The big day for the Palomar climb. I got up a little after 5:30 and started getting ready. Had a little breakfast cereal and a banana, I was intent on keeping my fuel level high enough on this day. I got on the road around 6:20 and arrived at Harrah's at about 6:50. I was the first one from Bisikleta to arrive, but there were a bunch of other riders already there, including ones from Barkada and Velonutz. Later on, I saw a small group of Ranchos riders as well, so it was a popular route on this day. Folks started showing up about 5 minutes after I arrived, trickling in over the next 25 minutes or so. There was a group of riders from Las Vegas that knew Gideon and Arnold, who were going to ride with us. I went over and introduced myself. On this day, here is the list of known riders I captured: Ray, Jed, Perse, Gideon, Arnold, Zac, Joey, Gio, Francis, Jed A., Katherine (Gio's dentist, a surprisingly strong rider), Jerry (Katherine's friend), Aaron, and Jamil. We took a bunch of photos before the ride and waited until the other big groups left. Fritz and Abie drove Perse's SUV as our SAG vehicle, and I loaded some electrolyte powder packets and a tool box in the back. We got rolling around 7:40 and headed up Valley Center Rd to Pala Rd (76), with a roundabout that indicates the beginning of the overall climb. Aaron and I were designated as the lead riders, so I was out front at the start. Aaron hung back but eventually caught me about a mile into the climb. I couldn't even try to match his pace. There was another rider from Las Vegas, Luigi, who passed me as well during the first part of the climb. I was already putting out as much power as I could manage, so I stayed within myself and kept going. The first part of the climb, before the turn onto the South Grade, was fast for me, and I set a PR on this section (33:33, 233 W, 158 bpm). This was nearly in the top 10% for my age group. I turned onto South Grade Rd (??) and kept going, without stopping at the SAG vehicle. I had had a gel packet on the shallower climb just before the turn, so I tossed it to Fritz and kept riding. My hands were sticky from the gel, and it was difficult getting water on them, I was working to hard to keep pedaling. My Wahoo showed me the details of this climb, and I thought that was it. Felt really good on the first half of this climb, then my second half was a little more labored. Lots of riding in first gear, occasionally shifting into second gear and then generally getting out of the saddle. There was another rider at about my pace who had a small rear cassette, and he was out of the saddle for most of the time. Even still, he beat me up the climb. I later found out that he was also in his big chainring, as he couldn't shift down. Yikes! There weren't too many riders who passed me on this day on the South Grade climb. As I got to the end of the listed Wahoo climbing segment, it updated and added another 5+ miles to the climb and something like 1200'. That was demoralizing, but I knew that it wasn't accurate for reaching Mother's Kitchen. Even still, by that time I was feeling the effects of constant high-level exertion. The grade lessened somewhat near the end, which was much appreciated, and I made it to the intersection with East Grade Rd, continuing on to Mother's Kitchen and stopping for a bit before riding back to the top of the climb and capturing video of some of our riders finishing the climb. I set PRs for the second half of the climb, up South Grade (57:06, 206 W, 155 bpm) and for the entire climb from the roundabout (1:30:02, 216 W, 156 bpm, 11 minutes faster than last moving time). My power output was really consistent in each of the two segments, a little lower in the second segment, where the average grade was higher. Based on this ride, I may update my FTP, as I was able to average about 220 W for the first 60 minutes of this climb. Folks continued to make it up the hill and gather outside Mother's Kitchen. A group decided to ride up to Boucher Lookout, and another group planned to ride up to the observatory. Since I had done the Boucher Lookout out-and-back the last time, I rode with the others to the observatory. It was me, Ray, Arnold, Gio, Francis, Jed, and some Las Vegas riders. Down the hill for about 2 miles, then it was 2.5 miles up to the observatory sidewalk. I was about 30 seconds slower on this climb than in October, which isn't bad considering that I had just climbed up to Mother's Kitchen. Most of that delta came in the first 0.6 miles of the climb. We got to the observatory, and a number of us, including all the Bisikleta riders, took pictures on the steps and went in to see the 200-inch telescope. Then it was back down the hill. On the last climb up to Mother's Kitchen, my legs did surprisingly well, but I was tired. Still, I was able to average over 200 W. Another gathering before we all started heading down the hill. Jamil and I got things started, and he was off and away quickly. I was cautious on the way down, and Ray, Romeo, Aaron, and Jed A. ended up passing me on the descent. The disc brakes worked great, and I set a PR and averaged over 30 mph. Even still, I rode the brakes quite a bit and had some wind buffeting and wobbly arms at several times, which caused me to slow down further. My legs were cooked at the end, and even on the flattish section after the roundabout I was finding it hard to push the pedals. Luckily, it was mostly downhill, and I was glad to be done and safe back in the parking lot. I hung around for about 15 minutes, then I took off home, stopping for a Coke at the market by Valley View Casino. This was a good day on the bike, likely one of my top 10 efforts. Although my back was a little stiff near the top of the long climb, it was definitely manageable and not like the last time. No neck pain on the way up, but at the very bottom of the descent on the way back I had a little discomfort. Luckily, I was almost done with the ride.
Avg speed = 12.3 mph. Total mileage = 38.22 mi
Avg power = 158 W. Weighted avg power = 192 W
Total elevation gain = 5800' (my highest to-date in Strava)
Avg heartrate = 142 bpm (Coospo), 130 bpm (Fitbit)
I had a calzone for lunch after I got home and put all my stuff up. It was pretty delicious. Then I captured my inputs on the blog. After dinner, Ann and I went to Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad to see the Crooked Jades. They are a folk/bluegrass 5-member band that plays a selection of traditional pieces (good), original compositions (not so good), and folk covers of 80's music (uneven). The crowd was small and low-energy, and that probably contributed to the quality of the show. Still, it was enjoyable. I liked the fiddle and steel guitar playing, although the sound mix was too heavy on the fiddle and bass.
Working on Leonardo da Vinci. While he was in Milan, he was sponsored by Ludovico Sforza. He painted The Last Supper on a refectory wall during that time, and he also advanced his knowledge in optics and mechanical engineering.
