Ride with John from home, via Poblado and Matinal to RB Rd. John wanted to get more miles in than Dave, so we took an extended route over to Dave's house. Went Bernardo Center Dr to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, then ?? to add another loop. Back to Bernardo Heights Pkwy, then down to Pomerado Rd and over to Stone Canyon Rd. This road has an initial short uphill section, then it's meandering until just before Martincort Rd, where it's steep for a short period again. Down Martincort to Espola Rd, which we rode down to Alondra. From Dave's we headed over to Escondido, then took BVP out to Valley Pkwy. From here, it was up to Valley Center, taking the grade uphill. This grade is about 2.5 mi, and the last mile is the steepest but not too bad. I had a slow leak in my rear tire for the last half mile or so, which I fixed at the top. We waited for John, then continued out to Lilac Rd. This road has manageable hills. On Old Castle Rd, there is only one climb of interest. a short, somewhat steep section just before the long downhill, which is really fun. You can ride it without brakes until the hairpin section, then some more. Over to the old 395, where John started to run out of gas. He was slow on the short uphill just past the turn, so we kept the pace on the flats lower. Dave and I rode out on the climb back, another 2.5 miler, and we kept together for about 2/3 of it, when I pulled away and Dave couldn't respond. At the top, we waited awhile for John, then continued on, staying together on this flat-to-downhill section. We followed the normal route home; I pushed the pace across the freeway but couldn't hold 30 mph for as long as I wanted to. Dave split off and headed to his place, while John and I rode home. Even after 50 miles, my legs felt good although I wouldn't have wanted to try a long climb at high effort.
Avg speed = 17.3 mph. Total mileage = 50.2 miAvg heartrate = 150 bpm
