I got to the ride starting location early, in order to register and make sure I wasn't rushed. Had a banana and half of a bagel (coulda skipped this). Met up with Dave and John, and we started the ride near the head of the pack of riders. We all stayed together, along with a very large group of riders at the front. Very fast pace, as usual, all the way down into Sorrento Valley. On the big downhill, I kept hitting manhole covers, and I think one of the bumps jarred my cyclometer from registering. At the right turn, John and Dave dropped back, but I was able to hang with the lead group by putting in a pretty big effort. Stayed with them up El Camino Real but got separated a little bit from the peloton when I stopped to adjust my cyclometer. On the flats on San Dieguito Rd, I hooked up with two other riders, and we gradually pulled our way back into the pack. Felt pretty good about that. Some separation started to occur on the little climb up Via de la Valle, but I was able to hold my own, even though I started at the back of the group. So there was some separation again, and I reconnected with the main group on the small climb up to Bing Crosby Blvd. Pretty good climb up to the dam, not too many people passed me, and I kept my speed above 10 mph pretty much the whole way, having to slow down briefly in cyclist traffic to let a bus get by us. I could still see the leaders at the top of the climb, but they were far enough ahead that I wasn't going to catch them. Decent run on Via Rancho Pkwy, a little slower across the freeway, where I was out by myself and that's not my specialty. I stopped to wait for John and Dave at the light after the bridge over Pomerado Rd. I didn't know it, but Dave had had a flat and was slowed down to fix it. I ended up waiting about 40 min and finally decided to keep going. Took me awhile to get my legs pumping after the long wait, but I had an okay ride up Pomerado Rd. Quick stop by the sag stop just past Poway Rd, then onto the climb up to the top of Pomerado Rd. I was able to keep my speed above 9 mph for nearly all of the climb, just one nasty little bit where it briefly dropped below. It helped that there was a rider who was motoring up faster than me and another rider who was close to my pace and I was able to catch near the top. Fast descent and push to get over the couple of little climbs before the final finish. Legs felt generally good near the end, just a little tightening in my quads from the high exertion. Finished in 2:28 and felt really good about it, since my goal before the ride was to average at least 18 mph. My average heartrate was up there, not too surprising given the level of effort I put in and my overall fitness level (not that close to my peak).
Avg speed = 20.0 mph. Total mileage = 49.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 150 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3210'
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/1583926712
