John and I drove down together and parked in downtown San Diego. After getting our bikes ready, we rode over to the Embarcadero, where I picked up my registration packet and we got into line to wait for the staged start. We waited about an hour before our group was let onto the course, and then we headed over to Harbor Dr to Crosby Rd and then National Ave, taking the ramp onto the Coronado Bay Bridge. They had the entire eastbound side of the bridge closed off, which was quite nice. The cyclists were spread out all over the road, so it was a challenge to weave through the traffic and keep up my pace. Down onto Coronado Island, taking Glorieta Blvd and waiting for John to catch up. We continued on to Pomona Ave, which leads onto Strand Way. By this time, we had been routed onto the bike trail that runs along Silver Strand Blvd. Our pace was fast, and we caught on with a couple of guys riding single speed bikes and pushing it. I was able to hang on but John fell off the pace, so I kept with these guys. We stayed on the Bayshore Bikeway trail as it followed the Otay River, eventually getting onto Bay Blvd via Stella St. Over to Marina Pkwy, mixing in sections of street and Bayshore Bikeway until we got to W 32nd St, turning right off it onto Tidelands Ave and getting back to Harbor Dr. From there, it was a straight shot back to the starting point. For most of the ride, I kept with the single speed bike guys, trading leads and letting them do a fair amount of the work. Near the finish, they turned off and decided to ride the loop again, and I finished solo, arriving at the end in the early group of finishers. John came in about 10 min later or so, and we looked around the exhibitors before getting back on our bikes and heading back to John's truck. All in all, it was a very fast ride for me, and I was really tired out, but my legs held out well.
Avg speed = 20.3 mph. Total mileage = 25.5 mi
Avg heartrate = 14? bpm
Total elevation gain = 420'
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/1134042725
