Solo ride on a chilly Saturday morning. The roads were damp, and it was really cold at 7:00, so I waited an hour before starting. Emily started driving back to school around 6:45. Headed over the freeway and rode up Via Rancho Pkwy. Over by the park, there was ice on the road. The little steep climb was a challenge; it had been awhile since I'd ridden it. Rode over to Del Dios Hwy and down. I had a little bit of a tailwind on this section, and it helped push me up the little climbs heading into Rancho Santa Fe. I took La Gracia, then Via Arboles to get to Calzada del Bosque and Via de la Valle. These roads wind around, so I was really careful on the sharp curves. Good pace generally on Via de la Valle, which I took to El Camino Real. I dropped my pace a little here, readying for the climb to Del Mar Heights. Decent climb here, averaging over 10 mph the whole way. Pretty fast down to the 56 bike trail, where I was also cautious going around some of the sandy, wet corners. Headed up to Camino del Sur, and I kept my speed above 15 mph on the section between Carmel Valley Rd and Camino del Sur, even in the face of a modest headwind. Headed back to RB Rd, not really pushing the pace consistently anywhere. Took RB Rd over to Bernardo Center Dr, then home the normal route. Throughout the ride, I picked spots to stand up and pedal at fairly high effort for at least 80 strokes, working on building my leg strength.
Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 40.9 mi
Avg heartrate = 148 bpm
Total elevation gain = 2960'
