but droning along at a steady pace could drive a guy up a wall.
One other thing I've been dealing with lately is de-hydration. I have been doing quite a bit of flying in our Citation. The envirnomental system in jet aircraft really dry out the air. As an example, I could fly across the country for 5-6 hours, drink 5 bottles of water and never have to use the restroom. Flying for 4-5 hours per day, drinking as much as I reasonably can, still leaves me de-hydrated. This definitely comes to light the following couple days if I'm riding. It's hard to pinpoint exactly the effect on performance, but it's noticable as far as endurance is concerned. Last Saturday, towards the end of my solo 70 mile ride, I was having a cramp develop in my left upper leg (vmo muscle???). I have never had this before and believe it to be because of the de-hydration. The flying is back down and I'm doing more simulator time this week. This should be the case for the next two weeks leading up to the race.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Crazy week and weeks ahead!
These are challenging times for my biking schedule. Work has taken off, no pun intended. Usually, this is not a problem, as we have instructors that can teach. But right now, we have a customer from overseas that is requiring all of my attention. He came last Monday, January 4th and looks like he will be here until the week of the 18th. Been working 7 days a week, but still fitting in bike rides as much as possible. I did get two quick rides during the week last week and was able to catch NCCC's group ride on Saturday. Sunday, I was able to do 60 on my own, so I ended up with 140 miles. That's the first time I've been under 180 in months.
This week I am starting into the higher intensity intervals. I have been waiting a long time to start on these to really push my strength endurance. I am using Scripps Poway Pkwy as a backdrop for my intervals. Basically 6 x 3 mins @ 90% and greater Heart Rate. It actually felt good to get a consistent burn into my legs. I will be doing these twice a week until my race on February 6 @ Boulevard.
My schedule will keep me from doing more than 150 miles per week until the race, but my base phase is complete and I should be able to carry this fitness through until after the race, as I increase the intensity of my workouts.
My body fat percentage is lowering as well. I haven't had it officially checked, but my weight is sub 185 now and staying there consistently, so I'm feeling really good on and off the bike. I won't be able to tell what my optimum weight is until I lose enough to start losing power and this certainly hasn't happened yet. I feel so much better at 185 than I did even at 190. Huge difference. I can't imagine being under 175, but I think 180 may be a good number for me to be at. Only time will tell, as it's very hard to lose the last pounds.
This week I am starting into the higher intensity intervals. I have been waiting a long time to start on these to really push my strength endurance. I am using Scripps Poway Pkwy as a backdrop for my intervals. Basically 6 x 3 mins @ 90% and greater Heart Rate. It actually felt good to get a consistent burn into my legs. I will be doing these twice a week until my race on February 6 @ Boulevard.
My schedule will keep me from doing more than 150 miles per week until the race, but my base phase is complete and I should be able to carry this fitness through until after the race, as I increase the intensity of my workouts.
My body fat percentage is lowering as well. I haven't had it officially checked, but my weight is sub 185 now and staying there consistently, so I'm feeling really good on and off the bike. I won't be able to tell what my optimum weight is until I lose enough to start losing power and this certainly hasn't happened yet. I feel so much better at 185 than I did even at 190. Huge difference. I can't imagine being under 175, but I think 180 may be a good number for me to be at. Only time will tell, as it's very hard to lose the last pounds.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday's Workout
A short ride today. Did my ILTs. I really don't look forward to these. I guess not too many people would. I did 3 x 2 min each leg with 1 minute rest between sets. 80 rpm, easy gear. I know there is controversy over whether one leg workouts really do any good, but this is what Rob has recommended, so I'm sticking with it until I get hard evidence they don't do any good. They are definitely working the hip flexors pretty good. Getting a good burn towards the end of each 2 min set. The argument is whether the same can be accomplished using both legs. I really believe that the one leg allows you to concentrate solely on the muscle being worked. This concentration is definitely an important aspect of any muscle building workout, so I can appreciate this part. It was a good workout done up in the business park in Poway. One of the problems with the ILTs is finding a good location to do them. The business park on a Sunday is a great place for them, but come M - F in the am, it's the worst place to be. I really don't feel comfortable doing these on heavy traffic roads. I have considered getting a trainer as a substitute, but do enjoy the rides after my intervals are complete, so the trainer would not be good for that. I would much prefer to go ride than be in the garage on a trainer. That would involve wiring up the garage for entertainment for the training session.
I took a ride up Scripps Poway Pkwy afterwards, keeping my heart rate down as low as possible(supposed to be <75%, which is 144). Today, that was 159 going up the 7% average climb. It's 1.8 miles long. That's one of the problems with my drive train. I have a record gruppo and a 25 for the largest cog in the back. There are quite a few hills during my rides and the heart rate has no choice but to get above the target at times. I don't think I will ever be able to climb Scripps at a heart rate of 144. 159 is the lowest I've seen yet. That was at 9.7 mph average, with an average cadence of 72. I am looking for a 27 cog for the back and will be interested to see what this does to the heart rate on an easy day. Obviously, on anything other than an easy effort, I'm not on the lowest cog, so it's not a factor.
I took a ride up Scripps Poway Pkwy afterwards, keeping my heart rate down as low as possible(supposed to be <75%, which is 144). Today, that was 159 going up the 7% average climb. It's 1.8 miles long. That's one of the problems with my drive train. I have a record gruppo and a 25 for the largest cog in the back. There are quite a few hills during my rides and the heart rate has no choice but to get above the target at times. I don't think I will ever be able to climb Scripps at a heart rate of 144. 159 is the lowest I've seen yet. That was at 9.7 mph average, with an average cadence of 72. I am looking for a 27 cog for the back and will be interested to see what this does to the heart rate on an easy day. Obviously, on anything other than an easy effort, I'm not on the lowest cog, so it's not a factor.
Pictures, pictures, pictures
Okay, finally figured out how to connect my Blackberry to the blog directly, so I've uploaded some mobile pics from past events that I've talked about. There has been a lack of pictures in the past because whenever I would download from my pc, it would kill the connection to the blog and then I would lose whatever I was working on. It worked a few times, but for the most part was a PITA. The blog should be a little more animated now. Oh yes, and my mother has pointed out that my spelling hasn't been stellar, so I'll try to remember to hit the spell checker button. Let's just call this Do Something Epic 2.0!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
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Chilli's Ride Jan 2, 2010
I thought this would be a good day to go do the Chilli's ride. I have been doing this ride about once a month for the last three months, so today was the day. I haven't been since completing the cycling camp out at Borrego Springs and also, I've been doing the Ranchos ride consistently. I was really curious how much improvement I've made in the fitness area. Aerobically speaking that is. Right now, I've just moved into the muscle endurance phase of my training program, so I have been building quite a strong base over the last few months of base miles. I have not concentrated on high intensity intervals, just low intensity. The saturday group rides are the one day of the week where I go out and ride competitively with the group. When I say comopetitively, I'm sure that the other guys are in an off season phase of their training as well, so you have to consider the results of the ride with a grain of salt. But, I am seeing the same guys each ride, so atleast there is some consistency to the make up of the ride and the route is the same on the Chilli's ride, so there are some definite fitness indicators.
Ride Report:
There are three decisive climbs during this ride. The total distance was 34 miles today. The first :20 it's a nice slow roll out. Once we turn onto Marina Blvd going North the pace picks up. You want to stay about mid-pack and the right side as the wind is coming from the left usually. The whole point is to be in the front group, conserve energy, yet still put in enough work to not alienate yourself from the group. I was able to get into a good position, as we went onto the bike path that would take us to the first, short climb. If you want to have any chance of being up front for the climb, without working too hard to get into a good position, you have to be in the front 5 or 6 at the end of the bike path. I was about # 6 coming onto the climb and able to stay in good position until 3/4 the way, where one guy came by. I latched onto his wheel and eventually passed him at the top. I came across the top soft pedaling in the front with a couple guys next to me. That was a great place to be, as I hadn't been able to get myself in that position on the previous two rides with this group. If you are getting the idea that there are some serious tactics involved during this ride, you are right. It's not neccesarily who is the strongest rider, it's the strongest at the right times.
There is a soft pedal regroup at the top of this climb. The next interesting part is to hop on Interstate 5 North at Gennesee (yep that's I-5). We are only on for about 3/4 of mile, but it's downhill and fast paced. A mistake at this point would put you down on the freeway with weekend traffic in southern california. Once we exit, we get onto Sorrento Valley Road, where nobody really wants to work with the "five minute" climb coming up on Carrol Canyon. I put in my time at the front and waited for someone to break away. Sure enough, a few guys came by and we caught their wheel. Red light going up hill. Had to stop, since it's a blind off ramp off of 805. This allowed quite a few riders to catch up that never would have otherwise. Once green, we went another 1/4 mile and turned onto Carrol Canyon. There is about 3/4 mile of flat before the road pitches up. It's not so long or even so steep, it's just a part of the ride that is ultra competitive. I had good position at the bottom and ended up with one other guy at the halfway point with the pack looming about 15 yards behind. Knowing that they would be coming or atleast a handful of them would, I was conserving, even when the other guy peeled off. When the group came by, I was able to latch on and keep up to the top. We ended up with about 6 guys at the top. I was at the back of that 6, but with them. I think I used a little too much energy at mid-climb. That combined with my weight (184) when most of these guys are in the 150 range is still a hinderance.
There is a regroup at the top and then the final run down Kearny Villa south running parralell to I-163. Actually, Kearny Villa is the old 163 for all of you familiar with San Diego. This is the last decisive part of the ride and ends with a sprint just before crossing over the 52 freeway. Last time, I mis read the sprint and thought it was just before crossing over the 163. Oopps! This time, I had great position all the way down. A break away group came flying by with about 1.5 miles to go. I latched onto them and got into another good position at 3rd inline. We were up to almost 30mph now on the flat. The guy in front of me went and I followed. He was up and kicking pretty good. I was still feeling really fresh, just upshifted and rode by him, continuing to upshift and still in the saddle. I could've upshifted once more and stood up, but there was no one who was coming around me, so I didn't need to.
The rest of the ride rolls back to Chilli's on Camino del Rio. A lot of people peel off during the roll in. I felt great and was happy with the ride. Tactics, fitness and strength all came together today. I guess it doesn' happen too often, but it did today. Cheers!!!!
Ride Report:
There are three decisive climbs during this ride. The total distance was 34 miles today. The first :20 it's a nice slow roll out. Once we turn onto Marina Blvd going North the pace picks up. You want to stay about mid-pack and the right side as the wind is coming from the left usually. The whole point is to be in the front group, conserve energy, yet still put in enough work to not alienate yourself from the group. I was able to get into a good position, as we went onto the bike path that would take us to the first, short climb. If you want to have any chance of being up front for the climb, without working too hard to get into a good position, you have to be in the front 5 or 6 at the end of the bike path. I was about # 6 coming onto the climb and able to stay in good position until 3/4 the way, where one guy came by. I latched onto his wheel and eventually passed him at the top. I came across the top soft pedaling in the front with a couple guys next to me. That was a great place to be, as I hadn't been able to get myself in that position on the previous two rides with this group. If you are getting the idea that there are some serious tactics involved during this ride, you are right. It's not neccesarily who is the strongest rider, it's the strongest at the right times.
There is a soft pedal regroup at the top of this climb. The next interesting part is to hop on Interstate 5 North at Gennesee (yep that's I-5). We are only on for about 3/4 of mile, but it's downhill and fast paced. A mistake at this point would put you down on the freeway with weekend traffic in southern california. Once we exit, we get onto Sorrento Valley Road, where nobody really wants to work with the "five minute" climb coming up on Carrol Canyon. I put in my time at the front and waited for someone to break away. Sure enough, a few guys came by and we caught their wheel. Red light going up hill. Had to stop, since it's a blind off ramp off of 805. This allowed quite a few riders to catch up that never would have otherwise. Once green, we went another 1/4 mile and turned onto Carrol Canyon. There is about 3/4 mile of flat before the road pitches up. It's not so long or even so steep, it's just a part of the ride that is ultra competitive. I had good position at the bottom and ended up with one other guy at the halfway point with the pack looming about 15 yards behind. Knowing that they would be coming or atleast a handful of them would, I was conserving, even when the other guy peeled off. When the group came by, I was able to latch on and keep up to the top. We ended up with about 6 guys at the top. I was at the back of that 6, but with them. I think I used a little too much energy at mid-climb. That combined with my weight (184) when most of these guys are in the 150 range is still a hinderance.
There is a regroup at the top and then the final run down Kearny Villa south running parralell to I-163. Actually, Kearny Villa is the old 163 for all of you familiar with San Diego. This is the last decisive part of the ride and ends with a sprint just before crossing over the 52 freeway. Last time, I mis read the sprint and thought it was just before crossing over the 163. Oopps! This time, I had great position all the way down. A break away group came flying by with about 1.5 miles to go. I latched onto them and got into another good position at 3rd inline. We were up to almost 30mph now on the flat. The guy in front of me went and I followed. He was up and kicking pretty good. I was still feeling really fresh, just upshifted and rode by him, continuing to upshift and still in the saddle. I could've upshifted once more and stood up, but there was no one who was coming around me, so I didn't need to.
The rest of the ride rolls back to Chilli's on Camino del Rio. A lot of people peel off during the roll in. I felt great and was happy with the ride. Tactics, fitness and strength all came together today. I guess it doesn' happen too often, but it did today. Cheers!!!!
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