Scripps Ranch Old Pros ride with John. It was foggy and misty on the drive over, and the weather stayed overcast for me in the first half of the ride. We got up near the front of the group for the start, but I wasn't clipped in at the beginning and that slowed me down. Once I got into rhythm, John and I were able to ride with a large group of riders who were all at the front. I wasn't having to work too hard, but it was necessary to keep alert in the pack, as a lot of the riders were moving around quite a bit. After we turned off Sorrento Valley Rd onto Vista Sorrento Pkwy, the pace slowed down. I pushed it and got up to the front of the pack, helping set the pace up this gradual uphill to Carmel Mountain Rd. I kept with the lead group up El Camino Real and down the hill toward San Dieguito Rd, staying with them all the way over to Del Dios Hwy. Once I turned right here, I slowed down somewhat, but the leaders started to put some distance on me. I stayed loosely connected to them over to the climb and had a good climb, keeping it over 11 mph all the way. We turned right on Rancho Dr, by which time the pack had spread out too much to be a group. I stopped at the SAG stop on this road and waited for John. Once he got there, we had some fruit and a short break. I didn't see him when he left and started back on the route, so he probably had 3-5 min on me before I got going again. There's a short, steep little climb to get back to Via Rancho Pkwy, and I was feeling good on the climbs. Good time on this section, moderate pace across the freeway, then I kept a fast pace on Pomerado Rd, trying to catch up with John. I saw him in the distance, but it was a chore to ride up to him, since there weren't many little uphill sections where I could close the gap. I finally caught him at the light at RB Rd. Just beyond, we stopped for another short break to say hi to Dave and Rachel. Then John and I rode together over to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, trading leads and benefiting from the draft, including some other riders at times. I felt reasonably good going up the hill to the top of Pomerado Rd, keeping my pace above 9 mph the whole way and feeling like I gave it a good effort. At the top, my average speed was reading 19.9 mph, so I knew I had a chance for a good ride. I pushed the pace on the downhill section, again trading leads with John. Once we turned onto Willow Ranch Rd, I kicked it up a notch and powered up the uphill sections to get to the finish at Hoyt Park. There was one brief time on Carroll Canyon Rd when I felt a little tightness in my left quad, but it wasn't a problem. My legs and cardio held up well throughout the ride, and I finished in record time, managing to average 20 mph and not overdriving my heartrate. I felt good about this accomplishment.
Avg speed = 20.0 mph. Total mileage = 48.7 mi
Avg heartrate = 151 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3220'
