Solo ride, initially, starting early to get some miles in before hooking up with the others. I rode over to work to see if I could find my other glove, which I lost on the previous day before riding home. I took the neighborhood route to RB Rd, the over Via del Campo to work. The glove was laying on the ground right outside the entrance door, which was most excellent. I headed over to Camino del Norte and then over to Poway Rd via Rancho Carmel Dr and Sabre Springs Pkwy. The wind wasn't helping me anywhere as much on Thursday afternoon, and my pace was off. I took Poway Rd back to RB Rd, then back toward Jim's house the normal route. I felt fine, just no real extra push in my legs. I met up with Jim, Dave, and John, and we headed out Duenda Rd and Poblado Rd over to Matinal Rd. Dave and Jim were lagging, but John was in reasonable shape from all of his marathon training, even though he hadn't been riding. We took Matinal Rd up to RB Rd, then over Lone Quail Rd to Dove Canyon Rd and down to Bernardo Center Dr. We took Carmel Valley Rd over to the 56 bike trail. I did okay on the little uphill section, pushing the pace somewhat but not over the top. We rode together after that, all the way to El Camino Real. Even though I started at a moderate pace on the gradual uphill on El Camino Real, I accelerated some to try and catch up with a couple of other riders ahead of me. The downhill was fun, and I dialed my pace back a little bit on the flats afterward for the others to catch up. We rode together briefly, then I pulled away for awhile, finally stopping to meet back up with them. Dave and I rode together to the base of the Three Witches climb, then John and I started up it together. I picked up the pace early on and had a pretty good, not great, ride to the top. I caught up again with the same two riders near the top, and I had to gut it out to keep my pace at a decent level at the top of the climb. We all gathered up on Camino del Sur, then John and I rode together for awhile until more separation as it started uphill. We gathered together at Casey Glen, and I slowed my pace down considerably, as Jim was really hurting from lack of recent riding. We rode basically together back to Jim's house, taking Cabela Dr off of Matinal Rd over to Duenda Rd. I felt fine at the end, legs in good shape and only a little tired throughout the day.
Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 50.3 mi
Total elevation gain = 3000'
Avg heartrate = 139 bpm
