09-27-2022 Ride

Ride with David Thompson while we were staying at Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite Valley.  We took the loop around the valley heading west, and at the turn off toward El Portal, we bore right and rode a little extra flat before the road started dropping. We took it down for about a mile before stopping and turning around.  David was using electric assist, and he turned it up a notch on the climb back up.  I could barely keep up with him, and I was spinning about 250W, which was about all I could handle.  Once we got back to the flats I caught up with him and was able to pass him on the gradual climb back to the road heading east toward the starting point.  From there we rode basically together to the campsite.

Avg speed = 16.0 mph. Total mileage = 16.6 mi

Avg power = 102 W. Avg weighted power = 148 W

Total elevation gain = 500'

Avg heartrate = 109 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7876517010

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/51065476338

09-26-2022 Ride

Solo ride on the first morning we were in Yosemite.  Headed out from Housekeeping camp on the general loop around the valley, making good time in the flat sections out toward El Capitan.  At the end of the valley, I turned to head back and then rode the climb up to Tunnel View, a little over a mile.  Took a couple of pictures there and then headed back, feeling a little bit of wobble in my front wheel on the long downhill back.  Probably due to my handlebars not being tightened enough.  Then it was a fairly straight shot back to our campsite, at pretty good pace.

Avg speed = 18.3 mph. Total mileage = 16.1 mi

Avg power = 172 W. Weighted avg power = 184 W

Total elevation gain = 720'

https://www.strava.com/activities/7876519186

09-25-2022 Ride

Solo ride while we were staying in Visalia on our way to Yosemite.  I won't describe the roads I took, you can look at the map.  Generally headed north and east and found myself on the outbound section on a bike trail by a dry riverbed, I missed a turn.  Rode through Ivanhoe and then continued on a farm road that was dead flat.  After turning around, I retraced my route back past the turnoff to the bike path by the river and stayed on roads back into Visalia before getting back to the AirBnB.  This was a fast ride, helped me think about what it would be like to ride a flat time trial.

Avg speed = 18.3 mph. Total mileage = 24.8 mi

Avg power = 169 W. Weighted avg power = 173 W

Total elevation gain = 30'

Avg heartrate = 140 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7866014219

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/51017747150

09-24-2022 Ride

Solo ride in the morning before heading off to Yosemite.  Headed through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then also through the 4S Ranch neighborhood before getting back onto Camino del Sur and taking it down to San Dieguito Rd.  Through the flats and over to El Camino Real, where I turned left and rode up into Del Mar Heights, keeping it above 10 mph the whole way with an effort.  Then it was down to the 56 bike path, which I took back up, turning off at the connection to Salmon River Rd and riding to Paseo Montalban to get to Black Mountain Rd.  Up to Carmel Valley Rd, where I took a left and rode back down to Camino del Sur, turning right.   Up to Paseo del Sur, taking it through that neighborhood until I got back to Camino del Sur.  Right here, following Camino del Norte all the way over to Bernardo Center Dr.  Followed the time trial route from here but continued on W Bernardo Dr down to Aguamiel Rd, where I turned into the neighborhood and added a little extra distance by riding up Aguacate Way and Creciente Way to get back home.

Avg speed = 16.6 mph. Total mileage = 40.2 mi

Avg power = 150 W. Weighted avg power = 184 W

Total elevation gain = 2430'

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7860218275

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50963774088

09-22-2022 Ride

Ride after work with Blair and Liz, was a nice day for a ride, a little windy with a coastal breeze.  We headed down W Bernardo Dr to the pedestrian bridge across Lake Hodges and then took the route behind the mall to get to El Ku Ave.  Up to Sunset Dr via Escondido Blvd, then over to BVP.  The coast from the top of Sunset Dr down and back toward the mall was nice.  We retraced our route back to HP back parking lot, so this ride had most of the climbing back-end loaded.  I felt pretty good on the climbs, especially the stretch up to Duenda Rd.

Avg speed = 14.9 mph. Total mileage = 15.5 mi

Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 172 W

Total elevation gain = 970'

Avg heartrate = 124 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7852440345

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50958376619

09-18-2022 Ride

Solo ride over to Dave's house, taking the freeway and the route behind the mall.  I didn't feel fast on that stretch, but I got there in just 20 minutes of riding time.  Met up with Dave and Jim, and we rode the Escondido time trial route.  Pretty good success with traffic lights on the way out through Escondido, and I was taking advantage, pushing a good pace.  The others were right there until we got out by the high school, and the slight ascent slowed them down more than me.  I hung back a little but eventually rode at my pace, including the little climb past Country Club Ln.  On the following climb up to Deer Springs Rd, I tried to monitor my power and keep it at 250 W or above, and that helped me to have a fast segment.  Legs were tired from the previous day, but I was able to climb okay, having to get out of the saddle more than I would have preferred.  On the return back through Escondido, I kept pushing the pace but getting out ahead of Dave and Jim, then slowing down to give them time to catch up.  Eventually, I decided to ride at my own pace, and I ended up with a time of 57:20, which might be a new PR for this time trial route.  Ride home was uneventful, was able to keep it above 10 mph on the last two little climbs, but it was an effort, as usual.

Avg speed = 17.7 mph. Total mileage = 27.0 mi

Avg power = 163 W. Weighted avg power = 179 W

Total elevation gain = 1320'

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7829130667

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50828305590

09-17-2022 Ride

Ride over to Gideon's the normal way, where I found he wasn't riding, so I continued to the 4S Target, taking the route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood and including that little ascent to the top of Four Gee Rd.  On this ride, there were: Charlie, Eric, Nestor, Andy, Gio, Cheng, Arnold, Perse, Jhonar, Kamal, Jamil, Fritz, Sammy, Jed, and Edson.  We headed out Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd, with Kamal and Jamil pushing it on the first little climb.  I caught up and pushed a fast pace down to El Apajo, where we regrouped.  Over to Via de la Valle, where we rode up and took the Stud Loop to El Montevideo.  I caught up with and stayed ahead of everybody on this stretch, was feeling in pretty good shape.  Over to Lago Lindo, taking it to El Camino del Norte.  On the downhill stretch, Jed and Fritz got out ahead, and several of us tried, without success, to catch them.  We turned right onto Rancho Santa Fe Rd and took it up to Olivenhaim Rd, turning left and then right onto El Camino Real.  A group of us were out in front, and I got out in front of them to make sure we turned left onto La Costa Ave.  Fast pace on this stretch, with Fritz again getting out in front, and I was only able to catch up to him just before we turned onto the Coast Hwy.  Rest stop at the normal 7-Eleven, then we rode at decent, but not scorching pace through Leucadia, Encinitas, and Cardiff.  On the little stretch up into Solana Beach, Sammy, Fritz, Arnold, Jhonar, and I sprinted, and I was all out to try and stay in the mix.  Sammy may have won, but I passed him at speed right after, felt okay with my effort.  Down to Via de la Valle, where we turned and rode over to El Camino Real and then to San Dieguito Rd.  While everybody gathered there and caught their breath, I encouraged them to form an organized pace line at a speed that we could maintain, and it worked pretty well on the flats, decent rotations and somewhat orderly.  Another short break at the gas station before the Three Witches climb.  I was still feeling like I had power left, and it was also still overcast, so I put in a good effort here, following Nestor up the last pitch and catching him right at the summit, still pushing hard all the way to the light at Camino del Sur.  Another gathering point at this corner, then it was pretty splintered on the last stretch.  I stayed in the lead group and eventually had enough left to finish in front of the others with Fritz.  On the ride home, I tried successfully to keep my average speed for the entire ride at or above 18 mph. Felt good on this ride, no real muscle cramping, and there were several stretches where I was able to put in a sustained power effort or to give it a push at high power for a short period.

Avg speed = 18.0 mph. Total mileage = 50.7 mi

Avg power = 165 W. Weighted avg power = 190 W

Total elevation gain = 2490'

Avg heartrate = 128 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7824085419

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50822830259

09-15-2022 Ride

Afternoon ride after work with Blair, Liz, and Justin, who came up from Oceanside on his furlough day off.  We headed out Bernardo Center Dr to Carmel Valley Rd and up the little ascents to Black Mountain Rd.  Turned left there and rode down to the 56 bike trail.  I got out ahead and waited for Justin, who told me that Liz had had a flat.  So we waited for them to catch up, then headed down Black Mountain Rd to Park Village Rd, turning right there.  This road now connects with Camino del Sur, so we turned right there and took it all the way back to Paseo del Sur.  Justin has been riding and taking spinning classes, so he held up really well on the ride.  I slowed my pace down before that turn and rode with him through the Del Sur neighborhood.  We passed over to ride through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to get back to RB Rd, and then took Via del Campo back to the site.  At the last little stretch Blair suggested that we sprint all out, and I hit 900 W during that surge.  Back to the back parking lot to finish, since I had driven in this day.  Good ride, a couple of places where I put in a big effort but also times where the pace was casual.

Avg speed = 15.0 mph. Total mileage = 19.7 mi

Avg power = 128 W. Weighted avg power = 176 W

Total elevation gain = 1300'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7817461117

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50823190052

09-10-2022 Ride

Ride over to Robert's house to meet up with him, and then Gideon joined as we stopped by his house.  Some drops were falling but not enough for me to turn back.  Up to the 4S Target through the 4S Ranch neighborhood.  On this ride at the start were: Gideon, Robert, Audrey, Perse, Gio (new, rode with us last week), Cheng (ditto), Arnold, Mohammad, Kamal, Eric, and Fritz.  We rode down to the 56 bike path, with several riders really pushing it on the little hill before San Dieguito Rd.  This time, I didn't follow.  We all caught up, and Jed and I were leading the pace for the rest of the way to the turn.  Our group ended up waiting for the others, who stopped to help Andy and Gideon fix flats.  At this point, Perse turned around and started heading back.  Then for the rest of us it was down to El Camino Real, again with riders getting out ahead and my failed attempts to catch them.  More success catching up to, and staying with, the lead riders on the little climb to Del Mar Heights, and my bike rode smoothly down into the flats toward San Dieguito Rd.  A short break at the turn, then we started back, with three riders getting out ahead and pounding the pace so hard we couldn't form an orderly pace line.  So Rob and I and a couple of others rode to try and catch up with them, Arnold pulled a big one and caught, then passed, them.  We stopped for another break at the usual gas station, then headed over to El Apajo to climb up to Via de la Valle.  Several riders were back, so I waited at the turn for them and then rode with them up to Paseo Delicias.  We spread out on the next section, and on the Del Dios climb I caught and passed the others in front of me, all except Jed, who was in really great form.  Regroup at the top before heading over to Via Rancho Pkwy (another regroup) and a moderate pace up this little climb before descending toward the freeway.  Thankfully, we kept on riding, taking the pedestrian bridge route across Lake Hodges.  Onto W Bernardo Dr, where the lead thinned out until it was me and Jed, and he was pushing the pace pretty hard.  I kept up with him, but we separated from the rest of the riders.  We rode together all the way back to the starting point, putting some serious time separation between ourselves and the others.  Had a beer from Arnold's cooler at the end, it tasted pretty good, then Robert and I rode back home, with me taking the RB Rd route down to W Bernardo Dr.  I kept thinking on this ride that I was going to suffer the effects of riding hard, but my legs generally held out.  Wasn't able to go as fast as I would have liked on the last climb up RB Rd, but all in all it was a decent effort.

Avg speed = 17.2 mph. Total mileage = 49.5 mi

Avg power = 162 W  Avg weighted power = 189 W

Total elevation gain = 2940'

Avg heartrate = 136 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7786806210

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50707141383

09-08-2022 Ride

Solo ride from work, having driven in on this day.  From the front parking lot onto W Bernardo Dr and over to Bernardo Center Dr.  On this day, it was quite warm and very humid, and I didn't have a lot of excess energy.  To Carmel Valley Rd and the climb up to Black Mountain Rd, steady but not so fast.  Then down to Camino del Sur, turning left and riding over to the 56 bike path.  Then to Carmel Valley Rd, turning to head back here and not getting the benefit of the offshore breeze that I hoped for.  Back up to Camino del Sur, taking it up to RB Rd, then back to work using Via del Campo.  Ride was okay, just not a fast one this time.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 21.1 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Avg weighted power = 168 W

Total elevation gain = 1180'
Avg heartrate = 123 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7778014579

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50643796815

09-05-2022 Ride

Ride over, the normal way, to Gideon's, where I met up with him, Fritz, and Jhonar for what was supposed to be an easy Labor Day ride.  We headed down to Poblado Rd, turning left and taking it to Duenda Rd and then to Escala Rd.  We started out kinda slow, taking the little climbs easy.  On the Escala steep little climb, Fritz got out ahead and I had to work hard to catch up with him by the stop sign.  Then to Pomerado Rd, turning right and heading to the Albertson's to wait for Levi.  Then we took RB Rd up to Lake Poway, we kept the pace steady, I got out a little ahead around the turn, then waited for them to catch up as we rode up to Lake Poway to the top.  Fritz and I were pushing it all the way to the top, and the others came up after.  A short break there, then we retraced our route down to the Albertson's by Pomerado Rd.  We waited there for Tony to meet us, and then we continued on Pomerado Rd down to Highland Valley Rd.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to include this segment, but I ended up going anyway.  Okay on the flats, trying to stay and Jhonar and Gideon, who were pushing the pace.  Once we got to the climb, Fritz and I were together and the others were trailing.  Fritz did a fantastic job getting up this hill, as we stayed pretty much at the same pace.  The others caught up, and we rode up to the Bandy Canyon Rd turnoff before turning around and riding back to Pomerado Rd.  I was feeling fine, legs a little sketchy but holding up.  Then we rode back to Albertson's, and it was Tony's turn to push the pace, so I worked hard to catch up with him and match his pace.  Coffee at Starbuck's, and Levi and Tony finished there while the other four of us rode back to Gideon's house to finish their ride.  Then I rode home via the W Bernardo Dr route, glad to be done with this one as it was starting to heat up and be more humid than usual.

Avg speed = 15.2 mph. Total mileage = 31.9 mi

Avg power = 137 W.  Avg weighted power = 173 W

Total elevation = 2150'

Avg heartrate = 118 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7759085843

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50570966639

09-04-2022 Ride

Time trial ride with Dave and Jim.  A little confusion (mostly from me) about starting location, but we met up at Jim's and left from there.  It was already in the 80s, and humid, at the 6:30 start time, so my intention was to take it generally easy.  With that said, my first half was definitely faster than my second half, similarly for Dave.  Jim kept a pretty decent pace throughout, and we had fig smoothies at his place at the end.  Finished in 1:05, not great but not bad, considering the weather.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 17.5 mi

Avg power = 141 W. Avg weighted power = 162 W

Total elevation gain = 940'

Avg heartrate = 120 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7753925166

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50565472174

09-03-2022 Ride

Ride over to Robert's house the normal way, where I met up with him but missed picking up Gideon because of a miscommunication.  We headed out to RB Rd and then to Camino del Sur, aiming for the shopping center down by the 56, where a large group was meeting up.  Halfway through, Gideon called Robert, so we waited for him to catch up with us.  I won't try to name everybody who was on this ride, which included a lot of new riders as well.  But already at the start, it was hot and humid.  Down the 56 bike trail to El Camino Real and then over to the coast via Carmel Valley Rd.  Up the coast to La Costa Ave before turning around.  There were some fast riders on this day, and I wasn't in my best shape.  I got caught out alone, again, on the oceanside stretch leading into Cardiff, just couldn't generate the power necessary to catch up with the leaders.  Need more work on generating a lot of sustained power on the flats, which is one of my weaknesses.  A break at the normal 7-Eleven, where I tried to stay more hydrated than usual.  On the way back, I turned at Via de la Valle while the others continued to retrace our outbound route.  I was fine at the beginning, doing okay but not great on El Camino Real and San Dieguito Rd but slowing down on 3 Witches, going to my lowest gear on a couple of stretches and feeling the heat on the last climbing section.  After the downhill on Camino del Sur, I was really slow heading back up, turned on Paseo del Sur to get more shade and keeping a slow pace.  I stayed on this road past the target and then rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood the normal way but lots slower, starting to run up against my physical limits.  Back to RB Rd, where it was just a slow slog back home via W Bernardo Dr.  Temperature at home was 105 deg, no wonder I was feeling completely drained, dehydrated, and just plain tired.  Legs generally held out, I had little warning signs from my quads and hamstrings, but I was so spent I couldn't generate much power anyway at the end.

Avg speed = 17.1 mph. Total mileage = 54.2 mi

Avg power = 140 W. Avg weighted power = 169 W

Total elevation gain = 2200'

Avg heartrate = 136 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7749031835

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50568619039

09-02-2022 Swim

Seeing if I can add swimming to my exercise regimen.  20 laps (500 yards) at the Westwood Club pool before work, about 15 minutes total, with resting periods.

09-01-2022 Ride

Ride after work with Blair, it was a hot one, temperature in the mid-90s at the start.  I had also ridden into work, but I didn't track it with my Wahoo.  We headed down W Bernardo Dr and then up Pomerado Rd, where there was some shade to help out.  Turned right on Ted Williams Pkwy, which also had decent shade, and took it to Rancho Carmel Dr.  Over to the first turn onto Carmel Mountain Rd, which we kept on to Paseo Lucido, past the high school and continuing through the neighborhood before it turned and connected back to Bernardo Heights Pkwy.  Down to Bernardo Center Dr, taking a left and climbing that short steep little hill back to work.  I got out a little bit ahead and decided to add in a loop around the campus before getting to the back parking lot.  I also rode home and included that in the workout map.  Was cooler at the end, not too oppressive with the heat.

Avg speed = 16.3 mph. Total mileage = 19.9 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 164 W

Total elevation gain = 1170'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/7739772746

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/50498453505