This was a generally slow Bisikleta ride, both for me and for most of the rest of the group. It was also a large group, the biggest we have had in quite some time. Ray had brought donuts and coffee to the start, and I think that brought out a bunch of folks. I rode through the neighborhood and just happened to meet Gideon as he was turning onto Matinal Rd, so we rode from there straight over to the 4S Target. On this ride at the start, there were: Ray, Arnold, Gideon, Rob, Andy, Perse, Kamal, Jamil, Nel, Fritz, Edson, Mark (big guy, we had ridden together a couple of times in the past), Jed A., James, Justin, and Aaron. Later in the ride, we met Rush (Pomerado Rd) and Gio (by Costco) on the road. We headed up Paseo del Sur to Del Sur Ridge Rd, using it to get over to Lone Quail Rd. We then rode over to Dove Canyon Rd and turned right, heading downhill and turning left to ride up that little climb on Bernardo Center Dr. I was riding near the back with Andy, and early in this ride he was struggling a fair amount. He had ridden with Edson and Jhonar the previous day and was feeling the effects of that exertion. We rode up to Camino del Norte and turned right there, using it to get over to Pomerado Rd. Around here is when Gio joined us. We turned left onto Pomerado Rd and rode up by the hospital and then down to RB Rd. This is roughly where Rush joined us. We stopped at the Shell station on the corner, where Jamil took some medication to offset the gluten reaction he had from eating a donut earlier. He caught it in time and didn't have too strong a reaction. I stayed near the back on the gradual climb up Espola Rd, riding around where Andy was. But there were other riders (Arnold and Ray) who were hanging near the back as well. We rode by the high school and then down the hill to Twin Peaks Rd, where we turned right and took it to Community Rd. I waited at the first corner to make sure everybody made it, then rode near the back to Community Rd. We took the first part of the climb up this road, then a small group - Andy, Mark, Rush, and Edson - turned back on Stowe Rd while the rest of us kept going up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy. The rest of the riders were ahead of us, so it was me, Ray, Jed, and Arnold pushing pretty hard to catch up. We rode up to Stowe Rd, turning right and taking it over to Kirkham Dr, where we turned right again. A number of the riders - Aaron, Kamal, Nel, Fritz, and Jed - kept going on Scripps-Poway Pkwy and rode up the Purple Monster climb before turning around. We rode back to Scripps-Poway Pkwy on Kirkham Dr, then took the descent down to Pomerado Rd, where the others were waiting for us at the gas station on the corner. But Arnold blasted through the intersection, followed by Jed and Ray, and I had to pedal hard to catch up to them to tell them to turn around. We crossed the median and then rode back. The break at the gas station was particularly long, since we had to wait for the riders who had kept going on Scripps-Poway Pkwy. They finally got back, I had waited at the corner to signal them to turn. A shorter break for them to catch their breath, then we took Scripps-Poway Pkwy down to the freeway. On the little climb, Aaron and I gapped the others. I didn't have to work too hard to stay up with him, but he wasn't going all out. We took the bike path heading south, while Justin started heading back home the other way at this point. The bike path dropped into Erma Rd, which we used to get up to Scripps Ranch Blvd. There is a little climb to get up to the intersection, and I went pretty much full gas and was able to take Aaron to his limit, if only briefly. We waited at the turn for everybody to catch up, had a very short break, then continued on this road past the high school, turning left to stay on Scripps Ranch Blvd and using it to get to Pomerado Rd, where we turned right. Aaron and I were out in the front on this stretch. Sometime around here, Gio turned off and headed home. We rode up to the freeway, then waited for the others to catch up so we could cross traffic in a group. Some riders got ahead, so I rushed to make sure they made the right turn onto Kearny Villa Rd. We then got onto Black Mountain Rd and took it through east Mira Mesa and down the hill, then climbed back up to Park Village Rd. Aaron and I went pretty hard up the climb to the light, and I set a PR for this first half of the climb. Jed A. turned off around Capricorn Way, since he lives in Mira Mesa. A small group of us waited on Park Village Rd, while the others were down the hill helping Ray fix a flat on his tubeless tire. They eventually got it plugged, but it took a couple of tries and the fix was sketchy, so they decided to ride directly back to the starting point. We followed them and caught up with them on Black Mountain Rd. I set another PR on the second half of the Black Mountain Rd climb, again getting pushed by Aaron's pace. After crossing the 56, Aaron and I got out front again, and I suggested to him that we climb up Stargaze Ave, so he and I made the turn, along with Nel, who decided to go with us. It was steep, but I felt pretty good going up there. We turned left onto Laurentian Dr and rode to its end, turning left onto Mediatrice Ln and taking it down to Corte Lampara, turning right and left onto Maler Rd. This brought us back to Black Mountain Rd, where we turned to get to Carmel Valley Rd. We were at the back of the group by this time, so we finished the climb and then descended to Winecreek Dr, where Perse and Ray were waiting for us to let us know we were stopping for pizza at Kamal's house. Ray thought he knew where Kamal lived, so we headed up the hill. After climbing for a while, Ray decided he didn't know Kamal's street after all, so he called Kamal to get directions. Aaron and I were close to the summit, so we kept riding up to the top before turning around and riding back down to the turn onto Kamal's street, Verdot Ct. A number of us hung out here while Perse called Andy and had him drive over to meet us there with the pizza he had ordered from Marco's. Aaron and Rob left early, as they had prior engagements. It took a while for the pizza that Kamal ordered to be delivered. Kamal has a really beautiful house with a nice entertainment area in the small back yard. His two little kids were playing in the pool. After the pizza, James and I took off, heading back down to Carmel Valley Rd, then riding over to Dove Creek Rd. James turned off at Camino San Bernardo, while I kept going to RB Rd, then heading home via W Bernardo Dr. This wasn't an extremely strenuous ride for me, there were just a couple of times when I rode hard, more in the middle third. It was a decent route, we might be able to use something like it again in the future. It did cap a week when I put in more climbing than I have done in a while.
Avg speed = 15.0 mph. Total mileage = 46.8 mi
Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 172 W
Total elevation gain = 3540'
Avg heartrate = 121 bpm
While I was a Kamal's, I got a call from Avi letting me know that there was a planned birthday party for Francois Pirayesh, who is quite ill and not expected to live much longer. So, when I got home I showered up and then drove with Ann down to Del Mar, where the HP media folks were gathered in Sea Grove Park. Ann dropped me off, and I found the gathering pretty quickly. It was tough talking to Francois, as he didn't make much sense, and it wasn't clear if he recognized me. While there, I talked mostly to Julio Alonso, Bor-Jiunn, and Yubai, but I saw Avi, Doug Knight, Silke, and Mariora Gomperts (from a long time ago). It was a nice little celebration for him, and he seemed to appreciate the significance of the gathering. After the party started to break up, I walked north to the beach area, where I met Ann. We then walked up to En Fuego and had a drink before walking back to the car and driving up the coast along PCH. It was a slower drive than I thought it would be, but we had time. We got up to Carlsbad and parked by the train station, then walked over to another Mexican food restaurant for dinner. Food was decent. After dinner, we walked back to the car and drove to Pilgrim UCC, where we attended a Folk Society concert featuring Whole Hog, a four-piece bluegrass band that was really good. Then Ann drove us home, as I was pretty wiped out by the long day.
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