Well, this was a generally good day on the bike. I wanted to get some miles in, and originally I planned on dialing back my effort and focusing on distance. But as I got going, I found that I was feeling good and kept that way for the most part. Went down the hill and over the freeway to BVP, taking it up to Valley Pkwy. Just past Sunset Dr, the road was under construction, but I thought I could ride behind the barriers until I ran out of rode. Hoisted my bike over the barrier and kept going on a really beat up side of the road, climbing slowly and carefully until the road conditions improved. Over Valley Pkwy to El Norte Pkwy, and I made good time on this stretch, although the slight downhill section was into the offshore breeze. Kept on this road past the freeway, doing the little climb there and then riding to Bennett Ave, turning left there. This road is in good condition, but I was surprised by the little climbing section here before it dipped down to Mission Rd. Turned right there and made really good time over to Las Posas Rd, not really feeling the effects of the offshore. Rode to San Marcos Blvd, turning right there and staying on it until it turned into Palomar Airport Rd. This stretch was generally downhill, and I made good time over to Avenida Encinas, turning left there and riding on a road that I don't think I've ridden on before. It meandered a little before turning west and connecting with PCH just north of La Costa Ave. I got on PCH and kept making good time, feeling like I had a little tailwind pushing me. I rode through Leucadia and Encinitas, deciding on a whim to take a break at Swamis Beach. I talked to another cyclist who told me about the Old Spokes Cycling Club, most of whose riders are over 65. The guy I talked to was 78, and he was in pretty good shape for his age, recovering from spinal fusion and hernia surgery. Let's hope I'm still riding at that age and avoiding any major physical breakdowns before then. I kept riding on PCH through Cardiff, Solana Beach, and Del Mar, turning left onto Carmel Valley Rd and heading over to Sorrento Valley Rd, where I turned right. The road quality here was pretty terrible, and I had a little bit of a down spell, spinning gears until I worked through it. This road turns into Mira Mesa Blvd and has a relatively gently climb out of Sorrento Valley, which was good for me on this day. However, the outer tendon on my right knee started bothering me a little bit, and I got worried that it was the onset of a bout of tendonitis. I adjusted my foot position in the pedal and moved my knee out a little bit, and it really never turned into anything to worry about. My right quad was just fine throughout the ride, a good, surprising outcome. The stretch on Mira Mesa Blvd seemed like it went on for a long time, but it was only 6 miles or so. Near the left turn onto Scripps Ranch Blvd, I got a low derailleur battery warning, so I stopped after turning left onto Erma Rd and switched out my rear derailleur battery, which solved the problem. I tried out the Akasa camera on the downhill heading toward Scripps-Poway Pkwy and again on the second downhill past this road on the bike path. My energy was lagging by this time, so I headed up Poway Rd to a liquor store by Springbrook Dr and got a Powerade and a Clif bar, taking some time to rest and refuel. Felt good after I got back on the bike, aided by the steady tailwind blowing on Poway Rd. Up to Community Rd, turning left and riding over to Twin Peaks Rd, turning right there. Good time made up to Espola Rd, where I turned left and rode up the climb to the high school. The last bit of this climb was a chore, as my legs didn't have a lot of push left in them. I made it, then did decently on the generally downhill stretch back to RB Rd. Home the normal way via W Bernardo Dr from there, and I was really glad that my legs held out the entire way and allowed me to average over 18 mph.
Avg speed = 18.2 mph. Total mileage = 70.8 mi
Avg power = 169 W. Weighted avg power = 181 W
Total elevation gain = 2760'
Avg heartrate = 129 bpm
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