Ride over to Robert's house, where I met up with him and headed over to the starting location at the Target in 4S Ranch. 11 riders in the group on this day: me, Robert, Ray, Jed, Cam, Mer, Charlie, Edson, Kamal, Mark, and Andy. I found a rear flat just as we were about to start, but I changed it pretty quickly. We headed back the way we had come, down RB Rd and over W Bernardo Dr to Pomerado Rd, to get to Highland Valley Rd. It was cold enough for my fingers to get numb in the flats on the way to the climb. Once we started up, it was Cam, Ray, and I who were in front for a while, then Cam dropped back. At one point, Ray got out ahead and I couldn't respond. But I kept going steadily, and toward the end of the climb he slowed down, allowing me to power past and lead the way to the top. We gathered there, waiting long enough for Garry to join us, then continued over to Bandy Canyon, heading down and over toward the 78. On the way there, Jed had a flat, so we stopped to fix that. Took the 78 to Old Milky Way, then we turned right at the end and then a fairly quick left onto Old San Pasqual Rd. I don't believe I have ever been on this road, and it climbs up to a tee, where we took a left onto Summit Dr. This one has a shorter, steeper climb, and the lead group missed the planned turn onto Mary Ln. I was able to keep in front on the climbs. So we rode it up and then down to the 78, where we waited for a bit and then realized our mistake. Took the 78 to BVP and then pushed the pace to get back to the meeting place at the Shell station by the mall. Garry and Mark left separately and headed back home at this point. After a long break, including Edson having to fix a rear tire flat, we headed up Via Rancho Pkwy over to Del Dios Hwy. On that short, sharp climb past Felicita Rd, it was me, Cam, and Ray again, and they were ahead until I passed Cam and tried to stay in contact with Ray. Same thing, near the top of the climb I still had juice and was able to get to the top first. Then it was down Del Dios Hwy and up that little gradual climb into Rancho Santa Fe. Same thing, but closer contact among the lead riders. Most of us rode the reverse stud loop over to Via de la Valle, and Robert and I were able to catch up with Ray and Cam, who got out ahead of the others. In the end, I had more stamina than the others, although I was definitely starting to feel it in my upper legs, especially when I got out of the saddle. Down to Via de Santa Fe and over to San Dieguito Rd, where we took another break and ended up waiting longer for Kamal to fix another flat on the road. At this point, my right cleat broke, so I couldn't clip in. This made standing up on the pedals difficult, but that was okay because I was ready to just push up the 3 Witches climb. On this one, Cam got out ahead and I didn't have anything to respond with. I rode the rest of the way back with Robert, he and I were at about the same exhaustion level, I had maybe a little more push left. Back to the starting point for a short gathering, then we rode back to our homes, slowly. Other than that time on the way into Rancho Santa Fe, my legs felt fine for the rest of the ride, just tired from the exertion.
Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 56.8 mi
Avg heartrate = 135 bpm
Total elevation gain = 3920'
