Drove over to Carmel Mountain Ranch and parked by the shopping center near Cafe Luna. My cyclometer didn't start up for me, so I kept track of elapsed time using my heartrate monitor. It was overcast and dark when I left to ride over to John's house, but it lightened up okay. Still, I need a bike light set for these instances. Got over to John's and met up with him, Dave, and Jim for a ride up to the top of Pomerado Rd, then down to Miramar Rd, where the wind was helping us along. We generally stayed together on this section, with different riders taking the lead. Stayed on this road, turns into La Jolla Vliiage Dr, all the way to Torrey Pines Rd, which we took over and downhill toward La Jolla. Turned onto La Jolla Shores Dr. This road has a fairly short but kinda steep climb that wasn't too bad. Waited for the others at the top, then we continued over to Torrey Pines Rd, which we took all the way to the coast. The bridge was under construction, so we cut through the beach parking lot to get to Carmel Valley Rd. Over to the 56 bike trail, which we took all the way back into CMR. Jim was slowing down here, as he hadn't been riding much recently. On the gradual climb sections before Camino del Sur, John stayed with me for a little while but couldn't maintain the pace. Throughout the ride, he was riding strongly, only falling back on the longer climbing sections. Jim and Dave decided to cut their ride short, so John and I rode ahead, taking Ted Williams Pkwy over to Pomerado Rd. We stayed on Pomerado up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, where we turned right and headed up the short hill and back to John's house. I rested for a little bit, then headed back to where the car was parked. Felt okay on the minor climbing sections on Sabre Springs Pkwy and finished well, no muscle cramping or tightness.
Avg speed = 17.7 mph. Total mileage = 50.4 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2220'
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/63267748/
