Woke up a little after 5:00, after having awoken after midnight and not being able to get back to sleep. I watched a little TV and ate some cereal and a banana. That seemed to help. After I woke up, I finished the Vaclav Smil book
Numbers Don't Lie. It was a faster read than my attempts at his previous books, retracing a number of the themes I have read him describe. Then I got ready for a planned long bike ride, which I had mapped for distance the previous evening. This was the first ride after I had rewaxed my chain, and I didn't have any problems with the chain slipping off of the front derailleur or missing a gear change in the back. It worked really well. I took out the trash cans, then was on my way. Down by the park and over to Highland Valley Rd for the climb up to Ramona. It was tough as usual, but by getting started early I didn't have to suffer in the heat during this climb. Weather was a little chilly on the flats, but I appreciated the cooler temperatures as soon as I started to climb. I didn't set a PR on the entire stretch, from Pomerado Rd to the 67, but I was only 8 seconds slower than my PR, so I'm happy with that. I did set a PR on the overall climbing section (31:29, 222 W, 141 bpm). Once I got to the 67, I continued straight on Dye Rd and took it, via Ramona St and Warnock Dr, on a flat section over to San Vicente Rd. I hadn't turned south on this road in a long time (2013). It had a nice little downhill section before I turned right onto Wildcat Canyon Rd. Just beyond the turn, I stopped for a short break and ate a banana. The day was warming up but not super hot yet, and I had the benefit of some shaded stretches in the road. Then it was a 1.5 mile climb averaging about 6%, and there wasn't much of a shoulder for the early parts of the climb. Thankfully, the cars behaved and didn't give me much trouble, although overall this portion of the road is not really meant for cyclists. A narrow shoulder and lots of car traffic whizzing by made for a dicey section of the ride. Shortly after the climb, there was a gradual descent pretty much all the way into Barona, where I stopped briefly for a photo before continuing. Past the casino there is a short climb and a flattish stretch before another little bump comes. Then it was the descent, with lots of 8% gradient and, surprisingly, decent roads where I could use the whole lane. This was in contrast to the road quality on the stretch leading to the casino from the other direction; it was poor, lots of bumps and cracks to watch out for. I would not want to take that descent back toward Ramona. But I was able to cruise down toward Lakeside, not using brakes for long stretches and enjoying the high speeds. It got a little tricky down near the bottom, so I braked a lot more there and made it down safely. Right turn onto Willow Rd for a short stretch (I remember it as being longer), then another right onto Moreno Ave, where road quality was again an issue that I had to pay close attention to. I headed over Vigilante Rd to the 67, and the road quality was terrible, just too many heavy semi trucks using this road. I suffered through it and stopped after turning onto the 67 for another break and a granola bar. The climb here wasn't as steep as I remembered, but it was definitely long enough to be painful. I did the climb in a little under 23 minutes, will have to look back and see if I have any previous climbing data to compare it to. I was getting worn out near the end, which isn't as steep. But I made it up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy and enjoyed the descent here as much as I have in a long time, not too much braking and the bike handled pretty well. My back was a little stiff from the climbing, so it was more difficult to stay in the saddle and push hard on the pedals during the little climbing sections. Got to Community Rd, then turned right and took it all the way over to Twin Peaks Rd. Another fun descent after that turn. After turning right on Twin Peaks Rd, I rode up to Espola Rd and turned left. Took this moderate climb more slowly, although faster than when I rode it last week. On the descent after I passed the high school, I noticed that I was feeling hungry, so I burned through my calorie intake and reserves in the main portion of the ride. Didn't have much left, so I ate a couple of dates. Rode down to Pomerado Rd, turning right there and taking it all the way down past the freeway. Up W Bernardo Dr, which was a slow slog, to RB Rd, where I turned right and rode up this last notable little climb to get over to Alva Rd, my originally intended turnaround point. I looped around there and rode back on RB Rd to Matinal Rd, where I turned and rode home through the neighborhood. Legs held out fine on this ride. My hands were tingly at times, need to figure out different positions on the handlebars to move them around more. And my lower back was achy at times during the ride, although it was fine once I got home and off the bike. All in all, a successful metric century with some climbing challenge thrown in.
Avg speed = 15.7 mph. Total mileage = 63.0 mi
Avg power = 144 W. Weighted avg power = 179 W
Total elevation gain = 4580'
Avg heartrate = 124 bpm (Coospo)
When I got home, it felt really good to just sit down and drink something cold. I ate some food as well, and my body told me it was in calorie deficit. It didn't take too long for me to feel moderately recovered, and I had a quiet afternoon.
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