This turned out to be a really good day on the bike. I got up kinda early and got everything ready for a ride up to Julian. Was a little delayed in my start, as I mapped out the route in Strava just to have it ready. Put on sunscreen as well, although I didn't need it for the first 12 miles or so. It was a little chilly and misty initially as I rode down the hill and by the park. But I appreciated the overcast skies once I got onto Highland Valley Rd, particularly as I started climbing. There was a fair amount of traffic going the other way but not too many cars heading toward Ramona. As I was riding on the flats, I realized that I'd forgotten my hand pump and second spare inner tube. Thought briefly about calling Ann to bring it to me but decided to risk going without. I had a couple of CO2 cartridges with me, and I started watching the road more closely to avoid any gravel or glass or potholes. On the climbs, I intentionally kept my pace down and focused on spinning at high cadence rather than grinding it out. Up the three significant climbs on Highland Valley, each one having sections with >10% grade. I stopped briefly at the top and put my sunglasses on, as the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds. As I started descending, it became overcast again. With the steady cadence and no stopping, I ended up setting a PR for the Highland Valley stretch, at 57:49 (top 25% for my age group). Out to the 67, where I turned left and rode into Ramona. This stretch went pretty fast, as I had a nice tailwind helping me along. Once in Ramona, I had half a banana and then kept going. I turned right onto 3rd St, to take me over to the Old Julian Hwy. This stretch of the ride had been tough for me on previous times, but this time I was able to take the gradual climbs pretty well, again spinning at high cadence in 1st or 2nd gear, and recovering on the occasional short downhill stretches. Finished my banana on one of the downhills. There was a steeper section after the S-curve in the road, but I took it slow and steady. Cut back into the 67 around mile 27, then I had 5 miles of general climbing and occasional downhills for recovery before I got into Santa Ysabel. It was warming up, and that last stretch was probably the warmest. I stopped at Don's Market and got a Powerade. Drank some of it and put the rest in my water bottle, and I also ate a gel to get ready for the last 7 miles. Santa Ysabel is at about 2960', while Julian is at 4200', and with the downhills I had about 1500' of climbing to do in the last 7 miles. The initial climb up to Inaja Memorial Park went fine, spinning and keeping my gearing low. The road leveled out for a bit before the climb into Wynola, and I made it just fine. Was actually feeling pretty good, legs were telling me they were getting a workout but no muscle twitching or cramping, which might be a first for this ride. My lower back was a little stiff but not so much that it affected my ability to spin. It just felt good every now and then to stand up on the pedals and stretch it out. Through Wynola and the relative flats and downhill sections before the last climb up into Julian. I was surprised at the gradual gradient of these climbs coming out of Santa Ysabel, as I remembered them as being steeper. Still, it was a welcome sight when I came around a corner and saw Julian coming up. I made it from Santa Ysabel up to Julian in 35:40, and that is a really good result for me (top 16% for my age group). Finished the ride in just under 3 hrs riding time, and I'm really happy with that result. As I calculate it, it took me about 1:39 riding time to get from the turn in Ramona onto 3rd St up to Julian. My all-time best, back in 2009, was around 1:36, so not too bad for an old guy. More importantly, my legs were still fairly fresh at the end, and I could have continued riding if needed. I let Ann know I was there, and it wasn't long at all after that she got there. I benefited from getting an early start, so that I didn't have to deal with high temperatures. Also, the wind generally favored me.
Avg speed = 13.4 mph. Total mileage = 40.1 mi
Avg power = 167 W. Weighted avg power = 187 W
Total elevation gain = 4880'
Avg heartrate = 137 bpm (Coospo), 135 bpm (Fitbit)
Ann and I walked over to the Julian Pie Co. and had a piece of pie. I got a donut for later as well as a large coffee, and the caffeine jazzed me up pretty good. Then we had a leisurely stroll through the downtown area before heading back to the car and driving home (Ann drove). In the evening, we watched Barbie. It was entertaining, the set design was hokey and fun, and there was an interesting dynamic about Barbie feeling like she was missing out on the wider range of human emotions, while Ken had an existential crisis about being "the other" and not having his own identity. It was funny at times as well, and they linked in Mattel pretty blantantly.
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