Five Faces of Soledad–Short Ride Report

By now most have seen the great ride Oleg hosted this morning, lots of Strava awards and comments. Five Faces of Soledad is always fun and brutal. We had about 14 riders coming and going throughout the assault of Soledad. We did the Black’s Beach road just for a bit more gratuitous climbing and great views. Oleg changed up the climbs a bit so we had fun on a few new roads. The coffee, fruit and snacks at the top were much appreciated and needed. Larry rode strong as usual, as did Paul, Claus, Tony, Oleg and a friend of Tony’s who use to race–Jason. He was super strong. Hodges played dodge the group most of the day while John M played catch-up. Claus and John (our resident medical support team member) had to leave early as did Paul who had to get to a family event. After the fun and brutal climbs up Soledad, a small group of us headed back east. Guido, Bernie, Hodges, Voris, Rob and Larry (until UCSD) road up Calle del Oro. Guido promised me he would ride easy home; he lied.

The winds were helping once we descended down TP and made the turn back toward the bike path. The pace was quick but not too painful given the assistance of the breezes. In the middle of the sunken neighborhood Guido hit the accelerator and Voris followed. Hodges tried to close and failed. I tried to close and failed but pushed along solo all the way back home watching the gap get bigger. Bernie and Hodges closed some on me. Guido and Voris switched off a few times from my view but it looks like Guido did most of the work. They both set PR times on just about every segment along he bike path, strong finish to a great day riding.

Below are a few of the photos from the ride.

Rob