Inaugural Bisikleta Century Ride

Big day for riding. I slept okay, a little restless, and woke up early to start preparing. Ate cereal and a grapefruit for breakfast, then prepped the snacks and water for the sag stop. I also tried to swap out my rear brake disk pads but didn't have the block to force the pistons open far enough, so I ended up riding with the old pads (it worked out okay). Charged my Wahoo and batteries as well. Paula showed up about 6:40, we loaded the bikes and gear up, as well as the wheel that I had cleaned for her friend. Headed over to the starting point at 4S Ranch Community Park, where only Perse was there. But we were early, and folks started showing up. At the start of this first Bisikleta Century we had: Perse, Ray, Jed, Andy, Arnold, Fritz, Jed A, Nel, Paula, and Rob T (who had ridden from his house to meet us). Fritz's tube had popped on the drive over, so we were a little delayed getting started. But we were still rolling by 7:40. I was behind the others, had to restart my Wahoo. Caught up quickly as we headed over into RB via Bernardo Center Dr. Down by the park and across the pedestrian bridge. Weather at this point was really good for riding, but it was heating up. Up BVP to Citrus Ave. General strategy was to ride in front, wait at the turns for everyone to make it, then ride to catch back up to the front. It took a bigger effort to keep this going. Through that neighborhood in northeast Escondido to get back to BVP. We passed Jed St and I got the two Jeds to turn around and get a picture there. Up to Valley Pkwy and over to El Norte Pkwy. Not too long after we passed the turnoff to Dixon Lake Jed A. had a flat. It took longer than expected to fix it, which was frustrating for me. Romeo showed up, having ridden from Oceanside through Valley Center to meet us. And Gideon also showed up in his car to sag for us for a while. After we got rolling we took Jesmond Dene Rd to get to the Circle K, where Rob's wife My was waiting with their camper van. This was a long break, Gideon was there as well, and it turned into a social hour. Day was also warming up, so this next stretch into Vista was a little toasty. Rode over to Buena Creek Rd and took this route to Santa Fe Rd, then into Vista. Around this time Andy got a flat, and it again took too long to fix it. Several of us were out front, and Romeo and I ended up waiting for the rest of the riders to show up. Once they got there a group of riders - Romeo, James, and Arnold, I think - separated from us at a traffic light. I tried to push the pace, along with Jed A, to catch up. This was a generally downhill section, and we made good time. It cooled down somewhat as we got closer to the coast. Was a little more humid than normal, but the sun would occasionally go behind the clouds and give us additional relief. Down to Jed's house as the second sag stop, and again we spent too much time here. In particular, Ray waited until we were ready to leave before he noticed that his front tire was low on air, so he spent 10 minutes putting more sealant in it and pumping it back up. Once again, frustrating! As he was finally getting ready to go, I got impatient and rolled out with James and Paula. We quickly dropped Paula, then James and I rode together into Carlsbad, where I dropped him and rode solo for a while, into Leucadia. Eventually a group of the faster riders caught up with me, and we rode through Encinitas to Chesterfield Dr, where I waited for everybody else to catch up while Ray put more air in his tire. They continued on while I waited for Andy, the last one to show up. I was about ready to continue riding when he arrived, so a group of us, who had waited, rolled out and got over to Manchester Ave, taking it to RSF Rd and stopping for our third sag stop at Champagne Bakery. I got a coffee here, needing the caffeine (although I had earlier had a GU packet with caffeine in it). It was pretty warm by this time, and this next section of the ride was the hottest part. We rode up into RSF village, everybody was slowing down but not me as much as the others. I gapped them on the climb into the village and waited for them to show up, then we rode down and over to the Three Witches climb. I was behind everybody else at this point but had stronger legs, to I passed them on the climb up to CdS. Several others, Arnold, Jed, and Jed A, weren't too far back, and they made the right turn on CdS while I waited for the rest. When Andy and Fritz showed up, they were both really hurting, so they headed back to the starting point from there. After everybody made the turn we gathered up a little further up the road (in the shade), then continued to Carmel Valley Rd, where I got there first and waited to direct the others to make the turn. I thought I got everybody, but Ray had dropped back quite a bit, so he ended up turning left on CVR while the rest of us rode over to the 56 bike path. This stretch up the bike path was helped by a tailwind, it was pretty warm but not quite hot. I was out in front with the two Jeds and Arnold, and on the last little push up to CdS Jed A kicked it in gear, which caused me to go hard to stay on his wheel and eventually pass him. That was the last hurrah for Jed A, as he turned on CdS and started heading back home. We were certainly running late from my original estimate of how long it would take us, so it was understood that he needed to get back home. The rest of us continued up the bike path to Rancho Penasquitos Blvd, I waited at the turn here to make sure everybody got it. Onto Carmel Mountain Rd, taking that gradual climb to the top before dropping down. We were near Arnold's house, so he wasn't too far behind me at this point, and he and Jed rode to his place while I waited for the others to make the turn into his neighborhood. Abie was at their house with pulled pork sandwiches, and initially Arnold was going to call it a day (he had a birthday party to attend). But Abie convinced him to keep going and finish the century (what a wife!). It was still warm but starting to cool down by this point. Headed back to Carmel Mountain Rd and went east, but I missed the turn into a neighborhood that was west of I-15 and had to get the group to backtrack to Penasquitos Dr. I don't even remember mapping this section of the route, and we rode on streets that were unfamiliar, including an unpleasant little steep climb on Andorra Way. It was great to find that there was a fire access path from one neighborhood to another that got us over to CdN. Took it to Pomerado Rd and then followed the normal way home via Bernardo Center Dr for our fifth and last sag stop. James missed the turn onto Bernardo Center Dr and ended up having to retrace his route to get back on course, but he got to the house as well. Sun was warm but the temperature was cooling. We got to the house a little after 4:00, had some cookies and other snacks, refueled with water and took off again. Through the neighborhood up to RB Rd, the last tough stretch of the ride. Paula was the last to get up that climb, so she and I were alone at the back for the rest of the ride. We rode through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Ralphs Ranch Rd and then took the usual route back to CdS. Right turn there, down to PdS and back up into the Del Sur neighborhood. On this gradual climb my quads started twitching, and I knew I was close to being done for the day. Over to Camino San Bernardo, then some neighborhood streets to get back to the starting point, where the others were gathered. Century completed!

Avg speed = 16.1 mph. Total mileage = 100.4 mi

Avg power = 136 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W

Total elevation gain = 5140'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 170

Training Load = 387

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17559781667

We sat around and chatted for a while, Arnold took off to get to his next event, while the rest of us headed over to Ray and Anna's house for pizza and beer. Was a nice, relaxed time, I chatted some with Anna about our upcoming trip to Vietnam. Was glad when the party started to break up, as I was tired. Paula gave me a ride home, and I had a much-needed shower and read for a while before falling asleep. A very successful, long day overall!

02-27-2026 Ride/Swim

Slept fairly well and woke up/got up around 5:45. I read for a bit and eventually got up to get ready to meet Rob for coffee at Mostra. Rode over there on my bike, taking the normal way through the neighborhood and the straight shot to the 4S Ranch Town Center. He was already there, we ordered coffee and then sat outside while he told me about his surgery. The muscle twitching was gone right after the surgery but has come back, which is worrisome. He is in wait-and-see mode but has to be disappointed. He also told me a little about his work experience. He worked for Schlumberger, and I told him the connection with Pete and LeRoy Melcher. We also discussed living with, and influencing, our elderly parents. After the coffee I rode home the normal way via W Bernardo Dr.

Avg speed = 13.3 mph. Total mileage = 6.3 mi

Avg power = 124 W. Weighted avg power = 169 W

Total elevation gain = 540'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm

Relative Effort = 8

Training Load = 31

Intensity = 77%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17543560156

I hung around the house for a while until David Garrett showed up to learn about how to take care of the cat while we are in Vietnam. That went fairly quickly, and I had a little free time before heading over to the WWC to meet Avi for a swim at 11:00. The pool was quite crowded, I guess that's not the time to go if you want the pool to yourself. We had lanes 5 and 6, and after a warm-up 50 we swam four 250s at tempo, on the 5:00 mark. I did pretty well here, probably could have strung two of them together for a sub-9:00 minute 500. I forgot to start my watch to record the workout, so here are the times, from video, of the four 250s: 4:42, 4:20, 4:24, 4:14. Elapsed swimming time was 17:18. I was pretty hungry after this, so I went home and finished off the cabbage rolls. In the afternoon I cleaned the kitchen, wet-mopped the downstairs, and made cookie dough for the sag stop on tomorrow's ride. Then I watched a little TV before working on the Fear Free training for SDHS. Throughout the day and into the evening I worked on trying to get my RAID drives functional again for our data storage. It was frustrating, ended up having to replace one of the 1 TB drives, but Windows is not well set up for this kind of thing. The eventual breakthrough was when I used the Intel Rapid Storage Technology app to set up the RAID 1 drives. That came in the evening, and I was pretty happy with having figured it out, albeit with a lot of false starts and frustration. The rest of the evening was pretty quiet, as I went through the logistics of the following day's bike ride to make sure all the key details were covered.

02-26-2026 Entry

Woke up fairly early after sleeping through the night for the first time in a long time. Had some yogurt and got ready for my volunteer shift at SDHS. It was cold for about half of the ride over and fairly quiet in the Animal Shelter. I couldn't see much to do so I spent over two hours folding Lau dry and restocking cabinets and shelves. Doing scut work now, but long-term it has to get more interesting. I rode home, stopping for gas on the way, and ate a big burrito, was pretty hungry. Then I swapped out the tires on my Canyon and adjusted the rear brake pistons, hoping the pads won't rub. In the afternoon I played around with the computer to try and get another backup HDD to work. Was successful in restoring function to a 1 TB drive but somehow I so doing I gave one of my raid drives an error. Fortunately, I didn't lose the other drive, so I backed it up right away. Frustrating! Waxed a couple of chains and put Chain #3 on my Canyon.in the evening I drove the second batch of t-shirts over to Perse's house, then Ann and I watched some TV. 

02-25-2026 Ride

Woke up after a decent night's sleep and got ready for a bike ride with John. Rode over there the normal way at moderate pace. Jayden and Vivian were there when we left, heading up to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, then down the hill. At the bottom 8 stopped and found out I had a rear tire flat. John helped while I fixed it, then we headed up to Kirkham Rd and took it to Kirkham Way. At the top of the little climb I pumped some more air into my tire while I waited for John. When he caught up, we rode to Danielson St and used it to get back to Scripps-Poway Pkwy, heading east. We rode to the exit to get to Sycamore Canyon Rd, took it, and rode up to the top of that road. More air in the tire while I waited, then we rode all the way down to Garden Rd, turning right and riding through the neighborhood up there before coming back on Garden Rd to Poway Rd. Right turn there, riding up most of the climb before Espola Rd, turning left on Sunrise Ranch Rd and then left on Sunrise Canyon Rd. Down a nice descent to Ipava Dr, following that down to Putney Rd, where we turned left and took it to Midland Rd. Right turn there, heading up to Aubrey St (I overshot this turn), turning left and staying on it until it dead-ended, where we took a sidewalk path to get to Woodcreek Rd. That took us to Twin Peaks Rd, where we turned left and then left again on Silverset St. This is a short, quite steep road (John struggled here) up to Arbolitos Dr, where we turned right and rode along the ridge to Celestial Rd, turning right on Ring Rd and then left on McFerron Rd to get to Pomerado Rd. Left turn there, then we followed the normal way back to John's house, except that we turned left on Alpine Ter and connected that way to Briarleaf Way. Vivian made smoothies for us when we got back, and we talked about their trip to Disneyland and California Adventure last Wednesday. I headed back home from there following the normal way, except I took W Bernardo Dr. Legs felt fine, but I took it easy, knowing I have a big ride planned for Saturday.

Avg speed = 14.9 mph. Total mileage = 38.5 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W

Total elevation gain = 2320'

Avg heartrate = 113 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 43

Training Load = 156

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17521604101

Got home and had a little time, but not much, to relax before I shaved and showered for my volunteer shift at the hospital. I left early and rode to Walmart to drop off the refurbished HDD I'd bought that was incompatible with my PC. Then I headed to the hospital and worked my shift, which was slow at the beginning but got progressively busier over time. I left on time to get home and change to meet Emily and Caleb at OtB for dinner. Traffic was terrible, maybe due to previous accidents on the freeway. We had a nice chat about the Wild Animal Park's new restaurant and their upcoming trip to Las Vegas. Then I drove home and watched a little TV to unwind after a long day.

02-24-2026 Run/Swim

I got up really early and had some cereal and a banana for breakfast, loaded and started the dishwasher as well. Then I did a run in the early morning, both for exercise and to see if I could locate our missing trash can. I ran down to the park and did the normal 5k route. Had pretty significant negative splits for the first three miles. My right leg was a little tender but not painful. Found our trash can outside a neighbor's house on Aguamiel Rd and brought it back to our house. Mystery solved.

Avg pace = 8:12/mi

Total distance = 3.17 mi

Elapsed moving time = 26:03

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 11

https://www.strava.com/activities/17506367074

Got home from the run and had a little time before I needed to get ready for my swim. I picked up the package containing a refurbished HDD from the porch and tried, briefly and without success, to get it to plug into my HDD enclosure. No time to troubleshoot, so I rode to the WWC and did a 1500 yd swim. Again, not feeling much energy on this day, and my bone conduction headphones didn't work again. Seemed like they kept trying to pair with my watch, which might be a longer-term solution for using them. I also had more difficulty in adjusting my goggles to keep them from leaking, which was frustrating.I swam the 1500 yds, with a break after the first 500, to try and fix my phones and eventually just take them off. Toward the end, I was having difficulty keeping my stroke count low as I tired out and my form fell apart. Here are the splits for my three 500s: 9:28, 9:35, 9:46. Elapsed freestyle swimming time of 28:49. Then I moved to lane 2 and practiced my backstroke for 100 yds. I didn't wander as much as the previous time, the lane markers helped, and I got a little faster. More practice needed.

Avg pace = 1:55/100 yds (Video, not including pause after first 1000)

Total distance = 1500 yds

Elapsed moving time = 28:49 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 159 bpm (Zepp, probably not)

Relative Effort = 65 (probably not)

SWOLF = 38

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.32 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17510055959

Here are the backstroke data:

Avg pace = 2:47/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 100 yds

Elapsed moving time = 2:47 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 136 bpm (Zepp)

Relative Effort = 2

SWOLF = 57

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 1.18 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17510055941

Got home after that and did some more sleuthing about the HDD. Long story short, it's not the right drive interface, so I arranged to return it and will look for another drive instead. Next, I went in the garage, took apart the rear cassette from Paula's friend Sylvia's wheel, and gave it a deep clean. It was really dirty, with caked-on grease that I had to scrape away. But the original finish was still there, and it came out looking really fine. It took me about 90 minutes to do. Had some lunch after that, then I rode over to pick up my bike shoes from the shoe store. They turned out looking okay, I hope the repair lasts for a while because these are comfortable shoes. Had a nap in the afternoon, was tired from the morning's exertions. Then Ann and I drove down to Cabrillo National Monument and walked around. I was feeling a little out of sorts, would not have chosen to go hiking on this day, but it turned out to be pretty nice. Low-key campus to explore, we stayed up on the point where the original lighthouse was located and didn't drive down to the new one by the sea. Traffic was really backed up when we left the park, so we stopped for Mexican food in Old Town. Food quality was decent, huge portion size. Traffic cleared up while we ate, and we zipped home for a quiet rest of the evening.

02-23-2026 Swim/Ride

Slept pretty well, no caffeine or naps on the previous day (<>). Got ready for a swim at the WWC, also cleaned the kitchen dishes before I headed over there (took a banana). Got in the pool and started, but for some reason my bone conduction headphones wouldn't switch to internal memory. So I stopped after one lap, took them off, and restarted the workout. Again focused on keeping a longer stroke. I also had difficulties in adjusting my goggles so they wouldn't leak, and even throughout the swim I didn't feel like my stroke was natural. Not a great day. I decided to cut it short and swim only 1500 yds, the last 500 with swim fins. Here are the splits for the three 500s: 9:33, 9:40, 8:46. Elapsed swimming time of 27:59.

Avg pace = 1:52/100 yds (Video, not including pause after first 1000)

Total distance = 1500 yds

Elapsed moving time = 27:59 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 143 bpm (Zepp, maybe)

Relative Effort = 29 (maybe)

SWOLF = 36

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.48 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17496279998

Got home and had cereal for breakfast, then I went out in the garage and got the mower ready to cut the grass. Did that and then performed some bike maintenance in preparation for a ride in the afternoon with Paula. I rode into Escondido to have lunch with Earl at Sunnyside Kitchen. I paid. Discussion about his investments, risks of crypto, AI activity in general and in Laura's research. Then I rode home and had a little time before meeting Paula. Sent some emails about NY upcoming unavailability for volunteering, then got ready for the ride. She showed up around 2:30 with a cracked windshield and feeling blue. She felt better after we started riding, taking an extended route through the neighborhood and up to RB Rd. Over to Broken Bow Ct and then Via del Campo back to RB Rd. Over to CdS taking the long route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood (including riding up to the end of Four Gee Rd), then down to PdS. We turned there and rode back up into the Del Sur neighborhood, taking Potomac Ridge Rd and Nicole Ridge Rd to Camino San Bernardo. Some school traffic to deal with. We rode over to Dove Canyon Rd, turned right, and rode down to Dove Creek Rd, turning left there. Took that up to Cayenne Ridge Rd (short climb, not too bad), then turned right and took it down to Bernardo Center Dr, where we turned left. Up the rest of that climb, turning right on Camino Crisalida. This was a nice, winding downhill to the end of the street, where we took an access path over to Avenida de los Lobos. This road wound uphill for a bit until we turned right onto Avenida Abeja, which got us back to Bernardo Center Dr just before the light at CdN. From there, it was the normal way home riding by HP.

Avg speed = 12.8 mph. Total mileage = 18.9 mi

Avg power = 106 W. Weighted avg power = 142 W

Total elevation gain = 1430'

Avg heartrate = 111 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 21

Training Load = 66

Intensity = 65%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17500314955

Paula had brought a cake for us, so she, Ann, and I sat out in the backyard, had some cake and lemonade, and talked for a while. Then she headed home, and we had dinner. I read for a bit, then we went out shopping at Aldi and Walmart for supplies for the Saturday ride. I also dropped off the t-shirts and transfers at Perse's house so he could iron the transfers on. After shopping, Ann and I stopped at a bar/restaurant, Poway Social House, in the Walmart parking lot, for drinks and a snack. I watched a little TV after we got home from that.

02-22-2026 Trail Run

Woke up feeling pretty good, no major soreness in my legs, so I decided to meet Aaron Holdaway for a trail run by his place. Tackled all the dishes in the kitchen first, that took a while to clean up, but it felt good to get it done early. Also had some breakfast to get fuel in. Rode the scooter over to the park by his place, where he was waiting. We chatted briefly and then started on our run, which was on a mix of pavement and trail for a while. The trail sections were occasionally muddy. We followed some of the trails from the Turkey Trot. I ran with Aaron for the first 3+ miles at a slower pace, then I split from him and ran back to the starting point. Legs felt pretty good, but I didn't push the pace. The effort to run on the trail was higher, though.

Avg pace = 8:58/mi

Total distance = 5.25 mi

Elapsed moving time = 47:05

Avg heartrate = 130 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 19

https://www.strava.com/activities/17486555659

Rode my scooter home and had some coffee while I worked to fix some elements of my cycling analysis code to display the correct numbers. Had a burrito for lunch and watched a little TV, then I went out in the front yard and tackled the gravel path. First I went through and removed remaining dry weeds and manually leveled the ground. Then I compacted it by walking on the dirt. Next, I poured clean pea gravel from the trash bin where I'd stored it. Finally I went through and leveled the gravel and added more to the bald spots. It looks really good now, will see how long that lasts before I have to weed it again. Glad to be done with the big task, until the next time. I rested for a bit after this work, then I went back to the cycling program and worked to get the FIT file analysis to agree with the corresponding GPX file analysis. Was successful at this by late afternoon. Lots more work needed to integrate this capability more completely, but a big hurdle was cleared today. Ann and I watched TV in the evening after dinner, then I read for a while before turning in.

02-21-2026 Ride

Slept fairly well, did wake up in the night and read for a while. When I woke up, I did the dishes and ate some pancakes to fuel up for a long ride. Headed over to the 4S Target the fast way, I forgot to start my Wahoo until a little more than a mile into the ride. I got there the same time as Perse, and for a while I thought we would have a very small group to start. But others showed up unexpectedly, so it was a decent turnout: Perse, Ray (first time riding with us since his toe surgery), Nel, James, Jed A., and Rob T. We headed to CdS and took it to the 56 bike path. While on the path Aaron joined us as well, apparently he pushed hard to catch up with us. Down to Carmel Valley Rd, skipping the part of the path that was flooded and riding through some rocks and sand in the underpass just before it ended. All we're riding a steady pace, not super fast but going pretty good. We rode up to PCH and headed north. As usual these days, James got in front whenever he could and pushed the rest of us to keep up. Somewhere around Cardiff Romeo joined us too. We stopped for a bio break at Swami's Beach, and Aaron turned around here. Continued on after the break, and Perse turned around once we got into downtown Encinitas. Jed turned around at LA Costa Ave. The rest of us continued on toward Carlsbad. At some point a guy on an e-bike passed us, and Romeo jumped on his wheel. I tried, briefly, to stay with them but gave up after considering how many more miles I had to ride. As we approached Carlsbad, I saw a lady with a parrot on her shoulder, walking a dog. We continued into Oceanside, taking the usual route over to Pacific St and then turning from there onto the Mission San Luis Rey bike path. Ray and Rob split from us to head to the harbor and find a place for coffee and a snack. On the bike path, Romeo and I were out in front, then I got into the lead when it straightened out and gapped the rest of the riders. I wasn't going full gas but did keep a steady pace. It was a longer distance to Mance Buchanon Park, and there weren't any easy access paths to it until we got to it's eastern end. Stopped there for another bio break, and I ate some food, including most of a banana that Romeo gave me. He lives near the park and decided to ride home from there. After the break the three remaining riders - James, Nel, and I - retraced our path all the way back to Encinitas. We did stop for another break at Cancun. I had gapped the others and paused there to reconnect with them. Short break, 5hen we were on our way again. I did the normal diverted route through downtown Encinitas while James and Nel rode straight through. I was out front and paused several time for them to catch up, including at VdlV, where James thought we were turning. We continued on into Del Mar, and I separated from them on the gradual climb through the town. Turned on CVR and took the old way to get to the 56 bike path, to avoid the messy underpass. I was slowing down, the others more so. We rode back to CVR, turning left there and taking it to CdS. I was slow on that last little climb. Probably should have been eating more during the ride. Legs didn't cramp, though. Up, slowly, to Paseo del Sur, where Nel was lagging behind James. Took that road back to the 4S Target, where I was glad to see that part of the ride end. The three of us chatted for just a bit, then James started riding home, as did I, shortly afterwards. Home the new normal way, benefiting from a steady tail wind, for which I was grateful. Was tired and feeling calorie-deprived when I got home, but surprisingly my legs weren't really sore at all.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 91.4 mi (+1.2 mi)

Avg power = 138 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 3100'

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 149

Training Load = 314

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17477140695

Got home but wasn't really motivated to eat a big lunch. There wasn't much in the fridge other than the cabbage rolls, and they seemed too rich for me then. It felt good just to relax and unwind for a bit. The shower felt pretty good. Later in the afternoon, I dropped my white cycling shoes off at the shoe repair store to get the stitching redone on the left one. Also got a couple of items at CVS, then headed home. I read for a bit and blogged about the ride before Ann and I drove to church for a soup potluck and game night. Lots of meat soups, but I had a couple of bowls and some really good sourdough bread that Caleb had made. Talked, and caught up, with Dave and Karen, met Deborah from the choir (strange lady), then I chatted with Joe and Cathie for a while, no games for me. Home after that, where I watched some TV and then headed off to bed.

02-20-2026 Swim/Ride

Slept okay, not perfect but good enough, waking up in the early morning but getting back to sleep for a while after that. Got up and got ready for a swim at the WWC, also did the dishes before I left. It was a little chilly on the ride over, skies were overcast but not looking like rain. I had the pool to myself for the first half of the swim, and only one other swimmer was in the pool when I finished. Concentrated, mostly with success (see pull distance below), on keeping my stroke long. Swam 1500 yds, the last 500 with the pull buoy. Here are the splits for the three 500s: 9:34, 9:35, 9:15. I need to start working on improving my kick, likely with the swim board I bought but never used.

Avg pace = 1:54/100 yds (Video, not including pause after first 1000)

Total distance = 1500 yds

Elapsed moving time = 28:24 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 163 bpm (Zepp, maybe)

Relative Effort = 69 (maybe)

SWOLF = 37

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.48 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17462882681

Got home, was still chilly on the ride home, and had some coffee. Not much for breakfast. Placed an order for stuff from Walmart. Ann and I went to Tandoori Xpress for lunch after I looked into Italy bike rentals and started inspecting hostels in Vicenza. After lunch I chilled for a bit, then mixed up some weed killer, found a spray bottle, and sprayed down the dirt on the gravel path. After that, I went for a short bike ride. Through the neighborhood on Matinal Circle, then to W Bernardo Dr. Right on RB Rd and up to Broken Bow CT, taking it all the way to the end before turning around and riding back to Via del Campo. I took this back to RB Rd and then followed the extended route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to CdS. Home the original way from there. Didn't push the pace on this ride, just a casual speed.

Acg speed = 14.7 mph. Total mileage = 11.1 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 158 W

Total elevation gain = 800'

Avg heartrate = 117 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 12

Training Load = 39

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17465825582

Got home and watched a little TV, had a small snack. I worked a little on my cycling analysis program. Avi texted that a group was meeting at Phil's at 5, so I headed over there and had a Coke and a long conversation with Britt about her early life. Came home, had some dinner, and watched TV for a while before heading to bed (<>).

02/19/2026 Virtual Ride

I was originally going to get out for a ride, but the weather forecast predicted rain coming, so I switched to an indoor ride instead. I picked a very flat route, Brussels Town Square, and did four laps in a little over an hour. Had to psych myself out not to stop at about 15 miles, legs were feeling it from the constant effort. But I got to the end of the fourth lap successfully. Here are the times for the four laps: 15:24 (162 W, warming up at the beginning, also turned the fan on at some point), 14:38 (181 W), 14:48 (178 W), 14:40 (179 W).

Avg speed = 20.3 mph. Total mileage = 20.5 mi

Avg power = 175 W. Weighted avg power = 177 W

Total elevation gain = 0'

Avg cadence = 82

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 32

Training Load = 64

Intensity = 80%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17451820400

Made a minor adjustment to my Fuji bike when I was done, also changed the battery on the remote for the Bose SoundDock. Then I went inside and had some toast for breakfast. Ann had gotten up early and gone downtown for jury duty, so I had the house to myself. Watched some TV, then through the day I worked on adding the functionality into my cycling analysis program to read in FIT files and display the data. It took some time to figure out how to convert the columns to usable data, then I had to try and map the data from the FIT files to the appropriate lists and dataframes I had set up in the program. Was partially successful at the end of the day, I had numbers for the main output statistics, but they aren't yet all correct. Ann and I watched some TV in the evening, and I also read a fair amount of the book Easy Money through the day and evening.

02-18-2026 Swim

Slept pretty well, didn't eat or read during the night, although I did wake up (<!>). The rain noise was pretty noticeable, and we had some high winds as well. Got ready for a swim at the WWC and rode over in gray and cool but not rainy weather. Others were there when it opened, but I got lane #3. Swam two 500s with a short break in between. I felt much more fluid in the water, and my stroke count was about the same as the previous day, just faster. Here are the splits for the two 500s: 9:01, 8:49. I think these are the fastest 500s I have swum in the pool (it was surprisingly warm, given the rain we had overnight).

Avg pace = 1:47/100 yds (Video, not including pause between 500s)

Total distance = 1000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 17:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 163 bpm (Zepp, maybe)

Relative Effort = 42 (maybe)

SWOLF = 36

Avg stroke rate = 23 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.29 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17441077385

When I got home, I checked to see if we had both trash cans and discovered that our normal trash can had apparently been washed down the street by the rain. I went looking for it, without success. Had some cereal for breakfast. Later in the morning, I formatted the logo for the Bisikleta century and submitted the print order to ninjatransfers.com. Then I got ready for my volunteer shift at the hospital, eating a fairly big lunch before I started. It was pretty steadily busy, there's a new nurse, Mila, whom I met. Was clear, cool weather when I rode home, cabbage rolls for dinner. Watched TV in the evening and then read before bed.

02-17-2026 Swim/Ride

Slept okay, although I did wake up in the night and read for a good while. When I got up, the scooter replacement battery had arrived, so I unpacked it and installed it with minimal difficulties, checked to make sure it worked, then put everything back together. I had to hustle a little bit to get ready for a swim at the WWC, it was clear on the way over but a little cooler than usual. There was a surprisingly large number of people waiting to get in when it opened, and several people were swimmers. But I got my preferred lane and started my swim. No real energy for a swim on this day, I couldn't consistently maintain 20 strokes/length. Tried to keep my posture flat, with only limited success. I think I need more speed drills, like pyramids or fast 100s and 50s. Swam the last 550 yds with swim fins. Here are the times for the 4 500s and the last 50: 9:29, 9:47, 9:48, 8:49, 0:51. Elapsed swimming time was 38:44.

Avg pace = 1:53/100 yds (Video, not including pause before last 550)

Total distance = 2050 yds

Elapsed moving time = 38:44 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 173 bpm (Zepp, nope)

Relative Effort = 133 (nope)

SWOLF = 37

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.36 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17430407407

I had some cereal and a banana for breakfast when I got home, then drank some coffee as well. I worked on adding Refresh Token functionality to my Dropbox file access program so that I don't have to go in regularly and generate a new access token. With the help of Claude AI (I think it did a much better job than Gemini for providing code samples and detailed explanations, after a few iterations I was successful in getting the program to run, then adding in the ability to scan the upload folder for all FIT files and copy any new files over to the PC. It is pretty neat. Had leftover pizza for lunch. Some of the program development work happened in the afternoon, during which I also got a bike ride in. Was hoping to ride without getting rained on, but I did ride through some light rain, not really enough to get either me or the roads wet. Headed down by the park and over to Highland Valley Rd, turning there and initially planning on just riding the flats. But when I got to the bottom of the first climb I kept going, slowly, but up to the summit, continuing on to Bandy Canyon Rd, where I turned left and rode over to Sky High Rd, taking it up to its end and then turning around and retracing my route back to Pomerado Rd. The descent was particularly sketchy, wind was trying to blow me off balance, so I rode the brakes for most of it until near the bottom. Headed south on Pomerado Rd, intending to get a few more miles in before turning around. Once I got past RB Rd, I started feeling some raindrops hitting me, so it was getting time to cut it short. I rode up to the hospital through a couple of minor light rain, then I turned around there and started heading back. As soon as I did, I got more rain, and it was fairly constant but light all the way back to RB Rd. Not too bothersome, but it did impel me to ride a little faster and get home before the rain started up in earnest. Home the normal way from there via Bernardo Center Dr and Duenda Rd.

Avg speed = 14.5 mph. Total mileage = 19.7 mi

Avg power = 133 W. Weighted avg power = 164 W

Total elevation gain = 1450'

Avg heartrate = 115 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 22

Training Load = 78

Intensity = 75%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17432853857

Got home and had a shower, which felt good. Then I continued working on the FIT file program, starting the process of figuring out how to pull data (there's a lot more than what gets passed to Strava) out of this file. I guess I'll start small and add more data as time passes. I watched a little TV during the afternoon as well. Ann went to bell choir practice in the evening, I watched some TV and read. Finished Joh Scalzi's Zoe's Tale during the day and started Easy Money by Ben McKenzie and Jacob Silverman. I may have read this book before, although I didn't log it at the time.

02-16-2026 Run

Slept fitfully, so did Ann. Too much coffee. I had some yogurt in the night, got up around 6:30 and got ready to meet Joe for breakfast at Pegah's Kitchen. Went out into the garage and found my scooter battery was dead because I didn't turn the lights off. Dammit! Ann was asleep, so I drove the car instead. Nice talk, mostly about Joe - retirement thoughts, Lindsay and family, the summer backpacking trip. I drove back and chilled for a while before going out for a run, hoping to get it in before the rain came. No such luck. It started as I was coming by the park on the way back, and it got pretty heavy. Got rather wet running back home without stopping. My pace on this run was intentionally slower, aiming for 8:30-9:00 miles. No pain in my right leg, although I could feel a little tightness there. Probably need to stretch before running.

Avg pace = 8:54.mi

Total distance = 3.31 mi

Elapsed moving time = 29:31

Avg heartrate = 127 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 9

https://www.strava.com/activities/17419540327

Dropped the medical forms over to Rob and Isabelle's house after I got back and changed into dry clothes. Chatted a little with Isabelle about retirement and some travel stuff. I had leftover Thai food for lunch, then Ann went off to play Mah-Jongg Ata neighbor's house. In the afternoon I worked with Arnold on getting a t-shirt designed and made for the Bisikleta century. I also took the scooter battery out by removing the seat and the under-seat well. Tried to trickle-charge that battery back to life but had no luck. So I used Emily's Amazon Prime account to order another battery for overnight delivery. Watched some TV in the late afternoon. Throughout the day I was playing around with the idea of automatically downloading my Wahoo Elemnt data, as a .FIT file, to Dropbox so I could pull the files out and save them for analysis by my cycling program. This file format is richer in data than the GPX files I've been downloading from Strava. Made incremental success in setting up the files to be uploaded to Dropbox once created, then in the evening I was successful in using Gemini to create Python code that finds the file in Dropbox and sends it to a Windows folder. It's pretty awesome. Need to implement a refresh token routine so I don't have to update the access token every time I want to run the program, that's the next step. Ann and I watched some TV in the evening. 

02-15-2026 Ride

Slept a little fitfully, not sure why. I got up just after midnight, was pretty hungry, so I had some cereal. Got back to sleep after that and woke up around 6:15. Got ready for an easy-paced bike ride, but this time I replaced the cleat on my right shoe so it would clip in and stay clipped in. Through the neighborhood, staying on Matinal Cir until I turned right on Matinal Rd, then right again on W Bernardo Dr. Up past the HP site, legs were definitely informing me that they were sore from the previous day, so I took it slow. Over to Bernardo Center Dr, turning right and taking it to Carmel Valley Rd, down the hill and then back up to Black Mountain Rd. Then down to CdS, turning right there and riding over to Lasanja Dr, turning left there and riding through this neighborhood. To Camino de la Rosa, left there, then left again on Camino de la Luna. I rode to the bottom and then climbed back up to Camino de la Rosa, turning right and then left onto Via Fiesta. To Via Inez and then Via Azul to get back to CdS. I then rode to Paseo del Sur (PdS) and took it through the Del Sur neighborhood, with a right on Haaland Glen, another right on Paseo Montenero, and then a left on Kristen Glen to get back to PdS. I stayed on this road to Four Gee Rd, with a right onto Campania Ave. Left on Camino San Thomas and up to Paseo de Linda, turning right and heading down to Albert Ave. I turned left there, then right on Ralphs Ranch Rd to get back to Paseo de Linda, which I took to 4S Ranch Pkwy, turning right there. Up to RB Rd and over to Town Square Pkwy, heading into the parking lot and riding to Mostra Coffee to meet Rob Fogarty. We had a long chat about his upcoming brain surgery to alleviate symptoms of a hyperactive facial nerve condition he has been dealing with. Scary but apparently treatable. Also talked a fair amount about retirement planning, including drawing on Social Security. I had a large coffee, which I'm sure made me extra jittery for the rest of the day. Rode home from there the normal way via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. Of course, my legs felt much better after the coffee.

Avg speed = 14.8 mph. Total mileage = 19.9 mi

Avg power = 129 W. Weighted avg power = 159 W

Total elevation gain = 1500'

Avg heartrate = 112 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 18

Training Load = 73

Intensity = 72%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17409012823

When I got home, during the day I swapped out my Gatorskin tires for the Enve tires, at least until I swap them back before the century ride. Ann and I also went to lunch at Thai Thai in south Escondido, near Brotherton Rd. Food had the right level of spice but wasn't as flavorful as other Thai food restaurants we've eaten at. In the late afternoon I worked a little bit on the cycling analysis program to improve the format of the decade statistics that I figured out how to generate. Watched some TV, but it was otherwise a quiet rest of the day.

02-14-2026 Ride

Woke up in the night and finished my book, then got a little more sleep before it was time to get up. Ate some cereal, cleaned up the kitchen of a few dishes, then I got ready for a bigger-than-usual Bisikleta ride. I ended up having to swap out my power meter battery, so thatade me a little late to leave home. Through the neighborhood and then the old short route through the 4S Ranch neighborhood. Perse and Andy were already there, I wasn't sure how many would show up. Eventually, we had 11 riders: Perse, Andy, Jed, Jed A., Charlie, Nel, Arnold, Fritz, James, and Paula. Fritz arrived just as we were taking off, so I sent the others on and rode back to ride with Fritz and Jed A. We rode on CdS to RB Rd, I was pushing the pace to catch up to the others. Was cool but not cold by this time. We caught them at W Bernardo Dr, then 8 led the group over to Pomerado Rd, turning left there. Paula was hanging in there pretty well in the early part of the ride. I should mention that I had noticed I had a broken right cleat before I even got started but didn't have time to swap it out. So my right shoe would periodically pop off of the pedal, often when I was trying to put in a bigger effort. Was just luck that I didn't bang my shin on the crank and hurt myself. We rode down to the lake and crossed it (all except James) using the pedestrian bridge. Then we rode over to BVP and kept heading north. I had hung back and then missed a couple of lights, so Jed A. and I had to hustle to connect back with the group. We caught the tail end, and the others were waiting just before the left turn onto Citrus Ave. I got out ahead again and led the group on this stretch back over to BVP. Right turn there, over to Valley Pkwy, where we headed up to Valley Center. I was at the back as we started this climb. Made my way past the group, Arnold and Fritz were talking in the lead. I passed them and kept spinning, initially in third gear but dropping to a combination of first and second throughout the rest of the climb. Got to the top, just a little off my PR and 11th fastest form my age group. I think I could push a little harder to get into the top 10. Waited for the others to show, Jed was there along with Arnold. Paula was middle of the pack. After everyone was there we continued down and over to Lilac Rd, turning left there. Several riders stripped off their cool-weather gear here, and we had to wait for James to replace his HR monitor battery. I ate a little something here. We continued on, and shortly after this Romeo showed up. He had ridden up W Lilac Rd to meet us. He was hammering the pace, especially on the descents, and I struggled to keep up with him, usually catching him on the climbs. We turned on W Lilac Rd, really nice road to ride on but has its share of ups and downs. Romeo and I were out front. There was another rider who was going fast, especially on the descents, and I was putting in a big effort to catch up to him. Eventually we got to the arch bridge over I-15, where I waited for the others to show up. Took some video there, then we enjoyed (most of us) the nice downhill into Bonsall. Romeo was out front, and Arnold and I were chasing him. Near the bottom, here came James on the attack. Got to the stop sign at Camino del Rey, waited for the others to show up, then we turned right and took it over to Old River Rd. Followed this south through a neighborhood and eventually crossed the 76 getting on S13. There was a steady climb here, and I started at the back. Had to work hard to pass everybody, Jed and Arnold last. After it flattened out, Arnold passed me and gapped me, couldn't close the distance. We rode down to Bobier Dr and stopped at a Chevron station for the mid-ride break. I ate a banana while waiting here. Thankfully it wasn't too long, although I was watching the time and starting to calculate how fast I'd need to ride to get home by 1:00. After the break we headed west on Bobier Dr and headed generally down to Melrose Dr. On the S13 Romeo had started to cramp up, so he was planning on turning right on Melrose Dr and heading back home, but his legs felt better after the break, so he stayed with us at the left turn. I was a little worried about the amount of climbing on this road, but it turned out to be generally downhill until we passed under the 78, then there were a couple of small climbs until we got to Sycamore Ave. I gapped the others here, even though I didn't feel like I was riding fast. Left on Sycamore Ave, which we used to get to Santa Fe Ave. I've been on Sycamore Ave before, but I don't think I've ridden in this direction. It has some rollers but is a nice stretch of road, taking us back to the other side of the 78. We gathered back up after the right turn, and that was the last I saw of the big group. James had gotten out in front, so I pushed to catch up to him and then pass him. Jed A., Jed, and Arnold were generally riding with me, although I was leading nearly all the time. We rode over to Mission Rd and turned on it to head back into Escondido. This stretch had a favorable tailwind helping us along, and I was glad for that, my high effort level was starting to catch up to me. I still led, and the others were content to follow, as we passed through San Marcos and eventually turned right on Quince St. I needed to keep pushing after the turn, so James and I left the others behind and rode back toward our house. To 13th Ave and over to Centre City Pkwy, then the usual way home, across the freeway, from there. James was still feeling good, so I did all I could to stay on his wheel, mostly with success. When we crossed the freeway, there were two broken down cars in the emergency lane, and it was definitely sketchy going into the freeway car lane to get by them. Don't want to have to do that again. The last two climbs were painful, my legs were basically done, and James gapped me as we rode past the park. The route had us going by our house, so he rode with me to the house and then continued on. I was definitely glad to be done with this ride, it was a bigger effort than expected. More training needed before I will feel comfortable sustaining this effort level for 100 miles.

Avg speed = 16.6 mph. Total mileage = 72.8 mi

Avg power = 148 W. Weighted avg power = 172 W

Total elevation gain = 4250'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 164

Training Load = 308

Intensity = 78

https://www.strava.com/activities/17398983795

I got home in plenty of time to actually have something to eat, shave, and shower before we drove over to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido for an Eastern Swing dance class. Crazy coincidence, Amy and Ed van Liew were at the class as well. We chatted with them a little before class started. The teacher, Mercedes Moore, was very engaging, and her teaching style helped me a lot, although I was definitely a slow starter. Felt a little more comfortable at the end of the class. It was a little awkward switching partners, but we had to do it, since there were more followers than leaders. I kept pretty busy, and the females were mostly forgiving. The class was energizing, we'll see about going to future classes as well. Drove home after that, and the rest of the day was pretty quiet. Heart-shaped pancakes for dinner, thankfully easy to clean. I made some modifications to my ride analysis program to allow me to view the average power levels for every 10 miles. More work to be done there to report them in some kind of format. That was the day.

02-13-2026 Swim/Walk

Slept decently, was a long exercise day (<>). Got ready for a swim at the WWC.  It was busier than normal, maybe because it's a Friday. But I got my own preferred lane. Swam 1050 yds, the last 50 because I lost track of the lap count. Here are the splits for the two 500s and the last 50: 9:21, 9:35, 0:56. I took a short break and then swam a backstroke 100, which was interesting. Was difficult to orient myself in the pool, I think lane markers may help me there, especially if I can track when I'm getting close to the wall. This 100 was done in 3:13. Interestingly, my watch detected that I was swimming the backstroke. For the freestyle portion, here are the stats:

Avg pace = 1:54/100 yds (Video, not including short pause)

Total distance = 1050 yds

Elapsed moving time = 19:52 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 142 bpm (Zepp, maybe)

Relative Effort = 19 (maybe)

SWOLF = 38

Avg stroke rate = 22 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.25 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17386112253

Here are the backstroke data:

Avg pace = 3:13/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 100 yds

Elapsed moving time = 3:13 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 131 bpm (Zepp)

Relative Effort = 1

SWOLF = 65

Avg stroke rate = 20 bpm

Avg pull distance = 1.44 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17386112325

Got home, made some coffee, and had cereal and yogurt for breakfast. I'd eaten a cookie and a banana before the swim. Then I did the dishes and headed out into the front yard to work on weeding the gravel path. Finished this part of the work, next is to apply weed-killer to the ground before putting the gravel back down. Watched some TV during the day, had a nap (was pretty tired), then I went to Von's and got some supplies to make the ingredients for bean and rice burritos. Came home and cooked the items up, then put some in the refrigerator and some in the freezer. Read a fair amount in the afternoon as well. Evening was quiet, watched some TV with Ann.

02-12-2026 Swim/Ride

Ann's alarm woke me up. She had to get up early to go downtown to the courthouse for jury duty. I stayed in bed and read for a while, then got up to get ready for a swim at the WWC. It was foggy and cooler than expected on the ride over. There was just one more swimmer in the pool. I tried to be consistent for the first 1500 yds, focusing on keeping my posture up and not dragging my legs so much. As a result that third 500 was faster than it has been in the past. I used the swim pads on the fourth 500, they weren't so helpful, but maybe they're good for strengthening my arms. Here are the splits for the four 500s: 9:29, 9:30, 9:32, 9:19. Elapsed swimming time was 37:50.

Avg pace = 1:54/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)

Total distance = 2000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 37:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 146 bpm (Zepp with Polar (?), maybe)

Relative Effort = 48 (maybe)

SWOLF =37

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.40 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17379757697

Got home and changed to ride over to HP and meet with Brooke, John, and Gary. It's depressing to hear what's going on, although I learned that Qin Zhao got a position up in Corvallis, and Emilio got a new role as well, also up there. Lots of mess with the new site in Bldg 8. I rode home after that and ate some lunch, watched a little Winter Olympics. Then, after having some food, I got ready for a longer bike ride, training for the upcoming century. It was cool on this day, so I wore a long-sleeve jersey and was glad I did, at times in the ride. Through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to the left turn onto Hunters Ridge Pl, using it to get to Hunters Ridge Rd and then to Ralphs Ranch Rd back to Albert Ave, old route from there to CdS. I headed toward the coast, not feeling very strong at this point in the ride, so I wasn't pushing particularly hard as I rode over to Carmel Valley Rd and turned right there to get over to the 56 bike path. Down to the end and then I used Carmel Valley Rd to ride to the lower parking lot for Torrey Pines SB, to use the bathroom. Then I continued from there up Carmel Valley Rd to PCH, turning left and riding up the outside route of the climb, at a "stately" pace. I needed more miles, so I continued past the top to the turn to stay on Torrey Pines Rd, riding past campus until I got to Theatre District Dr, where I made a U-turn and started heading back the way I came. Thought briefly about heading down Genesee Rd but opted to reverse my route as originally planned. The breeze was noticeable, coming on the coast from the northwest, so the descent was sketchy, and it was harder to climb back up to Carmel Valley Rd. Once I started heading east, the wind was favorable and helped me along. I still wasn't feeling strong but ended up having a pretty consistent ride back from the coast. I stayed on the 56 bike path to CdS, was easier than usual due to the tailwind. Then I took CdS back into Del Sur and from there followed the new normal route home, stopping at the 7-Eleven on the corner of RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr to have a short break and a free Slurpee. Tasted pretty good after the workout, then home.

Avg speed = 16.2 mph. Total mileage = 50.1 mph

Avg power = 143 W. Weighted avg power = 171 W

Total elevation gain = 2890'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 82

Training Load = 201

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17378990144

This was more of an effort than expected, was glad to be done. I took a shower, had a very short nap, then called Ross around 5:00. Mom was resting, so I just talked to him. Watched a little Winter Olympics and made pumpkin rocks after dinner, some more TV as well. Was a relaxing evening.

02-11-2026 Virtual Ride

Woke up to get ready for a bike ride with John from his house. Weather was clear but looked sketchy. Around 6:30 he texted me that it looked ready to rain at his place, so he wasn't going to ride. About 10 minutes later, it started to rain at our house, so, good call. I decided to ride on the trainer instead, so I got all the gear together and rode the Area 52 course in the California set of routes. Rode for an hour at a mix of endurance (Z2) and tempo (Z3) pace, keeping a more consistent power output than on a typical outdoor ride. This course is relatively flat, which helped with power output consistency. I couldn't get my power pedals to connect to the app, although I think I've been successful in doing this previous times (maybe not, since the pedals are ANT+). When I started, MyWhoosh wasn't recording my heartrate, so after about four miles I paused the ride and added the heartrate sensor in. So, my average heartrate below is just for the time it was tracking.

Avg speed = 18.9 mph. Total mileage = 18.9 mi

Avg power = 165 W. Weighted avg power = 168 W

Total elevation gain = 540'

Avg heartrate = 125 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 9 (Low, due to inaccuracy in heartrate monitoring during the ride)

Training Load = 58

Intensity = 76%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17363929093

After the ride I had more time in the morning than usual before my volunteer shift. Didn't do much with it. The ride over to the hospital was wet. I should have worn my rain jacket, so my shirt got a little damp. Had lunch and then started the shift, which was pretty slow at the beginning. The Winter Olympics were on the TV for the first part of the shift, ice dancing. Nothing unusual happened, it did get busy near the end, so I left just a little bit late. Headed home in clear weather, then after dinner Ann and I drove to Del Mar to see The Wailin' Jennys (Ruth Moody, Nikki Mehta, and Heather Masse) at The Sound in the Fairgrounds. They were decent, great harmonies and some really good songs, but their repertoire was a little uneven. I might see them again if they came to the area. Decent show, although it had an intermission, I guess to sell stuff. The drive home was uneventful.

02-10-2026 Run

Sleep was a little disrupted by the short nap I had taken the previous afternoon. I read for a while in the night and got back to sleep (<!>). Then I got up and got ready for a longer run. Rode my scooter, in cool but not cold weather, down to the park, and then I ran 5 laps around the park. Felt pretty good, no tenderness in my right leg, which was a first in a while. Generally had negative splits for the five miles.

Avg pace = 8:12/mi

Total distance = 5.01 mi

Elapsed moving time = 41:09

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm (Coospo)

https://www.strava.com/activities/17352294851

I also tracked this run on my Amazfit watch, which reported a slightly lower distance and a significantly higher heartrate (156 bpm average). Don't think this watch does a good job tracking heartrate, and I'm unconvinced that I can replace its native sensor with the Polar sensor. Going back to leg soreness, it might be the case that one of my bike shoe cleats is not aligned properly, so that longer bike rides cause irritation to my leg. I wore different shoes over the weekend and didn't feel any discomfort from that area on the ride. Had some cereal, yogurt, and a banana for breakfast, then I went over to a neighbor's house and picked up a plastic storage shelf they were giving away. Put it in our garage by the entrance to the house and placed a lot of the gardening supplies on it. I think it will work, although it makes for a tighter squeeze to get to my workbench area. Then I went out in the front yard and did some more work weeding the gravel path. Temperature was about right, but I just didn't have my heart in it, so I only worked for about an hour. Then I went in and ate some small cheese sandwiches for lunch. In the afternoon I tackled an issue I've been wondering about with my bike ride analysis program, which has output a significantly higher elevation gain than Strava has. Did some Gemini research, and it suggested that I average out the high-frequency noise in the elevation data before calculating the gain. I implemented a simple moving average approach, averaging about 30 seconds worth of data to smooth each point. Now, my program results more closely resemble the Strava numbers, so I think I'll go with this  method. Made dinner from leftover spaghetti, Ann made bread and it was messy to clean up. Quiet evening watching TV. 

02-09-2026 Swim

Slept fairly well, just woke up once and read for a bit. But I slept until about 6:15 before getting up. Got ready for a swim at the WWC. Was cool but not cold riding over there. I swam in lane 4 because Linda took lane 3. The pool was fairly busy on this day. Swam with music and the Polar HR monitor, although in the second 500 my headphones came loose and I had to stop to adjust them. Third 500 was swum with the pull buoy, and I used my swim fins on the last 500, trying hard to keep kicking and working out my legs on that segment. Here are the elapsed times for the 4 500s: 9:21, 9:40, 9:17, 8:32. I paused my watch after the second 500 and forgot to restart it, so the third 500 isn't included in the Zepp stats below:

Avg pace = 1:51/100 yds (Video, not including pauses)

Total distance = 2000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 36:50 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 157 bpm (Zepp with Polar (?), maybe)

Relative Effort = 69 (maybe)

SWOLF =36

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.43 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17341408818

Got home and had some coffee, not really any breakfast. Then I worked on an analysis of my Tour de Palm Springs ride to break down the stats for each of the segments between sag stops. Ann wanted to go to Costco and Home Depot, so I went with her. Got some snacks at Costco, nothing at Home Depot. I had some lunch and read for a bit after we got home, then I went out in the front yard and started breaking up and weeding the dirt on the path. Got about a third of the way through before stopping. That was enough for one day, more to come. The rest of the day was quiet. I watched some NBA on Peacock in the evening, along with some of the Winter Olympics.

02-08-2026 Ride

Slept pretty well, although James was snoring and breathing heavy as he got to sleep. I read for a while and was able to get to sleep finally. Got up around 6:15 and got ready for an easy bike ride to pick up bagels with James. Andy decided to join us as well. It was slightly downhill and with a tailing breeze on the way in. We also stopped to get an onion and cream cheese for Amy and Michael, then headed back, having to go up and against a modest breeze.

Avg speed = 12.9 mph. Total mileage = 9.5 mi

Avg power (est.) = 64 W

Total elevation gain = 164'

Avg heartrate = 90 bpm (Amazfit)

Relative Effort = 5

https://www.strava.com/activities/17330928386

Got back, and Andy made eggs and sausage. We also ate the last of the lemon poppy seed cake, along with the bagels. Sat around and chatted for a while, then we packed everything up, said goodbye to Amy and Michael, and hit the road around 12:15. We got routed onto side streets past Beaumont that took us ultimately to the 215 by Menifee, then drove home. I dozed a little bit on the ride. Unpacked my stuff from the car when we arrived, then we watched the Super Bowl. The game was good from a defensive standpoint, the my favored team won. Was a quiet evening after that.

Book update. I finished Benjamin Wallace's The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto. He identifies a number of people who could have been Satoshi Nakamoto, the founder of Bitcoin, including: Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, Craig Wright, and many others. Ultimately, it's inconclusive about the identity, since nobody has successfully owned up to this pseudonym. I have Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi, ready to read, I think I have enough time left on the library loan to finish it.

2026 Tour de Palm Springs Century

Woke up after okay sleep on the air mattress, was comfortable enough. I got up earlier than planned, and we left the casita around 6:30. I didn't forget anything in the car but could have brought electrolyte powder for the ride. We parked nearby, unloaded our bikes, and got ready for the big ride. The only thing I forgot, and it was minor, was to put my bike light on. Was cool but quite tolerable early on. We got to the starting line and waited about five minutes before they let our group, the second one, take off. Started at easy pace out away from downtown Palm Springs, the three of us riding together. No wind to speak of. After a bit I got out in front and started to gap the others. Rode up to Dillon Rd on Palm Dr, which avoided the climb from previous years along with the following descent. Once on Dillon Rd we stayed on it for about 25 miles. At about mile 16, there was a water stop. I got there in about an hour and waited for the others to catch up. Nobody passed me in the first leg of this ride, which had about a third of the overall elevation gain. From there, it was net downhill, with some little modest climbs, all the way to Fantasy Springs Casino, the first major sag stop. I made good time here, again gaping the others, although James had left the stop before me and Andy, and on the downhill I had to push to catch up with him. At one point, right after a turn, I thought I had gotten a flat, but the tires were fine when I pulled over to check them. Got some real food - mostaccioli, mashed potatoes, PB&J, bananas - when I got there, and I had a pee as well. The others showed up a while later, James first and then Andy not so long after. We continued on the ride, again initially together, heading through Coachella and riding on back roads around this area. I caught on the tail end of a group of riders from Yorba Linda, Fenix, and they were riding at a fast but not scorching pace. Andy had told me that the next sag stop was at mile 56, so I got a little concerned as this group hammered past this waypoint without stopping. I figured they were skipping it and resigned myself to suffering until the next scheduled stop at mile 73 or so. Fortunately, the sag stop was at mile 62, a quite welcome sight when I came around a turn. Stopped there, had some more food and refilled my Gatorade bottle, still felt really good. There was a high school band playing there that was decent. James and Andy showed up, I had another pee, then we continued. I got out ahead, Andy was slowing down by this point. This stretch was the toughest for me. We rode over to the new CV Link concrete bike path, which parallels a drainage wash that runs along Hwy 86. It was hot on the path, and I was riding into the wind. People started passing me, I was looking for a group that I could ride with, didn't have much success. We stayed on the CV Link path, with a small detour, for six miles or so, back to Fred Waring drive. At this point, I was trying to hang onto a group but eventually got dropped, as my legs started cramping a little bit. I dialed it back and resolved to suffer for 10 miles or so until the last sag stop. Along the CV Path there was a small water station where I grabbed a water bottle on the fly and drank it and used it to cool me down. It was painful getting to the Lowe's parking lot at mile 89, I really needed this stop. Sat down in the shade, had some water (couldn't stomach more Gatorade), are more mashed potatoes and a slice of cheese pizza. James showed up, he was in good shape. Andy came in a while later, he was soft-pedaling by this point. We waited with him for a bit, but he needed more time to recover, so James and I headed out. He got in aero position, and I sat behind him as we passed a bunch of slow riders on the last 12 miles. I got out in front a couple of times but couldn't match the pace long enough. The last sag stop allowed me to recover enough to be able to hang onto James' wheel all the way to the end. Was very glad to see the finish line. My legs were revived enough at the last sag stop to make it to the end, but I can fairly say that I put the maximal amount of effort into this ride. Here are some stats for each of the splits, from one sag stop to the next:

    Distance    Avg Speed    Elevation Gain    Elevation Loss    Avg Power    Weighted Avg Power

    15.8 mi      15.8 mph      1040'                   -158'                    167 W            173 W

    22.6 mi      21.7 mph      395'                     -1740'                  156 W            171 W

    23.7 mi      19.4 mph      210'                     -219'                    124 W            143 W

    27.3 mi      17.1 mph      632'                     -257'                    134 W            153 W

    10.9 mi      17.7 mph      248'                     -104'                    136 W            151 W

Avg speed = 18.0 mph (18.1 mph). Total mileage = 101.6 mi

Avg power = 141 W. Weighted avg power = 156 W

Total elevation gain = 1910' (2530')

Avg heartrate = 134 bpm

Relative Effort = 221 (206)

Training Load = 298

Intensity = 71%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17322082226

We headed over to the beer garden and waited in a long line to get the beer, very inefficient service setup. By the time we sat down, maybe a little after, Andy showed up. I brought him a beer in the waiting line and he came and sat down with us. Was a very relaxing time there. I found a pair of Shokz phones and was able to reunite them with the owner. We stayed until the beer garden was wrapping up then drove back to Amy and Michael Karr's place. Hung out in the casita, took showers, then went and sat in the spa for a while with Michael. He's an interesting guy, turned his chiropractor practice into a very profitable enterprise. The pool was also nice. James and Andy tried to get the new telescope they bought to track objects in the sky, to no avail. Then the three of us changed and went for dinner to a burger lounge that was decent, not very busy on a Saturday night. Was a long day, and I was able to get to sleep not so long after we got back.

02-06-2026 Swim

Slept pretty well, didn't need to read during the night (<>). Got up and started packing for the Palm Springs trip, including gear from the garage that I will need. Then I got ready for a relaxed swim at the WWC, only 1000 yds and no headphones. I tried out the Polar OH1+ heartrate sensor, attached it to my goggles, and I think I set it up to connect properly to my Amazfit watch. The heartrate it recorded is high, similar to what I've seen directly from the Amazfit sensor, so I'm still not positive that it is connected. Times for the two 500s were: 9:38, 9:45.

Avg pace = 1:56/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1000 yds

Elapsed moving time = 19:23 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 151 bpm (Zepp with Polar (?), maybe)

Relative Effort = 31 (maybe)

SWOLF =38

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.25 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17308075612

Got home and had oatmeal, yogurt, and coffee for breakfast, then continued packing and cleaning my bike. Andy and James showed up a little after noon, I loaded all my gear into the car, put the bike on the rack, and we were off. We took the scenic route to Andy's sister's weekend house in Palm Springs, got there around 3:00. Their house is fabulous, we put all of our stuff in the casita, which was small buta functional for the three of us. Had some drinks to unwind, then we headed into Palm Springs to pick up our registration packets and walk through the booths. They had old Tour de Palm Springs jerseys for sale cheap, we bought three for $15. Headed back after that, and I made spaghetti and sausages for dinner. Easy evening before the big ride, got to bed a little after 10:00.

02-05-2026 Swim/Ride

Woke up around 6:00, slept pretty well. I finished Mark Bowden's Killing Pablo, about Pablo Escobar, his building of a drug empire and brazen lawlessness in protecting it, and the vicious efforts by the Colombian and US governments to hunt down and kill him. This guy was brutal and evil in his endeavors. Then I got up and got ready for a swim at the WWC. Headed over there and shared the pool, initially, just with Alicia's daughter Audrey. I tried to keep my legs from dragging in the water by arching my back more, and it seems to have had a positive effect in my speed. Swam 3 500s, the last with my swim fins, and I was faster than I've been in a while. I tried to get the Polar heartrate monitor that Avi lent me to work but was unsuccessful.

Avg pace = 1:50/100 yds (Video)

Total distance = 1500 yds

Elapsed moving time = 27:27 (Video)

Avg heartrate = 156 bpm (Zepp, nope)

Relative Effort = 49 (nope)

SWOLF =36

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.46 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17297618605

Got home and had some cereal and a banana for breakfast, was hungry. I could feel the effects of the swim working in my shoulders as well. I think I also figured out to pair the Polar monitor with my watch, although it is kinda cumbersome. Then I got ready for a bike ride with Paula, who drove to our house to start from there. She arrived a little before 10:30, on time, and we were rolling by about 10:35. Down by the park and over to Pomerado Rd, then a left on Highland Valley Rd, riding the flats to just before the first climb before we turned around and rode back. Left on Pomerado Rd and up to Mirasol Dr, where we turned right and rode through a part of this neighborhood I'd never been in. Took a right on Sintonte Dr, and this took us by the RB Inn golf course and eventually into the parking lot. Through the lot and onto Bernardo Oaks Dr. All of this ride was at an easy pace, not wanting to stress my legs. We took this road all the way to Lomica Dr, turned left there and then took a right on Rodada Dr to get to Nacido Dr, which got us back to Pomerado Rd. A right turn there, up to Stone Canyon Rd, where we turned left and rode up to the top. This was the biggest climb of the day. Left turn onto Martincoit Rd, down the short-steep descent, then right on Rostrata Rd to get over to Orchard Bend Rd, which we used to get to Espola Rd. Right turn there, riding up to Bridlewood Rd, where we turned right and took it to Summer Sage Rd. Left on Lake Poway Rd and up a short climb to get to Riparian Rd, which took us to Titan Way. Back to Espola Rd, partway down the hill, then a right onto Del Poniente and a quick left onto Huntington Gate Dr. This had a really nice winding downhill that led to a gate we were able to ride around and get onto Tierra Bonita Rd, which took us to Twin Peaks Rd. That was it for neighborhood adventures. We rode back to Pomerado Rd, turned right, and took the normal way home, via RB Rd and Bernardo Center Dr. I felt better on this ride than the previous day, even though we were going slower.

Avg speed = 13.9 mph. Total mileage = 24.8 mi

Avg power = 112 W. Weighted avg power = 141 W

Total elevation gain = 1490'

Avg heartrate = 114 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 27

Training Load = 78

Intensity = 64%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17299294593

Ann was just leaving as I got home. I ate a light lunch, watched a little TV, then baked a lemon poppy seed loaf to take to Palm Springs. Headed over to Phil's BBQ in the late afternoon for Happy Hour (no beer) with Avi and the HP gang. Talked to him about his father (German citizen during WWII) and efforts to get a German passport. I also chatted with Britt (just turned 50) and Dave Peralta (about HP switching CEOs). Headed home and had a quiet evening.

02-04-2026 Ride

Slept a little fitfully, read in the night and woke up around 5:30 (<>). I got ready for a bike ride, had some cereal and a banana before going, hoping it would give me some energy. Temperature was strange on this day early on. It was in the low 50s when I left, I wore a long-sleeve undershirt but no full-finger gloves. Through the neighborhood and then through the 4S Ranch neighborhood to Ralphs Ranch Rd before turning. Got to CdS and headed west to San Dieguito Rd. As I had climbed, it warmed up noticeably to the point that my undershirt wasn't needed. But when I rode down Three Witches, it got cool again, and I was glad I had it. Across the flats to ECR, just couldn't maintain a consistent high effort. I turned left here and rode up into Del Mar Heights, slowly up that little climb. Then it was down to the 56 bike path and heading back toward home. Again, I was slow here, slower than usual. I rode to Carmel Valley Rd and used it to get back to CdS, was really slow on that last little climb. The CdS stretch was also slow after the initial descent, and I ended up turning onto Paseo del Sur to mix it up. Back to CdS, then home the old normal way via RB Rd and W Bernardo Dr. I'm sure hoping I have more energy on Saturday than I did on this day.

Avg speed = 16.5 mph. Total mileage = 34.6 mi

Avg power = 145 W. Weighted avg power = 174 W

Total elevation gain = 1890'

Avg heartrate = 122 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 49

Training Load = 139

Intensity = 79%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17273548417

Had a shower and very light snacks when I got home. I also put the camera covering the back yard back on the tree (after bringing it in and charging it up), it had fallen off somehow. Had enough time to patch the tube that I flatted on Tuesday as well as applying some foam tape to the back of my Wahoo to keep it from rattling in its mount. Then we drove to Stone Brewery for lunch with Dennis, Karen, John, and Vivian. Good conversation, not great, same with the food. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and I got some things to make food for the Palm Springs trip. Home after that. In the afternoon I finished sifting the pea gravel and did a little cleanup of the dirt on the path. Next step is to go after it with the hose and take out the weeds, then tamp the dirt down solidly. Read for a bit and watched TV after dinner, some with Ann and some after she went to her crochet class.

02-03-2026 Ride

Slept okay, although I did wake up in the night and read for a while. Got back to sleep and then got up around 6:00, made the bed and got ready for a short early-morning ride. It was cold enough for an undershirt, full-finger gloves, and ear flaps. This was going to be a slow ride. Down by the park and over Lake Hodges on the pedestrian bridge to get over to BVP. I took it up to Glenridge Rd and turned right there, in search of a way to connect to Hidden Trails Rd. Up to the top of this road and left on Moody Dr to get to Reed Rd. I took this one all the way to its dead-end top, then rode down and found a street, Hidden Estate Ln, that looked promising. Right turn there, and I found a fire access road that connected me to Hidden Trails Rd. Took this down (great descent!) to Valley Pkwy, then stayed on El Norte Pkwy, again at moderate speed in pretty heavy morning traffic, down to Broadway. I turned left there and, still in heavy traffic, rode over to a donut shop in the old Stater Bros parking lot. Had a couple of donuts, one was freshly made and delicious, then I continued on Broadway over to Valley Pkwy, turning right there to get to Centre City Pkwy. Left turn there, headed home the normal way, via the freeway, from there. I did have to stop and fix a flat around the Citracado Pkwy intersection. While I was fixing it, a homeless guy came up and offered me a patch kit, which was pretty great. Home the normal way from there.

Avg speed = 14.1 mph. Total mileage = 23.0 mi

Avg power = 113 W. Weighted avg power = 137 W

Total elevation gain = 1300'

Avg heartrate = 99 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 15

Training Load = 70

Intensity = 62%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17273548417

Got home and had some coffee, shaved and showered before heading over to SDHS. Two more hours of folding and stocking laundry, but I met a couple of other volunteers (Jeri, Judy, Sharon) who may be helpful in the future. Ann was at the beach when I got home. I watched some TV after finding out I had missed a lunch with Howard and Yi-Hua. Dang it, had the wrong day on my calendar. Took a brief nap, then I went out and sifted more of the pea gravel while listening to podcasts. I'm almost done with this task. Swapped out the tires for new Gatorskins and put in the patched tube on my Canyon, then I replaced the rear brake pads because I couldn't get them to stop rubbing. Talked to Ross before dinner, he sounded good, is managing the pain from having all his upper teeth pulled on Monday. I also found out that Mark booked his tickets to visit us in May. Watched some TV in the evening, and that was the day.

02-02-2026 Swim/Run

Slept pretty well, even with having a nap the previous day. Got up and had some breakfast, since I was supposed to meet Avi for a swim at the WWC at 9:00. Pool was more crowded than expected when we got there, but there was a lane open, and the guy in the next lane was just finishing up, so it worked out fine. I was in lane 4, which is definitely slower on the out direction and perhaps a little faster on the back direction. Here are the times for the drills we did:

Warmup 250

    4:42

5 100s at 2:00 intervals

    1:40

    1:42

    1:45

    1:46

    1:43

5 50s at 1:00 intervals

    0:46

    0:49

    0:49

    0:49

    0:48

Cool-down 250 (with pull buoy)

    4:59

I was slower than the last time I had done these speed drills about a month ago.

Avg pace = 1:47/100 yds (Video, not counting pause)

Total distance = 1250 yds

Elapsed moving time = 22:17 (Video)

SWOLF =38

Avg stroke rate = 21 bpm

Avg pull distance = 2.38 yds

https://www.strava.com/activities/17263196903

After the swim, I got ready for a run while Avi took the opportunity to soak in the spa, as it seemed to help the numbness in his arm. I was more intentional about slowing my pace down, and I could definitely feel my right knee throughout the run. It doesn't hurt, it is just noticeably tight-feeling. Ran the 5k WWC route, temperature was warm enough that I was sweating by the end.

Avg pace = 8:24/mi

Total distance = 3.15 mi

Elapsed moving time = 26:27

Avg heartrate = 135 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 13

https://www.strava.com/activities/17262909150

Got home and relaxed for the rest of the morning. Had some lunch, and then an and I walked over to Colleen's and wished her a happy birthday and smooth move. She is moving to Redlands to live with her sister. I chatted with the neighbors for about a half hour and then walked home. Shortly after I got home I headed out to the front yard to clean more of the pea gravel. The dirt was dry by this time, so I dry-sifted the gravel and it went much more quickly and neatly. Got more than halfway through the barrel and called it quits for the day. Later, I went over the fence and cleaned up the sumac and pepper tree shoots. Wish there was an easy way to take out those pepper tree roots. I also found the very small hole in the inner tube that was slowly leaking, and I patched it. Talked to Ben for a short while in the early evening, Ross has his top teeth pulled today. I texted with him later, he seemed to be holding up okay. Watched some TV and then to bed after a quick shower.

02-01-2026 Ride

Slept reasonably well (<!>). I was scheduled to meet Paula at her house at 8:30, so I got ready for this bike ride. It was in the low 40s when I left home, I had arm warmers, arm sleeves, and full-finger gloves on. Was fine for temperature as I rode by the park and across the freeway, getting onto Via Rancho Pkwy to head up to Felicita Rd. As I started this little climb, I was warming up, as was the temperature. Over to Gamble Ln, turning left and taking it to Bernardo Ave to get to 11th Ave. I was a little overdressed by this time but figured it might be cold later on. Left on Del Dios Rd, then a right on Avenida del Diablo to get to Citracado Pkwy, where I turned right. Left on Harmony Grove Village Pkwy and down to Harmony Grove Rd, turning left there. Nice riding weather on this stretch, was cool in the shade. I wanted to make sure I got there on time, so I didn't let up on the climb up Elfin Forest Rd to San Elijo Rd. Could have pushed harder though. Right turn there and then the climb (seemed tougher than last time) up to Double Peak Rd, where I turned left and then left again on Atherton St. I got there about 10 minutes early, which was what I was shooting for. Unfortunately, the others weren't ready to roll at 8:30 as originally planned. Eric Ross showed up right around 8:30, we didn't get rolling until closer to 8:45. Mildly frustrating, but I wasn't on a strict time schedule. By the time I got to there house, it was warm enough to ditch the jacket, full-finger gloves, and arm warmers. We retraced the route I had just ridden all the way back to Citracado Pkwy, where we stayed on it until turning right onto Del Dios Hwy. Catalin had gotten out ahead on the initial descent after the turn, but I caught him near the top of the little climb that followed, then kept powering to create some separation for the bigger descent. Was a little worried about my bike wobbling during this descent, but it was fine, just need to stay relaxed in the upper body and not translate any motion to the wheels through my handlebars. I descended fairly quickly and then took the following climb at a decent pace, waiting in the little turnoff area that I usually use. It took a while for the others to show, and I talked to this chatty lady who was out for a walk until Paula showed up. Catalin had ridden ahead, so we rode to the turn onto El Camino del Norte, where he was taking a video of us. Past the turn, Eric ramped up his energy, and I matched his pace. I kept pushing hard after the left turn and gapped him, then pushed a little bit on the descent to RSF Rd. We waited for the others at the turn and then rode up to 13th St, where we turned right and took a very short, steep ascent into a little established neighborhood. Left turn on C St and another left onto 14th St, which caught me off guard and caused me to lose my chain when I tried to change gears too fast. Caught up with the others at the top, where we stopped briefly for a break and to take a couple of pics. Then it was down to Olive Crest Dr, which got us back to RSF Rd. We took it, for a change, all the way to the right turn, Eric and I were riding faster and put some distance between us and the others as we turned on Camino de los Coches, then left on Calle Timiteo (Paula and Catalin caught up to us at this light). Up to La Costa Ave, turning right and then right again on Circulo Sequoia. Eric and I were out in front again as we turned left on Sitio Manana and right on Calle Palmito. A right on Avenida Amapola got us to Camino Junipero, where we waited, for the last time, for Paula and Catalin. We turned left and took it back to RSF Rd, then up and down to San Elijo Rd. I was tiring by this time, while Eric still had more gas in the tank. We matched pace up to the right turn onto Elfin Forest Rd, taking it over to Calistoga Way and turning left there. From this point, it was all I could do to try and match his pace. Thankfully, he wasn't pushing so hard that he gapped me. We rode up to the little path that connected us to Genoa Way, turned left there and rode up to Baylor Dr, where I got through the gate first and onto Questhaven Rd. We turned left shortly after on Blue Water Ln and then got onto another bike path, a nice one, that connected us to Leeward Ave, where we turned right. Eric was getting ahead of me, then I would push and close the gap a little bit. Left on Hollowbrook Ct and right on Eclipse Dr, which got us, thankfully, to San Elijo Rd with just a little more climbing until the turn onto Double Peak Dr and back to Atherton St.

Avg speed = 14.8 mph. Total mileage = 46.4 mi

Avg power = 156 W. Weighted avg power = 183 W

Total elevation gain = 4060'

Avg heartrate = 132 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 123

Training Load = 240

Intensity = 83%

https://www.strava.com/activities/17253701963

I was sure glad Ann was coming to meet us for lunch because I was pretty wiped out with all the climbing. Eric's wife Nicole also showed up for lunch, and we ate in the back yard, where I felt bad for the others who weren't shaded by the umbrella. Food was decent, not great, but the beers tasted good after the tough ride. We left around 12:30, and Ann mentioned in the car that she didn't like Catalin's treatment of Paula (she's right). So I don't think we are going to become couple friends. She drove us home, where I had the chance to take a short, much needed nap before we went to an afternoon concert. It was at La Jolla Presbyterian Church, the Spanish Brass were performing. I drove down, the traffic getting into La Jolla was, as usual on a weekend, terrible. This is definitely not my kind of city. The concert was okay, musicians were great, but the songs weren't catchy. I could appreciate the artistry, but it could have been shorter by 30 minutes and I wouldn't have minded. Drove home, again having to navigate traffic to get out of La Jolla. I made scrambled eggs for a late dinner, then watched some TV before heading to bed.