Great ride today.  We had a dozen Descenders meet at the North County Mall  for the ride.  We were careful not to mix in with the Ranchos ride that rolled out just ahead of us.  The large group included:  Guido, Voris, Rick, Oleg, Hodges, Geoff, Bob P, Sheehan, Len (the elder), John, Ernst and me.  Voris mapped out a great ride plan that included the Lake Wohlford climb, over towards Valley Center and up Lilac to the bridge overpass of I-15.  We descended down Lilac to Camino Del Ray before heading back to Old 395 and up Champagne Road to Jesmond Dene.  We looped back via Citrus to the cars.  My Garmin showed 57 miles and 3,800+ feet of climbing at a fairly brisk 18 mph pace.

It was a cool and sunny day.  Sheehan was sportin’ the new Descenders Triathlon look, as you can see in the photos below.  Voris started us out with some early climbing, going up Summit Road for some gratuitous elevation gain.  The ride over to the Wohlford climb was pedestrian compared to what lied ahead.   We had a number of flats today but two were from operator errors–I did not put my new tire on properly and Guido basically blew-up his tube after flatting on the Wohlford climb.  Voris and Bob P both hit rocks going up the Lake Wohlford climb.  We got to be pretty quick tube changers.

There were some wickedly fast paced sections of the ride today.  The group screamed along Woods Valley Road on the way towards Valley Center.  There was also some fast sections along the Lilac climb and then  the descent after crossing the bridge.  We regrouped enough to allow us to stay together.  I used my normal “strategy” and stayed at or near the back of the group for most of the ride.  It is a beautiful sight to see the large group of Descender riders snake around the tight curves of Lilac Road.

We took a short water break once getting back to Old 395 before climbing Champagne.  The group separated a bit but we all made it safely back to the mall.  A very enjoyable ride.  My offer for the pool and beers was a bit difficult for most as it is Mother’s Day weekend.  Len and John did come over and we soaked in the spa, drank a few cold ones and had some pasta; great post-ride replenishment.  I will plan a pool party with more advance notice sometime soon so we all can have some fun off the bike.

I could ask to see if anyone wants to ride tomorrow, but I won’t.  Happy Mother’s Day to all of yours.

Ride on-

Rob