I just walked in the door, back on the couch, relaxing in my Crusty The Clown pants, waiting for the CBS must see Monday TV to begin. After traveling across the country sitting on the 4th jumpseat, this is all I can muster for the evening. I left San Diego a soggy mess at 4:30am to arrive in BWI at 3pm and 60 degree temperatures. Nice timing.
I rode 285 miles in 6 days, not bad for January. Now I must make sure to keep on riding and working out everyday. I need to not repeat last years trend of getting in a big week and riding the couch til the next big week. That won't happen this year. The weather is going to be good for a nice ride tomorrow.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Swami Ride - The Last Ride of the Week
The San Diego area has so many great places to ride. And on top of that, it has some of the best group rides I've ever been on. There are multiple groups rides everyday for all levels of riders. Today I went on the 8am Swami ride from the Panera Bread in Carlsbad. The Swami rides are some of the hardest rides in the area. This ride is listed as the easier ride of the weekend. Apparently Chris Horner showed up for the harder Saturday ride and broke some legs.
We started with about twenty or so riders at a very steady pace climbing out of the coast onto the ridge before descending to the valley floor. Thirty minutes into the ride we stopped for a quick minute to pick up a couple more riders. The route had a lot of twist and turns, going thru neighborhoods and small back roads before we hit the real riding. Some of the guys at the front were a little slow to point out where we were turning, a few times I got caught by surprise with a quick left followed by a quick left.
When the roads opened up, away from the urban sprawl, the pace picked up to a nice roar. I few guys went off the front on a rolling flat road. I ,of course, went with them because I like that type of road. I made sure to stay third wheel so as to not take the lead since I had no idea where the heck we were. After a few miles we regrouped going down a very long descent and on to a flat section of road. I was helping push the pace when we turned to go back up hill, very dumb on my part. I tried to hang on as long as I could on the climb, thinking it was short. I popped and rode my own pace to the top. We all regrouped again at the top. I really enjoy riding on a group ride where you can go hard and not worry about getting left in the middle of nowhere to die a hundred deaths while riding alone. This pattern of going up and down and up and down, with big climbs and big descents continued for quite a few miles.
I'm not sure where we were at all during the ride. All I know is it was east and north of Carlsbad. But what I do know is it was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of riding in the Chianti region of Italy. The views of the valleys, mountains and vineyards were just like between Castellina and Gaiole. The big difference was the landscape had more of a desert feel with cactus and sage brush. We stopped at a general store at a campsite for lunch. From here we started another long climb that I was promised was the second to last climb for the day. My climbing legs were on their way out. Five miles of climbing later we topped out with a ridge ride until we made our way back to the coast. Because we started our ride with a gentle climb out of the parking lot, we had a nice cool down back to Panera Bread.
A 60 mile hilly ride deserves a good lunch, so I ate a sandwich and salad at Panera Bread. I sat with five of my riding companions for lunch. We all talked about how much fun and how beautiful that ride was. We then realized that non of us were locals. We all were in town for the great San Diego weather. We were from Northern California, Detroit, Atlanta, Vancouver and of course me from Pennsylvania. That explains why just a few people were ever on the front leading, because most of us were just along for the ride.
We started with about twenty or so riders at a very steady pace climbing out of the coast onto the ridge before descending to the valley floor. Thirty minutes into the ride we stopped for a quick minute to pick up a couple more riders. The route had a lot of twist and turns, going thru neighborhoods and small back roads before we hit the real riding. Some of the guys at the front were a little slow to point out where we were turning, a few times I got caught by surprise with a quick left followed by a quick left.
When the roads opened up, away from the urban sprawl, the pace picked up to a nice roar. I few guys went off the front on a rolling flat road. I ,of course, went with them because I like that type of road. I made sure to stay third wheel so as to not take the lead since I had no idea where the heck we were. After a few miles we regrouped going down a very long descent and on to a flat section of road. I was helping push the pace when we turned to go back up hill, very dumb on my part. I tried to hang on as long as I could on the climb, thinking it was short. I popped and rode my own pace to the top. We all regrouped again at the top. I really enjoy riding on a group ride where you can go hard and not worry about getting left in the middle of nowhere to die a hundred deaths while riding alone. This pattern of going up and down and up and down, with big climbs and big descents continued for quite a few miles.
I'm not sure where we were at all during the ride. All I know is it was east and north of Carlsbad. But what I do know is it was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of riding in the Chianti region of Italy. The views of the valleys, mountains and vineyards were just like between Castellina and Gaiole. The big difference was the landscape had more of a desert feel with cactus and sage brush. We stopped at a general store at a campsite for lunch. From here we started another long climb that I was promised was the second to last climb for the day. My climbing legs were on their way out. Five miles of climbing later we topped out with a ridge ride until we made our way back to the coast. Because we started our ride with a gentle climb out of the parking lot, we had a nice cool down back to Panera Bread.
A 60 mile hilly ride deserves a good lunch, so I ate a sandwich and salad at Panera Bread. I sat with five of my riding companions for lunch. We all talked about how much fun and how beautiful that ride was. We then realized that non of us were locals. We all were in town for the great San Diego weather. We were from Northern California, Detroit, Atlanta, Vancouver and of course me from Pennsylvania. That explains why just a few people were ever on the front leading, because most of us were just along for the ride.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Almost a Flat Ride
Today AJ and I spent the morning watching the waves at her favorite place, Windansea Beach. The winter waves are just amazing to watch. I have never been to this beach without seeing at least a handful of surfers. A pretty popular place indeed.
Afterward, we went for a 35 mile round trip ride down to Point Loma. This is mostly a flat ride straight down the coast with beautiful views. The coast towns just count by like the worlds class beaches they are, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach. From Ocean Beach the ride winds around and kicks up some of the steepest hills in the area. I thought I was going to flip over backwards, well almost. Then a steady 2 mile climb to Point Loma. The views from the point look down at San Diego Bay, downtown San Diego, downtown Coronado and North Island Navel Air Station. Pretty incredible views.
Our ride home took us around Fiesta Island and up to Mt Soledad National Park. This is another 2 mile climb. So much for a flat ride. It is nice how much easier this climb was this year compared to last year. 15 pounds lighter is the difference. Lighter is better.
Afterward, we went for a 35 mile round trip ride down to Point Loma. This is mostly a flat ride straight down the coast with beautiful views. The coast towns just count by like the worlds class beaches they are, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach. From Ocean Beach the ride winds around and kicks up some of the steepest hills in the area. I thought I was going to flip over backwards, well almost. Then a steady 2 mile climb to Point Loma. The views from the point look down at San Diego Bay, downtown San Diego, downtown Coronado and North Island Navel Air Station. Pretty incredible views.
Our ride home took us around Fiesta Island and up to Mt Soledad National Park. This is another 2 mile climb. So much for a flat ride. It is nice how much easier this climb was this year compared to last year. 15 pounds lighter is the difference. Lighter is better.
Another Beautiful Day in Paradise
Today we rode from Encinitas to La Jolla and back. 30 miles. Markus and Cameron are riding a century tomorrow so they just wanted to do a coffee ride. Eric from BikFit.com joined us for todays ride. We just spun our way south down the coast riding and chatting. The best thing about cycling is just riding along getting to know new people. That is what this whole week has been about. And of course getting some good quality base miles in. The only effort of the ride south was the climb up to Torrey Pines. We took the main road instead of the park road. The main road is a longer climb but has a more steady pitch. I felt really good about the consistent pace I was able to keep the whole way up the climb.
We stopped for coffee at Goldfish Point Cafe right in front of the La Jolla Coves. The euro way to ride is to ride for an hour, stop for coffee and ride for another hour. Works for me. Except I don't drink coffee. I can eat pastry though.
While riding out of La Jolla, back up to Torrey Pines, I dropped off the pace of the other three guys a bit. I just made the light to catch them at the top. Since I had a head of steam going from making the light, I kept the pace a little higher on the flats. We caught up to a guy in all yellow who was riding strong. He pulled us for the next few miles. Our pace was higher until we got to Solana Beach. Cameron had to stop at BL Bike Shop to have his chain worked on. The last few miles to Encinitas was nice and easy. Another great ride.
We all went to lunch at Denny's. I had a veggie omelet. Afterward the best part of the day was a recovery massage by Emily Baker from Velo Therapy. Life is good.
We stopped for coffee at Goldfish Point Cafe right in front of the La Jolla Coves. The euro way to ride is to ride for an hour, stop for coffee and ride for another hour. Works for me. Except I don't drink coffee. I can eat pastry though.
While riding out of La Jolla, back up to Torrey Pines, I dropped off the pace of the other three guys a bit. I just made the light to catch them at the top. Since I had a head of steam going from making the light, I kept the pace a little higher on the flats. We caught up to a guy in all yellow who was riding strong. He pulled us for the next few miles. Our pace was higher until we got to Solana Beach. Cameron had to stop at BL Bike Shop to have his chain worked on. The last few miles to Encinitas was nice and easy. Another great ride.
We all went to lunch at Denny's. I had a veggie omelet. Afterward the best part of the day was a recovery massage by Emily Baker from Velo Therapy. Life is good.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Nice Easy Spin Up The Coast
Yay right, 70 miles later, I am whipped out. I met the guys from Cyclefilm in Encinitas for a ride up the coast and back. We met up with a couple more guys from Nytro Bike Shop. Six of us rolled two abreast at a nice conversation pace up RT 1 to Carlsbad. Entering Carlsbad Cameron got what sounded like his umpteenth flat of the week. He decided to just stop for coffee and head back to the hotel. He just wanted an easy day anyway, he made a good choice.
The strong guy of the group was on the back side of a 90 mile day so he just wanted to keep steady tempo with a couple downhill sprints thrown in. Steady tempo was a really good tempo especially when we entered I5 for 7 miles. Yes that I5, Interstate 5, with the big rigs and fast moving cars and everything. Then we got on Old Route 1, which is a completely closed road that is used for a bike route. Very cool. This section of road goes thru Camp Pendleton. As we were rolling along my head was on a swivel watching all the different helicopters flying over head doing their maneuvers. Again very cool.
We turned around just before San Clemente. The strong guy and the old guy went home from here. Now it was just Markus, Simon and myself. Maybe because we were heading south, ei: downhill, the pace picked up quite a bit. I guess I picked up the tempo some myself too. That came back to haunt me. Simon began taking long strong pulls and Markus and I were doing our share as well. We rode thru Camp Pendleton on our way south. Pretty cool but that added a few more hills. Not my strength at all. I got dropped on every little hill. They waited for me. When we got back to Carlsbad Simon turned off for home too. Now we are down to just Markus and me. I was fading fast. Markus dragged me in the last 10 miles. We ended up with 65-70 miles of pure fun. Again I can't wait for tomorrows ride.
The strong guy of the group was on the back side of a 90 mile day so he just wanted to keep steady tempo with a couple downhill sprints thrown in. Steady tempo was a really good tempo especially when we entered I5 for 7 miles. Yes that I5, Interstate 5, with the big rigs and fast moving cars and everything. Then we got on Old Route 1, which is a completely closed road that is used for a bike route. Very cool. This section of road goes thru Camp Pendleton. As we were rolling along my head was on a swivel watching all the different helicopters flying over head doing their maneuvers. Again very cool.
We turned around just before San Clemente. The strong guy and the old guy went home from here. Now it was just Markus, Simon and myself. Maybe because we were heading south, ei: downhill, the pace picked up quite a bit. I guess I picked up the tempo some myself too. That came back to haunt me. Simon began taking long strong pulls and Markus and I were doing our share as well. We rode thru Camp Pendleton on our way south. Pretty cool but that added a few more hills. Not my strength at all. I got dropped on every little hill. They waited for me. When we got back to Carlsbad Simon turned off for home too. Now we are down to just Markus and me. I was fading fast. Markus dragged me in the last 10 miles. We ended up with 65-70 miles of pure fun. Again I can't wait for tomorrows ride.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
First Day Riding with Cyclefilm
After a morning walk down to the beach to watch the waves (I could get used to this), I drove up to Encinitas to ride the Cyclefilm Winter Social Networking Training Camp. What a great idea, getting cyclist together to share their varied interest in the sport we all love so much.
I met Markus at Days Inn for a 10am ride. We headed south along the coast to BL Bikes in Solena Beach so Markus could get a new tire. With a light drizzle we went away from the coast to try to find some warmer dryer weather. We held a nice steady conversation pace for most of the ride. The drizzle turned to rain and back to drizzle but it was a heck of a lot better then riding at home. We rode about 40 miles. I never really know how far a ride is because I don't have or even want any kind of telemetry on my bike. A ride is just a ride, enjoy it. Of course by the end of the ride the sun made its presence known.
Tomorrow I am going to meet Markus and Cameron for another ride at 10am. I can't wait.
I met Markus at Days Inn for a 10am ride. We headed south along the coast to BL Bikes in Solena Beach so Markus could get a new tire. With a light drizzle we went away from the coast to try to find some warmer dryer weather. We held a nice steady conversation pace for most of the ride. The drizzle turned to rain and back to drizzle but it was a heck of a lot better then riding at home. We rode about 40 miles. I never really know how far a ride is because I don't have or even want any kind of telemetry on my bike. A ride is just a ride, enjoy it. Of course by the end of the ride the sun made its presence known.
Tomorrow I am going to meet Markus and Cameron for another ride at 10am. I can't wait.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Let the Base Miles Begin!
Getting across the country is an all day affair. I was so excited for this trip that I woke up an hour before my alarm yesterday. This should have allowed me to get on the 10am non-stop flight to San Diego. After packing and repacking, I left my house with what I thought was plenty of time to negotiate I695 traffic. No such luck. There were three, yes three major car accidents on I695. I don't know how people commute to work everyday on this crazy road. I cranked up my cell phone GPS to get me around this morning mess. Ronda, the lady stuck in my phone, kept trying to send me back thru the crash scenes. 'Make next legal u-turn and go straight to a standstill for the next 45 minutes' I just kept on driving away from I695 while reaching in my seat back pocket for my trusty old road map. I got to the airport right at push time for the 10am flight. Oh well, the 12:25pm flight will have to do.
I checked in my bike box and another bag full of cycling clothes and cycling shoes. After a quick bit to eat, I went straight to the gate to stand for an hour so I could sign up for the 4th jump seat. Sadly I had to sit on the 4th jump seat on a 5 hour flight to Phoenix. I got to San Diego at 5pm and my bags made it there as well. Nice.
Today I woke up in paradise. Started the day off with a walk to the beach to watch the winter waves crash upon the rocks. Wow, I do love this place. AJ and I sat watching the waves while sipping tea and eating oatmeal for well over an hour.
AJ planned a great first day ride for me today. We rode out of La Jolla up to Torrey Pines and north to Del Ray. From there we headed east on beautiful rolling hills to Rancho Santa Fe. We completed the loop by riding back up Torrey Pines, that climb kicks my butt, and riding past the La Jolla Coves. 50 miles in 3 hours and 6 minutes is a great way to start my base mileage week in paradise.
Tomorrow I am riding with the folks at Cyclefilm. I really look forward meeting and riding with these guys.
I checked in my bike box and another bag full of cycling clothes and cycling shoes. After a quick bit to eat, I went straight to the gate to stand for an hour so I could sign up for the 4th jump seat. Sadly I had to sit on the 4th jump seat on a 5 hour flight to Phoenix. I got to San Diego at 5pm and my bags made it there as well. Nice.
Today I woke up in paradise. Started the day off with a walk to the beach to watch the winter waves crash upon the rocks. Wow, I do love this place. AJ and I sat watching the waves while sipping tea and eating oatmeal for well over an hour.
AJ planned a great first day ride for me today. We rode out of La Jolla up to Torrey Pines and north to Del Ray. From there we headed east on beautiful rolling hills to Rancho Santa Fe. We completed the loop by riding back up Torrey Pines, that climb kicks my butt, and riding past the La Jolla Coves. 50 miles in 3 hours and 6 minutes is a great way to start my base mileage week in paradise.
Tomorrow I am riding with the folks at Cyclefilm. I really look forward meeting and riding with these guys.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
My Bags Are Packed and Ready to Ride.
I am so excited to get out of this frozen weather, I gave away two days of work so I can leave early. I hope to make the 10am flight out of BWI to SAN tomorrow. It is listed as full but there is always the 4th jumpseat. That should tell you how ready I am, willing to sit 4th on a 6 hour flight. I must be crazy. California here I come!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Start of a New Cycling Season-- I may even try training this year.
Last year I started the year out with three week long base mileage trips, in Florida, Tucson and San Diego. Each of those weeks were great but the problem was the many hours I spent sitting on my ass eating everything in the house between training weeks. I weighted more in April then I did in December. Not a smart start of a season. This year is going to be different.
How? For the first thing I started already. Back in November I started watching what I eat. I've gone from 205lbs to 188lbs so far. I've yo-yo ed a bit but for the most part it has been going pretty good. During the holidays I only had one bad day of over indulging. Pretty good for a cookie and chocolate junkie. I have a goal of holding 185lbs then working on bring down the body fat percentage. My racing weight will be what ever it is when my % body fat goes from 25% to 15%. Thats the goal.
I've also started lifting weights. Wow! I know! Me lifting weights.... amazing. I even workout on my overnights. I haven't done that in years. To help me stay consistent I've moved my trainer and weights out of the basement into my second bedroom. I've made it into a full blown exercise room with padded floor, large wall mirror and flat screen TV. I can already see a difference in myself. My little stick arms are getting some shape and even feeling stronger. My abs are getting firm and showing signs of losing the fat covering I've always had since childhood. I'm not one for following a set workout program so I've been just working out when ever I can and just doing what feels right for me. Just trying to stay consistent.
Part of my changed views on working out on my overnight also includes taking a Yoga class. Ok, so far I've taken just one Yoga class but that is a start. I have a bunch of Denver overnights coming up and I've found a class that begins at 2pm every day at Core Power Yoga. Trying new things.
Riding the trainer has not been as consistent yet. I need a kick in the ass to get started. So, I'm going to spent a week in San Diego getting much needed base mileage. Thanks to Facebook I've found a training camp in Encinitas. I am going to spend a week riding with Cyclefilm http://www.cyclefilm.com/. I hope to ride with good people and get that kick start I need. 7 days of riding 3-5 hours a day should do the trick.
This year I am going to stay consistent.
How? For the first thing I started already. Back in November I started watching what I eat. I've gone from 205lbs to 188lbs so far. I've yo-yo ed a bit but for the most part it has been going pretty good. During the holidays I only had one bad day of over indulging. Pretty good for a cookie and chocolate junkie. I have a goal of holding 185lbs then working on bring down the body fat percentage. My racing weight will be what ever it is when my % body fat goes from 25% to 15%. Thats the goal.
I've also started lifting weights. Wow! I know! Me lifting weights.... amazing. I even workout on my overnights. I haven't done that in years. To help me stay consistent I've moved my trainer and weights out of the basement into my second bedroom. I've made it into a full blown exercise room with padded floor, large wall mirror and flat screen TV. I can already see a difference in myself. My little stick arms are getting some shape and even feeling stronger. My abs are getting firm and showing signs of losing the fat covering I've always had since childhood. I'm not one for following a set workout program so I've been just working out when ever I can and just doing what feels right for me. Just trying to stay consistent.
Part of my changed views on working out on my overnight also includes taking a Yoga class. Ok, so far I've taken just one Yoga class but that is a start. I have a bunch of Denver overnights coming up and I've found a class that begins at 2pm every day at Core Power Yoga. Trying new things.
Riding the trainer has not been as consistent yet. I need a kick in the ass to get started. So, I'm going to spent a week in San Diego getting much needed base mileage. Thanks to Facebook I've found a training camp in Encinitas. I am going to spend a week riding with Cyclefilm http://www.cyclefilm.com/. I hope to ride with good people and get that kick start I need. 7 days of riding 3-5 hours a day should do the trick.
This year I am going to stay consistent.
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