Met John at his house and loaded up his bike, hit the road at 6:30. The start was in that field just outside of downtown, and we got there about 7:30, a little early but now I know how long it takes to get there from John's place. The weather was clear at the start and a little chilly, but not enough to wear full protective gloves and tights. I had ear warmers on and my light full-finger gloves and was just fine. Headed through town to the 78 and down to Pine Hills Rd. I got off to a somewhat slow start, so the lead riders had enough distance on me that I couldn't catch them. It took me awhile to catch John, who started with them. We rode on Eagle Peak Rd, Boulder Creek Rd, and Engineers Rd. Starting near the end of Boulder Creek Rd, the first significant climb began. It continued for much of the route on Engineers Rd, about 5 mi at 5% average grade. There is only one nasty section, the rest is quite manageable. Not too many riders, so I didn't see very many people on this section. I felt really good at the top, no lower back pain. I had stretched quite a bit before the start of the ride, so maybe that helped out. Stopped at the sag stop, refilled my bottle and waited for John. Then we headed over to Sunrise Hwy for the long trek up to the top. It starts at 4650' and ends at 5950', and there really aren't any steep parts, just some long stretches of climbing. Again, I felt good on this section, keeping a decent pace but not killing it. Waited at the top for John and had a PB&J sandwich and banana, again refilling my bottle. On the downhill, John and I rode together, I waited for him after the only minor climb and again at the turn back onto the 79. This last stretch has a little climbing, nothing major, then a nice steady downhill into Julian. The route then took us for a couple of miles down the Banner Grade before turning onto Wynola Rd and climbing back to the start, via Farmers Rd. The route took me by Camp Winacka, Camp Julian Oaks (formerly Camp Virginia), and Camp Stevens, and by the turnoff to Camp Cedar Glen. The last climbing section was bad but not as bad as I had feared. My legs held up really well throughout the ride, cardio could have been in better shape. At the end, we had apple pie and ice cream, it was pretty good. Then we drove back home. All in all, a good day and a good ride!
Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 54.6 mi
Avg heartrate = 152 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3680'
