Hi Guys,

It was a very foggy weekend early in the mornings. We met Saturday on the corner of the 56 bike path and Black Mountain. There were a number of guests that Mike Hodges invited, they were all good riders. Joel, John and Lauren joined us for the ride. We also had Rick W, Rick B, Ernst, Bob P, Tony, Claus, Yi-Shiou, Chad, Oleg, Hodges and Rob. Chad was on his new Litespeed carbon bike, he is now riding even faster!

The group rather slowly made its way along the bike path and turned north towards Santaluz. We met Bob P at the south gate and rolled into the resort roads of Santaluz, no traffic and clean smooth surfaces. It was so foggy was could not see more than 100 yards ahead. We rode Run of the Knolls to the top and descended tentatively back down; at least the surface streets were not too wet. We exited onto San Dieguito Road and cruised down Three Witches, again a bit more cautiously than normal.

A quick regroup at El Apajo and then Hodges pulled us all the way toward Stud Loop. Oleg kicked it up a bit right before the corner and we regrouped again as we turned toward Lago Lindo. The fog was still thick so we took it easy down El Camino Del Notre. Yi-Shiou dropped a water bottle on the bumpy section so I stopped to retrieve it. We were separated from the group but caught up to John and he hammered back along Rancho Sante Fe Road to catch the guys at a light.

The pace was too quick for me and a few others as we fell back. The fast guys hammered up San Elijo toward Double Peak. The sun was breaking through and it was turning into a beautiful morning. At the top of Double Peak you could see all the thick clouds sitting down in the valleys with a highest mountains sticking out. There was a small wedding ceremony taking place at the top as well. Great views.

We screamed down back into the small town area before turning towards Elfin Forest. The pace was flying and things began to separate. The lead group of Rick W, Rick B, Ernst, Proulx, Chad, Oleg and one guy they picked up took off along Harmony Grove. Hodges fell off and Claus pulled Mike and me along at a brisk pace. Mike eventually fell back more and I hid behind Claus all the way. The lead group looked awesome as we saw them ahead along the curves. Everyone regrouped before we hit Lake Hodges.

Lauren rode south on Del Dios, back towards his home near the coast, while the rest of us rode Via Rancho Parkway towards I-15. Hodges was again on point for more than a mile pulling along the group. Things sped up rapidly in the race toward the mall. Rick W, Oleg, Chad, Ernst and a few others repeatedly attacked each other to get on point. We called truce just before hitting the freeway. We cruised over the Lake Hodges bridge on the freeway to get to Pomerado where the group split. Many guys headed down Pomerado while Hodges, Chad, Bob P and I rode west towards RB Park. Mike took us on his little tour of the neighborhoods and we cruised through 4S before climbing the back of Black Mountain towards home. Chad left for his house while Mike followed me back to the bike path; he was looking to get in a few more miles.

I finished with about 55 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing. Fun foggy ride that turned into a nice sunny finish. Attached are a few photos.