11-27-2022 Ride

Solo ride after a hard previous day's ride.  Kept a slower pace, heading through the neighborhood to Matinal Rd and then over to W Bernardo Dr.  Up to RB Rd, turning left and taking it to Pomerado Rd.  I was making the route up as I went.  Rode up to Twin Peaks Rd, turned right and then turned left on World Trade Dr, taking it up to Stoney Peak Dr to get to Carmel Mountain Rd.  Then I took it over the freeway and up that little climb then down to turn right, staying on the same road and riding up to (actually a little past) Black Mountain Rd.  Up to Carmel Valley Rd, turning right and heading up and then down to Dove Canyon Rd.  Left there, taking it up to Lone Quail Rd to get over to 4S Ranch Rd.  I took it into the town center, getting to Ralphs Ranch Rd and then to RB Rd.  From there, it was down to W Bernardo Dr and home the normal way at that point.  Legs felt tired at the start but settled down okay.  New Gatorskin tires installed after this ride.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 19.9 mi

Avg power = 142 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 1380'

Avg heartrate = 124 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8177117299

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52294650574

11-26-2022 Ride

This was a tough day.  Headed over to the 4S Target starting point, meeting Gideon on the way and riding through the 4S Ranch neighborhood.  On this day, there were all strong riders: Rob, Gideon, Chris, Fritz, Perse, and Jed.  We rode back to RB Rd and then stopped at Gideon's house to pump up Fritz's tires before getting over to W Bernardo Dr.  Down to the freeway and over to Highland Valley Rd, I made an error and started over the pedestrian bridge before turning around, so I rode the dirt trail on the south side of Pomerado Rd, which was a little sketchy.  Fairly fast on the flats to the base of the climb, where Chris, Fritz, and Jed climbed really well, with me trailing behind them.  We gathered back at the top and then rode over to Bandy Canyon Rd, taking it down into San Pasqual Valley and over to the 78.  Downhill was fast, and after the turn on Bandy Canyon Rd we formed a pace line and kept it fast until the turn onto the 78.  Stayed together because of traffic, with several riders taking the lead.  Onto Old Milky Way to get over to San Pasqual Rd, turning right there and then left onto Old San Pasqual Rd.  The next climb began here after a short break, up to Summit Dr first, then over to the turn onto Mary Ln.  I was able to keep close to Chris on this climb, but that was basically it for me for the day.  Rode down to BVP and split with Rob, Perse, and Gideon at the freeway, since they had to be back early.  The other four of us continued, and I knew I was going to trail them.  Over Via Rancho Pkwy to Del Dios Hwy, where on the last downhill my front end started wobbling and I had to slow down.  So I got way behind the others, who waited for me near the crest of the little climb after the flats.  We stayed pretty much together on the reverse Stud Loop section, then it was down to Via de Santa Fe and over to the bottom of Three Witches via El Apajo.  I was slow on that climb, pretty much out of gas for pushing the pace, and the others were significantly faster.  Back to the starting point trailing the others, particularly on the gradual climb up to Casey Glen.  Didn't hang around at the finish point, just kept going but at a pretty slow pace.  Rode home via the route down RB Rd to W Bernardo Dr and up Duenda Rd.  Legs didn't cramp up at all, I just didn't have any push left in them from the base of Three Witches.  Was glad to be done with this ride at the end.

Avg speed = 16.8 mph. Total mileage = 53.9 mi

Avg power = 163 W. Weighted avg power = 189 W

Total elevation gain = 3760'

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8172342206

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52298516313

11-25-2022 Ride

Solo ride on the Friday after Thanksgiving, after having to deal with a number of flats and tire issues the day before.  I changed out a tube on the front tire before starting because my repair didn't hold.  Followed the time trial route to start with, out to Poway Rd and beyond, getting to the point where I had to stop the previous day due to my second flat.  Then I turned around and rode the originally intended route, heading back up Pomerado Rd to Ted Williams Pkwy, turning right there and getting to Twin Peaks Rd.  No wind on this day, it was glorious in general.  Up to Espola Rd, turning left and slogging up that moderate climb before the descent back into RB, where I made pretty good time coming down.  Continued on RB Rd to get to Camino del Sur, where I turned right and rode out to Artesian Rd.  Did a little stretch on this road before turning around and heading back the way I came.  Then it was home through the neighborhood.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 31.2 mi

Avg power = 156 W. Weighted avg power = 184 W

Total elevation gain = 1940'

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8167145902

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52224465373

11-24-2022 Ride

Thanksgiving Bisikleta ride, heading through the neighborhood to the 4S Target, riding through the r@ Ranch neighborhood as well.  On this ride were:  Rob, Kamal, Jamil, Cheng, Jed, and Eric.  The temperature was about 10 degrees warmer at the starting location from when I left home, and it was windy.  We headed to Paseo del Sur, turning left onto Del Sur Ridge Rd to get to Lone Quail Rd.  Over to Dove Canyon Rd, taking it down to Carmel Valley Rd and passing by an organized Turkey Trot.  Up to Black Mountain Rd, turning left there and taking it through Mira Mesa.  I kept it really slow on the downhill after crossing the 56 because the crosswinds were making my bike move all over the road.  Jed and Kamal were riding well, staying near the front, as was Eric.  I tried to hang out in the middle to make sure everybody was keeping generally together.  Kearny Villa Rd to Miramar Rd, where we turned left and stopped for a break at a gas station.  Jamil was feeling nauseous and Cheng was also suffering.  Kamal got Jamil straightened out regarding what he was drinking, and we headed up Pomerado Rd into a headwind.  Near the top of the climb, the wind was really fierce and right in our faces.  I got to the top first, but it was a real workout.  By the time Cheng got to the top, he was in poor shape.  Had a stomach ache and needed to lie down, so we convinced him to call his family and come pick him up at his brother-in-law's house, which was off Stonebridge Pkwy.  We all rode down there to drop him off, then we continued back to Pomerado Rd and down to Scripps-Poway Pkwy.  My bike was really wobbling, and I rode the brakes the whole way down.  Near the bottom of the hill, I noticed my rear tire was flat, and everybody was far in front of me, so I texted them and started to fix it.  Kamal rode back and got there as I was putting the wheel back on and pumping it up, then Jamil also showed up.  The three of us continued on, but not too long after, near the intersection with Stowe Rd, my rear tire tube blew out and I decided enough was enough.  Called Ann and asked her to come pick me up while the others continued on the originally planned route.  Not a great cycling day at all.

Avg speed = 15.1 mph. Total mileage = 22.3 mi

Avg power = 151 W. Weighted avg power = 188 W

Total elevation gain = 1770'

Avg heartrate = 118 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8163372770

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52219867075

11-22-2022 Ride

Solo ride from home to Joe's house.  It was pretty cold on the first section, rode on the freeway to BVP and then behind the mall.  It started to warm up a bit then, taking El Ku Ave up to get onto Centre City Pkwy.  By then, my fingers were thawing out but my toes were still cold.  Up to Country Club Ln, taking a right and then another one to get to Roundtree Glen and Joe's place.  He was still getting ready, so we headed out a few minutes later, back to Country Club Ln and taking it west to El Norte Pkwy and then Borden Rd.  We skirted by some road work and continued on, taking that little climb up behind the college and then down to Las Posas Rd.  Over to San Marcos Blvd, heading west again to get to Palomar Airport Rd.  We rode down to Loker Ave and stopped there for a coffee and conversation at a Starbucks.  Took quite a while to get the coffees, maybe I shouldn't be patronizing this chain.  After the break, we headed down to El Camino Real, turning left and heading down to Alga Rd, which I had never ridden.  It had a short downhill and then a 1.7 mi climb, with the first section being 6-10% grade.  Not terrible but a workout.  Then it was down to Melrose Dr for a short section to get to Rancho Santa Fe Rd, which also had a climbing section of about the same distance but with less overall grade.  Those were the two significant tough sections of the ride.  After that, we rode over to Mission Rd and took it all the way back into Escondido, turning left onto Broadway and heading back to Joe's house.  Got back a little later than planned but it was alright.  I then took Iris Ln to get back to Centre City Pkwy and from there followed the normal way home, benefiting from a slight tailwind at times but not having a lot to push with on the last two little climbs before getting home.  Legs felt fine, but I could have fueled more on this ride.

Avg speed = 15.6 mph. Total mileage = 51.3 mi

Avg power = 139 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W

Total elevation gain = 2320'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8154429185

11-21-2022 Ride

Ride in the late morning with Avi Halpern, heading through the neighborhood to RB Rd, then taking Via del Campo over to W Bernardo Dr.  Around this time I noticed my rear tire was wobbly, so I rode on the flatting tire over to the 7-Eleven in High Country Ranch and changed the tube while I waited for him to show up.  Found a rock in the tire tread, not sure it that's what caused the flat.  Couldn't get my pump to inflate the tire so well, but we headed out anyway, turning right on Camino del Norte and heading out that way.  Around RB Rd, we caught a light, so we stopped and Avi used his mini pump to put more air in my tire and help reseat the tire bead so it didn't have any high spots.  Much better after that, and we headed down to Carmel Mountain Rd, with me dialing my pace back to keep closer to his speed.  Shortly after the right turn, he hit something that blew out his rear tire, so we stopped to fix that one as well.  He didn't have a tube, but luckily I was carrying a second spare and gave it to him.  Then it was down to the 56 bike path, using that, at cruising speed, to get back to Camino del Sur.  Over to Carmel Valley Rd, turning right and riding up and down.  We rode the climb back to Camino del Norte, first time for me riding this climb, but we took it fairly slow.  He peeled off at that turn, while I continued on, riding into RB and turning right onto Lomica Dr and passing through the retirement neighborhood to get over to Higa Pl and then the turn onto Pomerado Rd.  Back to RB Rd, turning left and riding all the way back up to Matinal Rd.  Retraced my route through the neighborhood back home.  Other than the flats, it was a nice ride, with a generally easy pace that didn't wear me out.

Avg speed = 15.5 mph. Total mileage = 30.2 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 167 W

Total elevation gain = 1840'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8150533060

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52208285273

11-20-2022 Ride

Ride up to Jim's house after discovering, as I was getting my bike ready, that the rear tire had a big piece of rubber missing.  I replaced the tire with an old spare and headed up there.  Then we rode the time trial route at a pretty slow pace.  About a mile in, my rear tire went soft and we had to stop while I swapped out the inner tube.  Bummer.  From there, it was uneventful, a casual ride while the two of us caught up with each other.  Finished in 1:14, which might be a record for the slowest time trial ride I've done on this route.

Avg speed = 14.3 mph. Total mileage = 17.6 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 157 W

Total elevation gain = 1010'

Avg heartrate = 116 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8145682286

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52145600976

11-19-2022 Ride

Solo ride through the neighborhood the normal way, to RB Rd and then to the 4S Target through the 4S Ranch neighborhood.  Met up with the Bisikleta riders, here's who rode:  Ray, Cam, Robert, Kamal, Chris C., Charlie, Eric, Arnold, and Nel.  Out Camino del Sur to San Dieguito Rd and down into Fairbanks Ranch, forming a decent pace line on the way over to El Camino Real.  Then it was over to Via de la Valle to get to the coast.  I wasn't pushing too hard but felt okay on this stretch.  Took the Coast Hwy up to the normal La Costa turnaround, and I fell behind, again, on the stretch leaving out of Solana Beach and down by the coast.  I waited at a light while others went through, and I ended up suffering alone while the others were bunched up ahead of me.  Finally caught up with them in Encinitas, and from there I was in or near the leaders.  Rest stop at the usual 7-Eleven before heading back, finishing first up the climb into Solana Beach by just outlasting Arnold.  We rode through Del Mar and then the others turned off at Carmel Valley Rd while I continued on to ride up to Torrey Pines and meet Ann and the church hiking group after their hike.  I took the inside route after tightening up my chainring bolts, then decided after getting to the top to ride down the outside route and ride up again.  Second time was challenging but not terrible, although I could feel it more in my quads.  Once to the top, I kept going, getting to La Jolla Village Dr and turning right on Villa La Jolla Dr, hoping to find a convenience store to get a drink and a snack.  No luck, so I turned around and rode back the way I came, turning onto Torrey Pines Scenic Dr to ride to the Gliderport, but there wasn't much going on there.  So I headed back to where Ann had parked the car, riding around there before continuing on to a place by the golf course where I sat and waited for them to show up.  Then it was back to the car and packing it up before we headed to Las Olas for lunch.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 51.8 mi

Avg power = 153 W. Weighted avg power = 185 W

Total elevation gain = 2580'

Avg heartrate = 126 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8141495756

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52143000604

11/13/2022 Ride

Solo ride, leaving early to be done in time to go to church to sing.  Through the neighborhood in an unusual way, tracing a common walking route to get to W Bernardo Dr, which I took to RB Rd.  Turned left and headed up to Valle Verde Rd.  I rode up through this neighborhood, which has some pretty big houses, finding a back way into Bernardo Winery but not much more.  Back to Espola Rd, taking it up to Titan Way and then riding through Poway neighborhood streets to get back, again, to Espola Rd.  Home there a normal way, up to W Bernardo Dr and then usual route.

Avg speed = 15.1 mph. Total mileage = 18.1 mi

Avg power = 140 W. Weighted avg power = 168 W

Total elevation gain = 1230'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8112847281

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52002790130

11-12-2022 Ride

Solo ride over to the 4S Target starting point, riding by Gideon's house to see if he was getting ready, no sign of him.  Then it was through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to the start.  Perse was there, but he wasn't riding, only brought bagels and coffee, which was very nice.  Rob led this ride, so I was the sweeper. On this ride were: Rob, Zac, his friend Keedon, Audrey, Andy, Eric, Cheng, Jed, Kamal, Jamil, Nel, and Fritz.  We headed down Camino del Sur to the 56 bike path, and I hung back to ride with Andy, who was feeling slow after his century ride last weekend.  It had been kinda cold at the house when I left, but it warmed up fairly quickly.  Down to El Camino Real, and it cooled down on the stretches of the path by the creek.  We headed up to Del Mar Heights, and Eric's rear tire was flatting, so I stopped with him to check it out.  He ended up putting air into it, which helped but wasn't the necessary fix.  Then it was over and down to San Dieguito Rd, where a smaller group of us had a fairly fast pace line to get to the service station in Fairbanks Ranch for the first break.  Then it was over to El Apajo and up to Via de la Valle, where I rode near the back with Nel, not realizing that there were others behind us.  We all caught up and took the Stud Loop over to Paseo Delicias, then it was on to the Del Dios climb.  Audrey, Zac, Keedon, and Jed were ahead of me, with Audrey and Keedon really setting a fast pace.  We rode down and waited at Rancho Dr for the others to catch up, then we took this road over to Via Rancho Pkwy.  On that last little climb, I hung close to Zac and did okay.  Then it was up and down to the mall, stopping for a brief break by one of the gas stations before heading over using the pedestrian bridge.  I had to get ready for a work cookout at our house on Monday, so I peeled off from the rest of the group at the turn into our neighborhood.  Nothing special about this ride, was slower than I would normally have been if not sweeping.

Avg speed = 16.4 mph. Total mileage = 44.8 mi

Avg power = 152 W. Weighted avg power = 185 W

Total elevation gain = 2640'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8108291396

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/52028179451

11-06-2022 Ride

Solo ride over to Dave's house, riding across the freeway and taking the back way up to a place where I turned onto Centre City Pkwy and headed to Felicita Ave, turning left.  Headed down to Montview Dr and turned there, but it didn't go through, so I turned around and headed back to Redwood St to get to Montview Dr again and over to Dave's place.  Met up with John and Jim as well, and we headed out on the Escondido time trial route.  I wasn't pushing too hard at the start, but John was motoring and Dave was there with him, so I hung on with them.  Decent time up to the turn at Deer Springs, and my legs were starting to feel it from the previous day's ride.  On the way back into town, it was mostly John and me trading leads, getting ahead of the others.  On the way through town, we had pretty good luck hitting the lights, so I tried to pace John back to the starting place.  He was able to keep up a good pace but not quite at my speed, still making the lights.  He ended up with a fast time, under an hour, felt good about it.  Smoothies at Dave's house before I headed back home the normal way, keeping it above 10 mph on both little climbs but feeling it on the last bit.  Subsequent analysis of my Strava data indicated my time for the time trial, starting and ending at Dave's house, was 56:48, and that included the little diversion when I rode into the gas station by Deer Springs and threw my banana peel away.  Might be a PR for this time trial route.

Avg speed = 16.9 mph. Total mileage = 29.0 mi

Avg power = 163 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 1350'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8078775677

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/51903961569

11-05-2022 Ride

Solo ride over to Robert's house to meet up with him and head to the 4S Target, taking the route through 4S Ranch neighborhood.  Robert was leading this ride, and I was the sweeper.  On this ride were: Robert, James, Dilson, Pio (Dilson's friend), Valentin (Rob's friend), Zac, Audrey, and Nel.  Audrey had already ridden about 15 miles before our start.  We headed down to San Dieguito Rd, and it was chilly at the start, not so bad from Target but others were complaining.  Down to El Apajo, where Zac missed a turn and several others rode out to catch him.  At this point, James got separated from us without our knowledge.  We rode up to the Stud Loop, and I waited for James to catch up with us while the others took off.  Once James got there, we took Paseo Delicias to the end of Stud Loop, and I rode down to find the last riders coming up before turning around and riding with them.  Then it was back to Paseo Delicias and on to El Camino del Norte, riding over to Lago Lindo and turning left.  We stayed on this road until turning left onto Avenida de Acacias and then right onto Via de la Cumbre.  This connected to San Elijo Ave, and we did a left onto La Granada and a sharp right onto Rambla de Las Flores.  This road has a short, sharp climb before getting to Linea del Cielo, where I stopped to tighten my chainring bolts.  Turned right here and took it to Lomas Santa Fe and down past the freeway for a break at the gas station just beyond.  Then we continued on to the Coast Hwy.  I stayed back here to make sure that the later riders were supported, and we rode together for the most part into Leucadia, for another break at the 7-Eleven and Cancun.  From there, the route back was a common one: back to Via de la Valle, then El Camino Real to San Dieguito Rd, where we had a nicely organized pace line back to the Fairbanks Ranch gas station.  Short stop there before 3 Witches, where I started back and ended up catching all the others to finish first up the climb.  Zac and Audrey were holding back, knowing that they were running 13 miles after the bike ride (!).  Back to the starting point via Camino del Sur to Paseo del Sur and then Del Sur Ridge to Garretson St and the parking lot.  Rob and I rode back together, and I took the neighborhood route back home.  He told me about the new bike he is considering buying, and Officine Mattio.  Looks like a nice bike.  Not a fast-paced ride for me on this day, but it was a good day in general.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 55.4 mi

Avg speed starting and ending at 4S Target = 16.7 mph

Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 2730'

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8073613857

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/51835737190

11-03-2022 Ride

Last afternoon ride of the year with Blair and Robert.  Headed over to RB Rd the normal way, where we met up with Robert and stopped to adjust my front derailleur, which was rubbing.  It was better, still not perfect, after the adjustment, good enough for me to ride but limited in which gears I could use while avoiding the chain rubbing against it.  We headed through the 4S Ranch neighborhood and then through Del Sur, getting back to Camino del Sur and taking it to the 56 bike path.  I wasn't pushing the pace too hard, content generally with hanging at about the same pace as Robert, with Blair a little behind.  We headed up to Black Mountain Rd, and I was able to outpace Robert on that little climb, with a consistent, big effort.  Then it was back to Carmel Valley Rd, turning right and heading to Dove Canyon Rd.  On the climb to the top of Carmel Valley Rd, I noticed some additional noise in the front derailleur, so I stopped near the bottom of Dove Canyon Rd to tighten my new, recently installed chainring bolts, some of which had loosened.  I caught up with Robert and Blair at RB Rd, where they were looking at Robert's bottom bracket, which had been making noise all through the ride.  Then we headed back to our respective starting points, and I drove home.  Was a good ride.

Avg speed = 15.8 mph. Total mileage = 19.7 mi

Avg power = 135 W. Weighted avg power = 180 W

Total elevation gain = 1190'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm

https://www.strava.com/activities/8065201404

https://www.fitbit.com/activities/exercise/51833607114