Solo ride leaving from church right after the service. It was overcast and somewhat cool at the beginning. I headed over to Juniper St and to 2nd Ave, getting on to Grand Ave and taking it up to BVP. I headed out to Valley Pkwy and took it up to Valley Center. This climb is long (2.5 mi of it is at an average 4.7% grade), but the grade is generally manageable, although it seems to get a little steeper near the crest. I kept my pace above 10 mph for all of the climb except for the last quarter mile or so, where I just couldn't manage it. With maybe a little more fitness, I could make it to the top, but it sure didn't seem possible on this day. I headed over to Lilac Rd and took it west. There was some kind of organized ride going on, so I saw a lot of riders in Valley Center and on Lilac Rd. The downhill section on Lilac Rd is good going in this direction; it's longer than I remembered from going up. I stayed on Lilac Rd until turning off onto W Lilac Rd. This section is up and down, probably good training for the kind of terrain I will see on the second day of the BP MS150 ride. The downhill into Bonsall is about 5 mi long, with just a couple of flat or uphill sections. I stayed on Camino del Rey until I turned off onto Old River Rd. I had never been on this section before. It is a decent ride, but there is a steady climb of about 2 mi after it crosses the 76, and that was a chore. This road turns into Vista Way, then Vista Village Dr, and I stayed on it until I turned onto Melrose Dr. This was another workout section, with lots of little climbs, including one where I just couldn't keep my pace above 10 mph. I did fine on the climb on San Elijo Rd, which I turned onto from Melrose Dr. Back into Escondido via Harmony Grove Rd and Elfin Forest Rd, where I did okay on the gradual climbs, helped probably by a tailwind. I turned on 11th Ave and cut over to Valley Pkwy. There is a short, painfully steep little stretch that I struggled up, and I stopped to take a little break at the top. The climbs on Valley Pkwy and Via Rancho Pkwy went just fine, but my cyclometer quit reading my speed on the fast downhill section. I stopped to adjust it and continued on. Across the freeway, pretty slow, starting to feel all of the miles over the weekend adding up. I headed up Pomerado Rd to get more miles in and felt okay. At Paseo Del Verano, I turned left and negotiated the first short climb. Then it's roly-poly until by the Bernardo Winery, where I had to go all out on a short, pretty steep section to keep it above 10 mph. The road then drops generally down and back to Pomerado Rd, where I continued up to Camino Del Norte, noticeably slower than usual but feeling drive in my legs, which were holding up pretty well. I started slow on this little climb and ground out a steady, modest pace, feeling the headwind near the first crest and working against it until I turned onto Bernardo Center Dr. From here, it was an easy finish, following the normal way home and glad it was downhill with some wind to aid me. I feel really good about the average pace I was able to manage on this ride.
Avg speed = 17.0 mph. Total mileage = 68.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 137 bpm
Total elevation gain = 4690'
