Ride from John's house with all four of us. It was in the low 40's when we started, and I was a little cold. Headed over to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, and the downhill to Pomerado Rd was kinda chilly. Right after than, Jim had a flat, so we fixed that and headed up to the 67. I led out on the primary grade, although Dave was relatively close behind. I wasn't feeling in top shape and was trying to pace myself for the long ride. We headed down the 67 into Lakeside, where the others got ahead of me since my jacket was catching the wind on the downhill. Caught back up with them on Vigilante/Moreno, and we headed over Willow Rd to Ashwood, turning on Mapleview St and heading out to Alpine. Dave and I hung together on the climb up by Lake Jennings and in the first part of the gradual climb up Olde Highway 80. At about the halfway point, I accelerated and he didn't keep pace. Right around then, my jacket fell out of my back pocket, but he saw it and picked it up. Heading into Alpine, I was slow on the 2-mile climb, and my lower back was giving me trouble. Dave and John caught up right at the end. The ride back to the base of the Lakeside grade was relatively fast and uneventful. I knew I was going to have trouble on the climb back up, and I was right. It was slow going, and Dave got a little ahead of me in the first steep section. I caught up with him in the downhill section, and we rode together for much of the second climbing portion. John and Jim weren't all too far back from us. My legs were in decent shape, but my back was making it difficult to keep up a steady cadence in the saddle. I took to shifting up to a higher gear and standing up on the pedals, and that worked okay. With about half a mile to go, I rode past and he was unable to keep up. After that, I was the freshest of the four, and I kept good pressure on them to stay with me on the remaining climbing sections, easily leaving them behind on the last climb up Scripps-Poway Pkwy before the turn onto Springbrook Dr. I felt good at the end, with no real soreness in my legs. My cardio still has a long way to go before I am in decent shape, but I was generally happy with this ride.
Avg. speed = 15.8 mph. Total mileage = 50.6 mi
Avg. heartrate = 149 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3290'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/26397742/
