Ride from John's house with him and Dave. It had rained during the previous night, so the roads were wet, but the sun was peeking out at the beginning of the ride. We headed up Scripps-Poway Pkwy to the 67, then down the Lakeside grade to Vigilante/Moreno. On this climb, I was riding the bike borrowed from David and Christine, and it really seemed like I had to work much harder to get up the grade. For this portion of the ride, it was humid and wet on the roads but not raining. On Moreno, John suggested that we all try to keep a 25 mph pace. We tried, but the wet roads prevented any drafting. John and I traded turns in the lead at about 23 mph, but we couldn't keep it up. We turned right on Willow Rd, then onto Lakeside Dr and then Riverside Dr. At about this point in the ride, we had gotten onto roads that had been rained on very recently. Turned right on El Nopal, which we rode on to Timberlane Way, where we took a left and got over to Mast Rd. Took this road all the way to the 52, and the uphill sections got us warmed up for the long (about 2 miles, but it felt like longer), gradual climb up the 52. On the downhill section to Santo Rd, it started to rain pretty heavily, so that section was miserable. Took Santo Rd over to Clairemont Mesa Blvd, which we took up to Ruffin/Kearny Villa Rd. Followed this to Pomerado, with rain squalls and very wet roads making it challenging. Up Pomerado, where I was really beat. On the flatter sections, John and Dave got ahead, but I caught up to them in the latter portion where it got steeper. Even still, I was wiped out at the top. Headed back the normal route, and I was really glad it was all downhill. This was clearly a day when it felt fantastic to finish the ride, the hardest 40-mile ride I had done in quite a long time.
Average speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 39.2 mi.
Total elevation gain = 1970'
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/san-diego/403126671311342704
