San Diego Descenders Cycling Club

Hi All,

I do not if you have heard but the Skive Rides are becoming a pretty big deal……I hope more of you can break away from the demands of the week to join us on a future ride. Wednesday’s seem to be bad timing for a number of guys so we are going to focus on Tues/Thurs Skive rides moving forward. We have had fun rides the last two weeks. I will try to briefly recap with short ride reports.

Skive Ride–Mussey, Mahogany Ranch & HVR Loop–13 Nov

The ride last week started at the 7-11 store. I was late getting started, as usual, and pedaled to the start location in Poway. Sheehan invited Marci and Scott–riders we met through the Pedal the Cause event. Also there were Zach and Kevin H–he has ridden infrequently with our group rides. A good 6 person ride stated with a climb up SPP. We cruised along 67 and pushed the pace a bit toward Mussey and then the descent.

Kevin found out the hard way how bumpy the pavement is at the bottom of Mussey. We all stopped to enjoy the views before starting back up. Kevin heard a noise on the last part of the descent after hitting a bump. As he started the climb back up his left handle bar snapped off but stayed in the tape. This is what happened to me descending Painted Cave a fall the previous week. Carbon handlebars are sensitive. Kevin was able to climb with us back to Mahogany but had to head home slowly–new non-carbon handlebars coming soon.

The five remaining riders climbed up Mahogany. Scott and Marci had never ridden out in our direction so they enjoyed the picturesque climbs and roads. We stopped at the top to catch our breath and take a photo. After the climb out of Mussey, Marci and Scott had to head back to the start. Zach offered to escort them back to the 7-11 store. Sheehan and I headed over to HVR. We kept up a nice pace and turned onto Sky Valley near the school. It connects back to HVR just as the descent starts. We flew down but I kept a much slower pace going past the scene of my last fall, reliving the moments of terror from last month. At Pomerado, I headed across the freeway towards 4S while Sheehan went left to his house. I got home with about 57 miles. Fun skive event.

Skive Ride-Lake Hodges, Mt Israel & Solana Beach Loop–19 Nov

We met up at what has become the most common starting spot for Skive rides–at the start of HVR. I drove to Sheehan’s house so he and I rode there and met up with Mike Hodges and Jeff Langley. Hodges was quick to propose a little BWR training so we headed over the pedestrian bridge and went left along the Lake Hodges trail. Sheehan and Jeff had never taken this route before. We successfully crossed the creek and made our way to the parking lot. After cruising along Lake Drive, Hodges suggested we also add Mt. Israel Road to the agenda. That is a healthy 1.4 mile climb. We all rode to the end of the road and regrouped before reversing course. Just before descending the steep sections Sheehan had us stop to enjoy more great views of all the mountains to the east. We cruised along Del Dios and through downtown RSF. Our plan was to head to Java Depot in Solana Beach.

We split up when Sheehan and Hodges missed the turn to Los Arboles. We eventually regouped along Via De La Valle, cut back up towards Lomas Sante Fe and then proceeded to explore the neighborhoods just east of PCH. Mike eventually got us over the bridge and to Java Depot. The coffee break was fun and we met up with KC Butler who was out riding. KC informed us that the Tour de Poway is likely to never be held again–too few riders and too many costs to put on the event. It had been running for 29 years–too bad. After the coffee break we all headed back towards the polo fields of RSF. Just before Three Witches Jeff decided to stop at his favorite bike shop. The four remaining riders cruised up the climb and regrouped at the top. Hodges headed south toward home while Sheehan, KC and I rolled north to get back to Poway. KC lives right by Powt high and my car was at Sheehan’s.

The cruise was fast and fun. Just past the big intersection of Pomerado and RB Roads with Sheehan about 50 yards out front KC and I were talking when I looked to my left to speak to KC. A huge F-150 pick-up was going south on Alondra Dr, trying to cross all lanes of RB Road. He was accelerating fast and did not see us at all. Fortunately we were moving along at a good clip and just cleared the intersection and he zoomed through. He missed the rear wheel of KC, who was a foot or so behind me, by only a few inches. We yelled and he sort of stopped but then kept driving. Needless to say, we both turned around and went after the truck. I saw him turn left two streets up. I caught up to him after he parked his truck. He was not pleased that I found him and he just said he did not see us. Then he bitched about us being on the road. KC rolled up and I was leaving, not going to make any progress here. We rode back to met Sheehan and safed rode to his house. A fun 48 mile ride but we could have done without the truck.

Here are a few photos–I will post more in our shutterfly albums.

Ride safe-
Rob

Hi Guys,

There was plenty of riding by just about all of the Descenders all over the county this past week. Everyone can see the Strava posts (unless you are doing some of that clandestine training). I will give a very brief synopsis of a few of the group rides this past week.

Skive Ride-Questhaven, Double Peak and CSUSM Loop–Thurs, 6 Nov

There were only three of us that played hooky last Thursday–Sheehan, Zach Barber and Rob. We started at the bottom of HVR and showed Zach some new routes over to Harmony Grove. We enjoyed our climb up Questhaven–the recent rains firmed up the dirt quite a bit. The climb up Double Peak was as painful as usual so we relaxed at the top for a while with strong breezes from the east. Our descent down towards CSUSM was fast and we then cruised back, reversing course toward Lake Hodges. We split in Poway and finished with 40 miles. Always a fun Skive Ride.

RSF, Del Dios & HVR Loop–Sat, 8 Nov

The Saturday group ride met on the bike path at Black Mountain Road. We had a good group of riders: Voris, Tony, Rick W, Guido, Larry, Neil, Bernie, Bob P, John M and Rob. We also had a cameo viewing of Keith Sherwood in RSF and met up with Eric R up in Ramona, more details later. The group spun by Santaluz where we picked up Bob P. He noted that Keith S was heading down Three Witches, only a few minutes in front of us. At the turn to Three Witches, I spun to the wheel of Big Rick as he hammered down. Larry came to the front for part of the descent, the group all moved fast down the hill. A number of us had new Starva PR times thanks to the guys pulling us along.

We cruised over to Stud Loop where we kept up a brisk pace. We caught and passed Keith on Stud Loop and then stopped at the corner of Del Dios to regroup. Keith rolled by and continued down Del Dios. The group cruised along but eventually spread out a bit along the climb. I hid behind Voris as he motored along. We caught Keith again along Lake Drive and he said he was heading to San Elijo while our group was off to HVR. We regouped at the corner of Via Rancho Parkway. I had burned a few matches earlier so volunteered to wait for John while the group rolled toward the gas station near the mall. John and I pootled to meet the group. Voris and Proulx had already bailed for home so we were down to 8 riders as we rolled to HVR.

The climb up HVR was beautiful. It was a nice morning and I swept up the group to make sure no one got lost. I did stop by the scene of the crime–my last time on HVR–the fast descent that ended in my fall. Always therapeutic to relive the moments–gotta face your fears. John and I finished about the same time as we caught up with the group waiting patiently for us at the corner of Archie Moore. I was done and ready to cut towards Mt Woodson since the route still had Mussey Grade on the agenda. The guys talked me into finishing HVR with the promise that everyone would skip Mussey. Guido took point and I hid on his wheel. He pulled the paceline the entire 3+ miles back to 67, another Strava PR thanks to the work of Guido.

We rolled to the country store for a water break. All except Tony–he had made a U-turn and descended back down HVR for home. Eric R was at the country store, all decked out in this colorful Giant kit and his new Pinarello wheels–looking very sharp. Eric was riding with a Giant teammate, almost the same route we had just completed. We rode as a larger group along 67 until we got to Poway Grade. Guido, Rick W and I headed down the grade while the other guys rode toward SPP. After a fast descent where Rick pulled us to Espola, Guido pulled me towards Ted Williams and back toward home. I made a quick stop to see a friend but got home with about 58 miles and 4,300 of climbing; good group ride.

Recovery Ride–Poway Explore-The Heritage–Sunday, 9 Nov

I pedaled over to the 7-11 to meet anyone who was riding the easy Sunday ride. I met up with Hermann Schaefer at the start. No one else showed so Hermann and I decided to do some exploring in Poway. We cruised over on Espola and turned into The Heritage. I was inspired by the recent ride of Dave Ernst in this private community. Sheehan and I use to ride the dirt trails in the area but I had not done any road riding. Hermann and I rode up a number of roads that all seemed to dead end. We could see the Eagle Crest community and knew HVR was up over the mountains but we could not find a road that got us there. We missed the Nick V climb but now that I studied the Ernst ride, we will ride that segment next time. I also found a road that might connect with Eagle Crest. Hermann and I did ride to the water tower and had great views from the top. After the exploring in The Heritage, we rolled back toward Pomerado and I pootled back to home; a nice 35 mile recovery ride.

I have attached a couple of photos and will up-load the rest onto our Shutterfly account soon.

Sheehan is planning a Skive Ride this week–Thursday am. I will send out a separate message to remind all riders.

Rob

Recovery Ride Report-2 Nov-HVR, Bandy, Summit, Wohlford, Woods Valley & Valley Center Loop

Hi All,

The recovery ride was well attended, mostly by riders that did not brave the wet roads from Saturday. We all met at the corner of Pomerado and RB Roads at 8 am. The rains had stopped, the skies were blue and temperatures rising; a perfect day for a bike ride. Ready to ride were Sheehan, John M, Bryan Jones, Tony, Eric G, me and two new riders–Peter and Steve. Bob P and I met Peter at a local coffee shop when we were talking about riding. We suggested he come out to ride on an upcoming recovery ride. Peter and Steve are both good riders and we look forward to riding with them again soon.

Sheehan was still aching from his bike fall on Soledad. He was showing me his bruises when I noticed the bump on his right shoulder. It looked to be a classic AC shoulder separation to me, likely type II. I know I am not a physician but I have separated BOTH my shoulders, the left one twice, along with a compound break of my clavicle. Shocking, I know. Sheehan was describing the pulls-up he had been doing and how painful it was. I recommended he STOP pulling on his shoulder for a few weeks to let things heal. The bump will not go away. Dave noted that riding did not hurt much, only when he breathed deep. Good thing it was a recovery ride.

I had volunteered to host the ride so I mapped out our ride to get us over to Lake Wohlford via HVR and Bandy. We rode as a group until the start of the climb up HVR. We regouped at the top and descended Bandy, a bit more cautiously than usual, given the road conditions post the rains. We stopped when we got to Route 78 when we noticed the start of a MTB event just getting underway. It was a 50 mile MTB race. We watched the expert riders take off fast before continuing our ride. Stava later showed me a number of guys I recognized that rode in the dirt. Logan Fiedler finished at or near the top for the Filthy 50 race based on his trophies and times.

Our group cruised along 78 heading west and we took the slight turn left onto Old Milky Way. Nice fresh air as we passed all the farm animals!. We climbed Summit Drive up to Mary Lane where we met up with our usual route toward Lake Wohlford. At the bottom of the climb Sheehan got a flat so we started to split up with some guys riding up and others staying to help Sheehan fix his rear tire. Sheehan and I rode together to the top where we all regrouped by the lake entrance.

The rollers toward Woods Valley provided a nice paceline. Bryan held point for much of this section, taking the winds and riding strong. As the ride host I thought I had communicated that at the end of Woods Valley we would turn right and stop at the gas station before heading back into Escondido going down Valley Center Road. We all started together on Woods Valley put the push pace split the group. Bryan and Sheehan were out front while Tony, Steve and I hung in the paceline. John, Peter and Eric G were well behind. We flew along at a pretty respectable 29 mph; I avoided the front for as long as I could. I stuck my nose out as we passed the golf course and then fell back as the guys flew toward the light. We all turned to get some drinks at the gas station.

I looked out from the gas station to see where the rest of the guys were when I spotted the blinking light of Eric’s bike near the top of Valley Center Road–they had all turned left. Tony planned to keep riding out toward Lilac to get in more mileage. I jumped on my bike in a vain attempt to chase down the other guys. Bryan, Sheehan and Steve eventually chased after me. We joined our chase as we turned onto Bear Valley Parkway, the other guys still way out front. Bryan pushed the pace and we eventually got to them at the light near the mall. They had been riding fast, chasing us. We stopped for water at the gas station and then rode toward the Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge. The Filthy 50 MTB race finished right by the gas station so we saw some of the early leaders coming fast to the end, looks like it was a great ride.

We crossed the bridge and split again with Eric G, John M and Sheehan going left while Bryan and I rode with the two new guys, Peter and Steve, back toward 4S. Steve lives in Westwood so they turned to his house just after RB Community Park. Bryan pulled me along as we rode behind Black Mountain and down into PQ. I looped for home finishing with 65 miles and about 4,200 of climbing; Bryan had about the same. Good recovery ride.

Rob

Hi All,

The planned meeting spot was the 7-11 store at Poway & Garden Road. I got up extra early to try to retake the KOM segment Keith Sherwood created a few weeks ago. We both have had it twice now. It is the 12+ miles from the end of Carmel Mountain Road (right by my neighborhood) straight to PQ Blvd and Poway Road to the top where it ends at Highway 67–one long road that changes names 3X. Early Sunday morning the traffic was low and I made all the lights to start the Poway Grade Climb. I was on pace to eke out a new time. I gave it a good effort and got to the top in just under 56 minutes before turning around to descend back to the 7-11 store. My ride shows I earned a KOM but I remembered that Keith’s time when he took it back from me was under 55 minutes. He is the real KOM.

At the store Bob P and John M were already waiting. Jeff Cresap and Tony rode up as did Bryan and Monica. We had a good group of 7 riders ready for a nice relaxing ride. Cresap volunteered to host and set the route for SPP & Mussey. We all climbed together up SPP and over around Mount Woodson. Bob P did most of the pulling with Tony assisting ably when necessary. We went down Mussey but Tony, John and Jeff C pulled away from the rest of us, must have forgotten it was a recovery ride. Bob P had to turn around halfway down Mussey so we were down to 6 riders. I took a group photo at the bottom and we climbed back up.

I decided to turn down HVR while the group went out on Dye Road before coming to HVR. I pushed my pace and was riding fast as I crested the start of the HVR descent. Strava says I was going 41.2 mph around the first turn to the left. I took the next corner to the right at 40 mph and a little wider than usual–big mistake. I hit a hole there and went toward the S curves just past the gate at Eagles Crest Road. My rear wheel started to slide to the left, then to the right as I tried to slow through braking mostly on the front. You guys all know my biking handling skills are not quite at the level of Peter Sagan so I was starting to get very worried as my bike was heading toward the left and the upcoming curve. Strava had me now at 34 mph when I laid the bike down to the right, slide across the rest of the road and hit the dirt wall to the left. I pretty quickly got up to move myself over to the right side of the road. I badly tore the right side of my riding shorts and the right arm warmer is trashed too. I was bleeding some from my hand cuts, covered in dirt dust but was otherwise in one piece. I assumed I got a pinch flat and carried my bike down the hill a bit to get to the driveway so I could replace my tube.

Unfortunately I had a massive sidewall blowout of my rear tire so I was going nowhere. I eventually flagged down a pick-up truck. He had a MTB bike in the back and was heading to Lake Hodges trails–good start towards home. This is when Bryan & Tony flew by, followed quickly by Cresap, then John and Monica. I got John’s attention so he slowed, stopped and climbed back up to the pick-up. I informed John of my mechanical issue and that I would like a ride from Lake Hodges when he got back to his house. The pick-up drove me past the pedestrian bridge and up the hill to park his truck. I stayed at his truck until I found two nice MTB riders willing to take me home. Ron & Jim live in Poway and they asked me if I rode with the Descender when I mentioned I ride with a local riding club. I invited them out to ride sometime. When I got home, I called John M to have him abort his picking me up and I did a bike & body assessment.

The trusty stead is now at the Trek store (after a little clean up, of course) to get new tape on the handle bars–right side all torn off. They will replace the broken spoke on the rear wheel (not sure if this was a result of the hole or the fall) and try to fix the scraps along the side of the wheel–definitely a result of the fall. The seat took another hit and I fell on the right side so they will look over the brakes, derailleur, crank and rear cassette too. Bike will be ok. Right hip has a huge contusion and road rash, road rash on the right arm and my right wrist hurts. Good news is that the recently broken left wrist of all good now and healing well. Wrist and hip are a concern but the body should heal too.

Everyone else seemed to make it home safely from the Strava posts and texts I received. Fun Sunday Recovery ride, finish not so good.

See you on the road sometime soon,
Rob

Hi All,

We have had two great skive rides the past two weeks. I will try to summarize them both in this ride report.

Skive Ride–Old 395, Old Castle, Lilac & Dirt Roads to Cole Grade Loop–7 October

Our Skive Ride turned into a Bunked Up Ride–ask Hodges.

We planned another fun hooky ride starting at the mall. I pedaled over from home in time to meet Jeff Langley, Arlyn and Patrick O’Gorman at Hodges house on Spring Meadow. The plan was to ride to the Westfield Mall to meet Bill Wood and Sheehan. Bill was back in country for a short visit from Australia and to do more work on his local home.

The group of 7 riders rolled out just after 9:30 with Hodges leading us north. We headed up through Escondido to El Norte Parkway where Hodges turned us towards Broadway with the route up Jesmond Dene. Sheehan never got the message about this being a weekday, relaxing ride so he was pushing the pace up Broadway, dragging Patrick with him. They were well off the front and I kept telling Hodges to just let them go. At the light, I hit the accelerator and surged off the front to see if Sheehan and Patrick would respond; they did. Patrick pulled us up Jesmond Dene while the rest of the guys rode up well behind us. Near the top Patrick dropped his chain and Sheehan pulled a Contador, he pulled ahead and we left Patrick on the final climb. Sheehan finished strong as we rode toward the light to wait for the rest of the boys.

We flew down Old 395 at a PR pace with Sheehan again pushing the pace. At Old Castle we turned to ride up towards Lilac. Arlyn was planning to return home but we convinced him to climb Old Castle and loop back through Valley Center, more scenic. He pealed off at a store near the start of the climb to get some water and have a break. The rest of us climbed. Sheehan, Patrick and Hodges pedaled off the front with Jeff L following. I was farther back and Bill swept. Hodges got a flat near the top where we all regrouped.

I took off for Lilac with Jeff following. Bill flatted and the guys stopped to help but I was well down the road so Jeff caught me and we rolled over to our planned stop at the Yellow Deli on Lilac Road. The Yellow Deli is a very relaxing spot run by a group of folks that live off their farm in a commune of sorts. We had some great fresh banana bread and coffee while relaxing on the outdoor patio with music in the background. Jeff L had to head back to Valley Center and home and Bill W was heading back to Jesmond Dene. Sheehan had done a bit of map searching before the ride and spotted a road called Keys Creek Road. He spoke to the waitress and she noted it was right next to the Yellow Deli. She also told us it was a dirt road that led to their Lavender Farm a mile or so east. She reinforced that the road was bumpy and likely not ridable.

Jeff and Bill headed back on pavement. Sheehan had managed to convince Hodges, Patrick and me that this was the exploration route back toward Cole Grade. We headed down bumpy, sandy, rutted and rocky Keys Creek Rd looking for a slight right turn. We rode by a beautiful Lavender Farm, fields of purple bending gently in the breeze. We rode along and missed the turn but climbed a nice rocky, soft dirt 15% grade to the top of a ridge; we got to descend back down before realizing that our right turn was through a locked fence gate.

We climbed over the fence, some more gracefully than others, handed over the bikes and continued on an easterly fashion towards Ricks Ranch Road. After about 4 miles of dirt roads, carrying our bikes along steep sections, getting our kits caught in the fence line and enjoying some great views, we made it back to asphalt and pedaled over the Valley Center High School. This is at the top of the Cole Grade climb. We headed quickly back towards Valley Center and stopped for water at the gas station near Woods Valley. The four of us were getting tired and the day was getting long. Some of us had to at least pretend to do a bit of work in the late afternoon. It was time to get home.

Sheehan flew down Valley Center Road to get a nice Strava cup–Top 7 for the segment. Patrick pulled us back toward the mall. He is a strong rider. Like father, like son. Patrick pealed away near Kit Carson Park. The 3 of us headed for the pedestrian bridge of Lake Hodges. I headed right while Sheehan and Hodges went left toward Pomerado. My trek back through 4S was slow, but I got home with 72 mile under the belt, nice skive ride.

Skive Ride–Questhaven, Double Peak, Lake San Marcos and RSF Loop–15 October

The Skive participants were only 3 for this week: Oleg, Sheehan and Rob. Oleg pedaled over from his home so he had ridden almost 30 miles by the time Sheehan and I rolled over to the corner of HVR and Pomerado to start our skive ride. We cruised towards Elfin Forest. Oleg led us on the new route off Via Rancho Parkway past the Felicita turn. We eventually hit Harmony Grove with Oleg and Sheehan doing all the pulls while I hung on the wheel in front of me, trying not to get dropped. We turned onto Questhaven and Sheehan immediately had a mechanical issue with his gears. I pedaled on knowing they would be right behind me soon enough. Oleg blew by on the climb and waited for me at the second gate. I continued on while Oleg waited again for Sheehan. We pedaled on to San Elijo Road and up to the top of Double Peak for a much needed break.

Oleg led us along the paths from part way down Double Peak and we rode over to the mountain to the west with the electronic towers on top and hit the steep descent down into the back of Lake San Marcos. This nice private community eventually hit back out on Rancho Sante Fe Road where we headed back south. Tt was a skive ride so we needed to stop for some coffee. Sheehan suggested the Pancake House at the corner of Encinitas Blvd on the way towards RSF. We enjoyed a great pancake & coffee feast on the outside tables, a very relaxing brunch.

Sheehan was now short on time and I had to ride back to his house. Oleg headed out toward the coast to finish more than 70 miles. Sheehan led us back through RSF, along Stud Loop and down Zumaque. We climbed Artesian and hit Rancho Bernardo Road all the way back to his house. We made good time energized on our pancakes. It was a fun 48 mile loop.

The Skive Rides have become fun mid-week adventure rides. Hope you can break away from the office soon to join in the rides.

Rob

Sunday Recovery Ride Report

Rob – thanks for the photos … except I just look ill and in pain which I was).

Today we had a sturdy threesome – Tony, Brian and myself. Rode to the mall then took the little switch back section up over Kit Carson and out on to Escondido Blvd. The early morning fogged lingered long and lay upon our clothes. Appropriately for this time of year there were picture perfect spiders webs on some of the scrub bushes (sorry no photo).

A quick detour for a gratuitous climb up Ash then to up and over Jesmond Dean. Instead of continuing down Champagne we turned right up Mountain Meadow – This is a short’ish climb at 11-12% and then has several loops – KOM is one Mr. A Bicket twice as fast as your author. We should include this detour/loop when we are next thinking of going down Champagne. After screaming down (45-50 mph) down the hill we reversed the route back home and ended up once more at “A Taste of France” on Grand Avenue in Escondido. This time (thank the Lord) almond croissants were served – yummy …. My pancreas was squeezing out the last bit of insulin when it was time to go. No insulin bonk thankfully.

Tony peeled off left from Bear Valley Pky and Brian and I took off road through Kit Carson then the foot bridge over Lake Hodges (a fine name to call a lake) then turned right to do Len the Elder diversion to the Sony building. Up and over the climb to the right hand side of Black Mtn (Carmel Valley Rd) at a modest pace.

All and in all, a steady smooth ride ….

Mike

Hi All,

The ride tomorrow starts over in Poway. I will ride over behind Black Mountain to get to the meet spot. Who wants to host?

Sunday, October 12
8:00am Moderate Sunday Recovery pace ride. Route decided on the spot. 35-45 miles, easy pace. Meet at 8AM, the corner of Pomerado and Rancho Bernardo Road

WhenSun, October 12, 8am – 12pm
Wherethe corner of Pomerado and Rancho Bernardo Road

The hammerfest up to Oceanside Harbor today tore my legs off by the time I got to RSF. I pootled up 3 Witches alone while the remainder of the group climbed up Artesian Road off of Stud Loop. It was another fast and furious adventure. Here are a few photos and I will post the rest to our shutterfly albums.

Rob

We had a fun social event at Bernie’s last evening. Thanks again to Bernie and Donna for opening up their lovely home to us. It was an awesome venue with spectacular views all around. The sunset was magnificent. Thanks as well to Geoff B for bringing some of his great hand-crafted brews. John M also brought a few stout beers that Hodges liked very much.

The food was provided by a local catering company called Baja Cuisine. A very nice father-son team prepared good tacos for us to enjoy with our brews. Tina Guidotti made some excellent cheese cake desserts that Claus would still be eating if there were any left. Bernie provided even more delicious treats.

We all relaxed in Bernie’s back yard, some folks went for a refreshing dip, and everyone enjoyed a perfect San Diego sunset. It was fun to meet more wife’s/spouses of the Descenders and to relax together not trying to hold a paceline, out of breath and looking for a wheel to grab. Lots of good laughs throughout the evening, many at the expense of Hodges if my memory is correct.

Tony has raised his hand again to host the next social in the coming months. Look forward to it. Here are a couple of photos, the rest are posted to our shutterfly account.

Rob

There were 17 descenders who came out to brave 100-degree temperatures on yesterday’s ride. There was rumors about canceling the inland ride and instead going coastal but in the end the "hotter" heads (hot heads?) prevailed – we did the ride as intended, except reversed the order of things and did Pamo first, while it was still not as hot, followed by Mussey.Larry and Rick W. had a bit of fun with two random riders who tried to push the pace up SPP, eventually dropping both of them.
Sheehan had a mechanical, I mean – an electronical, problems with his Di2 and was forced to climb Woodson in the big ring – he turned back. Ernst also turned back as he had be home early. While Rob, Neil and I were trying to figure out Sheehan’s problems at the top of Woodson, the group took off and we were gapped behind, desperately trying to catch on. We closed the gap in half on the descent, but then I could see Rick B. going to the front, and knew immediately it was hopeless. We split up into three groups on Dye road but regrouped again as we approached Ramona. Bryan had to turn back, the rest of us rode to Pamo – it was still not that hot. Even the climb was not so bad. Eileen QOMd on Pamo climb, and Rick took one of the Pamo climb segments, but missed out on another one by 3 seconds, still held by Neil. Most of the leaderboards (uphill and downhill) are heavily dominated by Descenders now.
Rick has not been on the bike much lately, but apparently his ElliptiGo cross-training is paying off.

We did a nice rotating pace line on the way back Dye, with two Ricks contesting the sprint at the end (Rick B took it). We decided to ride Mahogany Ranch first – we don’t do it often because it requires substantial time for riders to forget just how steep and painful that climb is. Strava claims the top gradient reaches 27%, I am not sure about that, but it’s certainly well above 20% in a few spots. My 39×28 gear was just barely sufficient to keep pushing the pedals, and I was envious of Larry’s compact/wifli combo of 34×32.

On the way down, a few of us (Rick, Neil, Larry and I0 opted to go back home – because of Miramar Air Show road closures, we had to take a detour back home. It was getting hot now – my garmin was consistently showing 111, which is a lie, but I never saw numbers that high.

Larry and I made it home with 90-something miles and 6,000ft of climbing. Claus, who started riding around his house at 6:30 got 102 miles in on a very hot day.

After the ride most of us also attended the fantastic party at Bernie’s. Thanks, Bernie!

You should have come (to the ride and the party)!

A few photos below.

Hi,

We had a great turnout for the weekday hooky ride. Some of you have been asking about the new name for our rides coined by our renaissance-man, British chap, Mike Hodges–the Skive Ride. Skive is British slang for avoiding work by staying away or leaving early. The riders all seem to be able to juggle their schedules to make it seem like we are working but are really taking the morning off to enjoy the roads. It was a beauty day but got hot and dry fast. We had a bit of wind too but the dryness was most noticeable–throats were parched.

Yesterday we had 7 riders, a group that consistent of Jeff S, Tony, Jeff L, Hodges, Arlyn, Sheehan and me. Hodges was able to reach Arlyn to have him join us on a ride again. He was a long time Descender and also MTB rider who took some time off to expand his culinary expertise. Arlyn is back into riding and it was great to see him back out in his Descenders kit. Jeff S rode over from the coast to meet everyone at the corner of HVR and Pomerado.

We decided to head to Wohlford for the ride. The group stayed together until the start of the climb. I pulled ahead to try to get a small lead since Sheehan was planning to push hard for a PR. I hit the climb and was quickly passed by Tony who is in superb shape; he rode away from me effortlessly. At the top I turned around to go back to sweep up any others. Jeff L was hammering up the final slope followed by Jeff S and Sheehan, they were closing fast and Strava showed the new PR achieved by Sheehan.

Lake Wohlford gates were closed so we stopped to catch our breath before heading to Woods Valley. Jeff S pulled us the whole way there. He was riding his new bike and riding strong, as usual. Everyone regrouped for Woods Valley. I stayed in the back to watch the carnage unfold. Jeff S pulled us along at 32 mph. Sheehan decided to stick his nose into the wind and hit the front. Tony was the next masochist to take point. We flew along as a group until just before the golf course. The final acceleration by Jeff S dropped Arlyn so I had a gap to close. I got back on the wheel of Hodges and we all flew around the final turns towards the light at Valley Center. Hodges pulled to the front while everyone else eased off to the turn. I set a PR on Woods Valley thanks to the efforts of Jeff S and others–hide and hang.

We all went to the gas station for some much needed water. Arlyn rode from Scripps Ranch so he wanted to loop back. Hodges and Jeff L went with him back down Valley Center Road into Escondido and back home. The rest of us headed toward Lilac. Jeff S was on point. He turned it up a notch and our Thursday Skive ride morphed into a hammerfest along West Lilac and then Circle R to get back to Old 395. We all rode the mind numbing road past Lawrence Welk to Deer Springs. Jeff S headed toward the coast, Tony headed down Jesmond Dene to home and Sheehan & I went down Center City toward the mall.

I had parked near the start and Sheehan had to get home for a business call. We split so I could get more water near the mall. I finished with 50 miles and 3,000 feet of climbing. The others rode longer, especially Jeff S who hit over 85 miles for his loop from Del Mar. Fun Skive ride. Hope you can join us next week.

Rob

Lot’s of great riding by all over weekend. Here’s a summary of Everest 2014.

Smaller turnout than 2 years ago, modest outside registration and dinner Friday pm. Saturday was cold and I was underdressed having forgot knee/leg warmers, barely remembered long finger gloves. Route change because of construction led to doing South Lake (17 mile climb) twice with Pine Creek (8 mile climb) in between. Top of South Lake was cold with a dusting of snow off the road the first time and snowing the second time up. Both descents off South Lake were wickedly cold. Day 2 was out of Big Pine 15 miles south of Bishop. First climb to the west of Hwy 395 up to Glacier Lodge (10 miles) in coldish drizzle but no snow, made the descent a little anxiety provoking with drop-off on right leading to oblivion. Then back to east of 395 up Waucoba Canyon (Death Valley Rd) 13 miles, pleasant weather, fun descent then 20 mile climb up to Bristlecone/White Mountain which was a little challenging as many Descenders know only too well. Cold rain on the descent took the fun out of what is usually quite enjoyable. Having accepted that I’m not really able to compete with the tops in my age group made the only goal to finish and not feel too tortured going up Bristlecone, met plenty of nice people including a Poway High Senior Scott, the organizer Steve is a really nice guy. Hope some other Descenders want to go up next year, the weather will likely be much better as this was a pretty early system moving through.

Bernie

Hi All,

This past weekend was memorable in its varied Descender rides. We had folks riding all over the county and state–literally. I will attempt to capture a few of the highlights and add a picture or two. I believe we need to start with a few super kudos to the strongest rides of the weekend.

• Rick and Denise Bienias–ElliptiGO World Championships
• Bernie Bogard–Everest Challenge
• Paul Pruschki–200 miles on Sunday, 500 miles for the week

ElliptiGO Ride–Mt Palomar

Dave Ernst has already written and posted a ride report for the great efforts of Denise and Rick on their race up Mt Palomar. Special thanks to Jeff S and Neil who had GoPro duties to record all the action. Look forward to seeing the final footage of the riders/runners conquering Palomar. The Descenders were out in support of Rick & Denise and enjoyed another beauty ride up one of the iconic climbs in the county. Most of us met at Casa Voris at 0-Dark-30 and drove to Harrahs for the start of the group ride. We headed for the bottom of Palomar a bit before 7 am, cool and just getting light in the early morning. The early part of the climb split us up as Hodges, Tony and Voris sped off on point. Guido inched ahead and rode solo while Len and I rode together until about the 4,000 elevation mark when went ahead. John M swept. Ernst came flying by us a few turns past the Y, slowed and then turned into a lookout to wait for the racers. It was a bright morning but a bit cold for me with temperatures dipping in the shadows to below 50 degrees as we climbed up Palomar, great climbing weather though. At the top Guido and I headed off towards the camp grounds since we still had time before we expected to see Rick and Denise. Eventually we all regrouped at the top to watch the exciting finish. Jeff S was leading the woman winner to the top before he turned back around to lead up and film more riders. Neil also had the camera on his bike and he came around the last corner with the eventual male winner just behind. Ernst had ridden the last mile with Rick offering encouragement. Rick was only about 10 seconds back as he pushed hard to the finish. Great effort by Rick. Amy came up to cheer on the runners/riders too. She helped pace Denise up the final turns, along with Hodges and Jeff. Denise finished high up in the woman finishers. It was awesome to see all the ElliptiGO bikes climb Palomar.

After the race was completed, many of us headed out to the Observatory to get in a few more miles. The early pace setters from the climb, Hodges, Tony and Voris, flew down the road. John had started first and I followed last. It was now very cold in my book but the shivers lasted only a few miles before starting the final climb to the Observatory. We spun around the building and headed back to Mother’s for some coffee and a bite to eat. Guido, Len and Ernst skipped this section and relaxed on the porch at Mothers in the warming sunlight. It was now time to descend back down Palomar. We all sped down the curvy road, some much faster than others. I was behind Guido when he blew a tire. Hodges and I stopped to help him replace his tube and then more cautiously descended back to Harrahs. Only about 40 miles in total but 6,000 feet of climbing. Many congrats to Rick and Denise for their strong ElliptiGO performances.

Everest Challenge

This is a monster race up in Bishop, CA. It is about 110 miles each day and about 29,000 feet of total climbing. The route took Bernie on a number of roads the Descenders have ridden over the years on our Monster Climbs trips. Bernie tackled all of it over two days, almost 9 hours in the saddle each day. His riding was super strong based on the Strava times and segment awards. I see that Day 1 was South Lake up and back AND Pine Creek up and back–WOW! Great accomplishment Bernie. I look forward to hearing about the race at our Descenders Social this upcoming weekend. Bernie will now be hosting the event. It is Saturday, 4 Oct starting at 4 pm. We are having it catered with tacos and Geoff B will be bringing his latest brewings for us to sample. Final details will come out in the next few days.

Tour de Poway

The annual Tour de Poway was overshadowed by all the other events of the weekend. The Descenders still came out in force to ride the local roads. I managed to get up early and pedal over to the start line just as the final instructions were being given out to the riders. I saw Hodges, Ernst, Len and John B lined up for the ride. Great kudos to the boys who tackled Palomar on Saturday and still had legs for the 100 mile event. We started down Midland and Hodges was out in front. Ernst and I chatted up John B for a bit until he motored away up the Poway Grade. Ernst, Len and I rode to the top. I waved bye as the guys took the turn north onto 67 and then headed south to descend SPP. The Strava posts showed some great riding from the guys that went the 100 mile loop. Kudos to Hodges, Ernst and Len for pulling in Palomar and Tour de Poway during the weekend. Always great to see John B out riding. Looked like another fun event.

I was not planning to ride any of the Tour de Poway and made my way back to the 7-11 store to wait for the Sunday Recovery Ride guys. By 8 am we had Geoff, Sheehan, Tony and John M ready to ride. The plan was to head up SPP and do Mussey. Tony wanted to add Mahogany and loop back via HVR. We rolled up Sycamore Canyon and my legs were tired. I opted to bail and head back west on SPP while those guys went on the recovery ride. I pootled home with 32 miles while the boys did a civilized 50+ mile loop.

Paul Pruschki–200 mile ride

While all the Sunday action was going on, Paul Pruschki was completing one memorable week of riding and celebrating his 50th. He started last Sunday with a 50 mile loop in the dirt, similar to the Ernst 50 mile birthday ride last summer. Paul rode to work all week and finished the week with a monster 200 mile loop yesterday. I know Bryan Jones did part of the ride to keep Paul company but I think he rode mostly solo. I got an e-mail message from Paul before 6 am to track his progress via Garmin. I checked him out before I headed off to the Tour de Poway start and saw him every few hours over the next almost 12 hours of riding–unbelievable effort. He averaged over 17 mph and looped all over north county with one long extension north into Camp Pendleton. I was getting tired just watching my computer. Great riding Paul.

Here are a few photos and I will post the rest to Shutterfly.

Rob

Descenders:

Brief ride report of the GO event is attached.

Congrats again to Denise and Rick!

Dave E

GO Championship Report 9.27.14.pdf

Hi All,

There were Descenders riding all over the county and at all hours of the day over the weekend as observed from all the Strava posts. We even had a numerous international postings from Italy, UK and Australia. I will provide brief ride report summaries of the two Descenders planned group rides.

Saturday, 13 September–Reserve Old Julian Road

The group met at the 7-11 store and we started off with Tony, Len (TE), Rick W, Eric R, Guido, John M, Garet & Rob. We rode up to SPP where we met our 9th rider, Larry, He pedaled over from the coast to meet us. The group split some on the climb but regrouped at the top before heading north on 67. The next climb split us again with the led group pulling away while Garet pulled Len, John and me all the way to the top by Mt Woodson. We then sped along toward Dye Road where Garet turned to head back home. He was back on his bike for the first time in a few weeks after some minor surgery; he still looks strong. We cruised over to Ramona and made a planned stop at the gas station for water. It was already warm and the climb of Old Julian lay ahead.

We split again on the climb up Old Julian. Rick W, Larry, Tony, Guido, Eric and Len hammered up the climb while John and I drifted behind. Most of the way to the top I saw Eric heading back as he also had to get home. Eric did still find time to get in a short brick training run after his bike ride, amazing. I was melting and slogging my way slowly toward the crest of the climb. A very strong rider blew by me about a mile from the top. I accelerated hard to catch her wheel. She was on her way to Mount Laguna and seemed to be enjoying the brutal heat. I held her wheel long enough to exchange pleasantries and first names. As she accelerated away I asked her to say hi to the boys waiting for me at the top. I eventually got to the end of Old Julian when we quickly turned around to head back to the gas station.

We never saw John on the descent and assumed he turned back with Eric R. After a too short water break we rode back along Dye Road. At 67 Len turned left while the rest of the group rode to HVR. I tried to tell them not to wait for me as I was dying fast. Rick W, Larry, Tony & Guido rolled away from me and I suffer alone along HVR as the winds seemed to pick up from the west. Unfortunately the guys waited for me by the school so this time I reinforced my message–I will ride home slow and alone. They disappeared down HVR. I rode slowly to the bottom of HVR and made my way back through 4S and home, but not before another water break past the Westwood Swim Club. I estimate my ride was over 70 miles with about 4,400 feet of climbing. Larry hit 95 miles by the time he got back to the coast.

Sunday, 14 September–RSF Explore Recovery Ride

It was supposed to be a nice easy recovery ride. Kudos to Tony and Guido for riding after putting in a strong ride on Sat. I rode both events as well but was much slower on Saturday. Also joining us on the Sunday ride were Eric G, Sheehan, Jeff Cresap and Bryan Jones. Good to see Bryan out again on a weekend ride and to see Jeff C who has been recovering from a leg injury. I volunteered to host the ride and suggested we head to RSF, much cooler than Ramona from yesterday. Cresap and I have ridden around RSF on a number of occasions so we had lots of routes to explore. We headed down Three Witches and along Apajo toward RSF. Sheehan was not obeying the recovery ride rules and he kept pushing the pace on point. I let him pedal on when I told the group to turn right onto Los Arboles. Sheehan stayed in the group moving forward. We took this curvy rolling road toward the center of town where we regrouped. When in town I reminded the gang how important it was to stop at the STOP signs as I knew they like to ticket riders. Cresap made a few comments about a local security guard near-by who thought it important enough to also speak to us about police patrolling to ticket riders. After making new friends with the local constabulary, we pedaled on along the golf course.

I took them on a few side looping roads. We had to stop once to try to fix Tony’s wheel that sustained damage from one of the damaged road sections earlier in the ride. We got back into RSF for a quick water break. Cresp had to get home so he bolted back before any cops spotted him. Bryan and Guido decided to head to the coast while Sheehan Tony, Eric G and I headed to Del Dios. We hammered along to Lake Drive with Tony and Sheehan leading the way. I was right behind while Eric fell back a bit. We flew by a rider just as we noticed it was John bittenger. He had been out since before 5 am and gotten in 75 miles by that time; up early and beatin’ the heat. It was great to see John. We rode to the corner of Via Rancho to wait for Eric. John was parched so he rolled to get some water. We spotted Jeff S and Eileen while we waited on the corner. They also got an early start to the day and were on their way back from climbing Bandy Canyon. They rolled with a small group toward Elfin forest.

Eric eventually got to us and we rode toward a water break by the mall. Tony head for home while the three of us rolled toward Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge. We connected with John B again and rode to Pomerado. I went towards 4S while the other guys rode towards Poway. It was still a struggle to keep up a good pace but I eventually finished with 45 miles and 3,000 feet of climbing.

Our weekend group rides pale in comparison to the training efforts of Bernie as he tackled Palomar on both days–multiple times. Her is preparing for the Everest Challenge.

It was a great weekend on the roads.

I will upload lots more photos to our Shutterfly account soon.

Rob

Thanks to Rob for sending out an excellent summary of our recent rides.One ride that was missing is our San Clemente Adventure.
Last Friday we met for an impromtu ride along the coast. Riders included Len, John Moran, Hodges and me. We met at Carmel Valley with a plan to ride north along the coast, to Oceanside, through Pendleton and to San Clemente.
We picked up a few random riders here and there, but for the most part it was just the four of us and we stayed together with no surges or attacks. This was definitely the longest John and I actually rode together. We made a stop at Oceanside to refill the water bottles and continued through and past Pendleton, into a bit of a headwind. We stopped at San Clemente Pier for a big lunch – it was getting pretty warm, even along the coast.
On the way back, we were cruising with the tailwind, which made it very enjoyable. In Encinitas Hodges lead the group through a short dirt path.

When we got to Del Mar we stopped at Zel’s for a beer. There we ran into Marci, a rider who joined us for our Soledad ride recently – she was wearing a dress and it took us a while to recognize who she was (she recognized us in descender kits first). Beer fueled John for a brief breakaway towards the Carmel Valley – Len and I finished with about 90 miles, while John and Hodges added a few miles of commuting to get over 100 miles. It was a fun day in the saddle, you should have come.
Photos are at: http://goo.gl/1R4xFj

Hi All,

It has been a fun and busy week of group rides. I know ride reports are coming for some of the rides so I will just briefly recap the events I was able to attend.

Labor Day-Coronado & Coffee Loop
Oleg organized our second annual no labor Labor Day ride. A group of us met at his house, south of UTC, and rode through town toward Coronado. We did portion of the 5 Cities loop, coming from Imperial Beach to get there. The pace was easy and it was an enjoyable ride. One memorable segment for me was when Oleg got off the bike path along the strand and pulled a small group of us all the way to the Naval Base entrance. We averaged 29 mph over the 1.5 mile segment–all the work done by Oleg. We rolled over to take the ferry back to downtown San Diego. Form there we rode to Little Italy to get some coffee and snacks. It was another beautiful San Diego weather day so we sat outside to enjoy our coffee, the views and do some tourist watching. We looped back to Oleg’s house so only a total of 44 miles. Voris rode almost 90 since he started from his house.

Hooky/Skive Ride–Double Peak and CSUSM Loop
Sheehan hosted the mid-week ride. Joining Dave were Jeff L, Tony and me. We all met at the corner of HVR and Pomerado and cruised over toward Harmony Grove. The paceline kept of a nice clip to the turn up Questhaven. We did our own little BWR training session and tackled the dirt sections with aplomb. Double Peak lay just ahead so we saved a bit for the final climb. After a break at the top where I noticed a big dent in my rear wheel, we descended from Double Peak. I went slowly due to the wheel issue. Jeff L went towards RSF while Sheehan, Tony and I turned toward CSUSM. We explored a new route back toward Stone Brewery and looped back toward Lake Hodges. Sheehan and Tony put on quite a show along Via Rancho, hammering the whole way back to the freeway. Tony went north toward home while Sheehan and I headed back along Pomerado. We finished with 40 miles and 3,400 feet of climbing. Good weekday ride.

Reverse Couser Canyon and Wohlford Loop
Oleg changed up our usual route and had us to a reverse loop for the group ride today. We head up toward Old 395 and turned onto Gopher Canyon to add another new twist. We lost Ernst just before the turn onto Gopher Canyon; he had to head back home. We climbed Lilac and at the top Len & John went back toward home while the rest of us rode up Couser Canyon and back toward Valley Center. Sheehan and Paul kept going straight on Valley Center Road while the rest of us hit Wood Valley and descended Wohlford with our loop back to Bear Valley. I rode to the mall for the start but was very glad Guido could take me home in his car. Oleg and Larry were heading back toward the coast, expecting to ride about 120 miles by the time they got home. Zach was still riding well and went with them. I got in 77 miles and 5,400 feet of climbing; it got hot out there but it was a gorgeous day on the bike.

I will post this message on our site and upload all the photos to our Shutterfly shared album. I have attached a photo from each of the rides. Another great week to be a Descender.

Rob

All, we had ~12 Descenders riding yesterday. Plus Chris Horner.
Larry and I made it to Springmeadow (riding through the fog) but nobody was there (according to strava flyby, Voris and Proulx were riding back and forth on nearby Sabre Springs at the same time, but we missed them).

At 7-Eleven we had 8 riders, joined by Guido, Tony, Sheehan, Proulx, Voris and Farkas. Voris didn’t want to ride in the heat and suggested last minute change to Mussey, but we had our sights on Alpine, besides we had a number of riders counting on us doing the Alpine route.
As we rode towards SPP we picked up Zach who informed us that Hodges was up the road – he wanted to go easy after yesterday’s ride we did to San Clemente.
Sheehan’s Di2 was ghost-shifting and he couldn’t use his 27 cog, but he managed with 24.

At the top of SPP Voris, Zach and Farkas turned around, reducing the group to 6 riders, just 3 miles or so into the ride!

We had a lot of fun descending on 67, and Sheehan led the way, including on the climbs, despite his mechanical, err… electronic issues.

Proulx turned around as we got to Lakeside, leaving us a group of 5. We rode together to Dehesa, with Sheehan again leading on downhill. Sheehan went at his own pace uphill due to his reduced gearing, while the four of us – Larry, Guido, Tony and I – rode up together at a steady pace, chatting and having lots of fun. This was the first time 80% of the group rode together up Dehesa – and Tavern. It wasn’t all that hot – yet. We stopped at CVS where we found Hodges who just pulled into the lot himself. After refilling the bottles we headed back, trading some animated pulls that dropped Hodges.
The four of us continued to El Capitan while Hodges and Sheehan went to 7-Eleven and then back 67. At 7-Eleven they ran into Chris Horner who was gracious enough to pose for some photos. Apparently he is aware of Descenders, and Rick Bienias, as the only other rider who is close to Horner on South Grade Palomar strava segment.

It was very hot on El Capitan, but thanks to some strong pulls (predominantly from Larry) it was a matter of hanging on to wheels. Larry and I rode back through Santee and 52 bike path. On 52 bike path there is a new Ghost Bike memorial for Paul Fleck, a rider who collided with another cyclist on the 52 path back in May and died from sustained injuries earlier this month. Freak accident that is a reminder how dangerous going fast on these narrow bikepaths can be sometimes.

We never found Rob (or rather he never found us) but he met up with Tony and Guido at the top of SPP.

100 miles for Larry, myself, as well as Tony and Guido. Jeff L., Mike Hodges and Bryan also did 100+ milers on Saturday or Friday, so plenty of long distance.

You should have come!

Reminder that Labor Day Coronado ride is from my house tomorrow at 9AM, see you there!

More Photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109410926478548321411/2014083004?authkey=Gv1sRgCIj6-tLDjZmzTg

Hi Gang,

I finally completed the ride report from the MC Trip. Oleg gave us the great timeline photo album. I have attached the report and the links to all his photos in the report.

Enjoy the memories-
Rob

Monster Climb VIII–20-22 June 2014.pdf

Descenders, we had about 18 riders on our Soledad exploration today.I have parked support car at the top and rode to meet the group – I intercepted a group of ~14 at Camino Del Sur. A lot of regulars who I haven’t ridden with in a while – Voris was spotting a mean goatee that gave him this "Don’t F with me!" look – he looked like an Evil Twin version of the Voris we all know. Ernst was back from travels across Northwest, since Monster Climbs I had more interactions with him over instagram than in real life.
I was very happy to see the group riding cautiously and courteously, maybe only 15-18 mph, on the bike path. Apparently Rob Verfurth threatened the group with me giving them physics homework if they don’t comply.
We picked up Larry as we got to the coast, as well as Bryan Taylor, as well as Marcy – a very fit, former (or even current?) elite triathlete.
I managed to snap a spoke (front wheel too, weird) and briefly stopped to fix it (thanks to Ernst for waiting), so I missed the Torrey Pines fun. We descended down to Black’s Beach but missed Sheehan who went off the front and missed the right turn. Even with some tailwind, the ride up Black’s beach road was tougher than I remember. I miss my compact! This was first time for several Black’s Beach virgins, including Ernst, Zach, Bryan, Marcy and perhaps several others I forget.
After Hillside riders started bailing already. But we picked up Roman DeSalvo, riding – what else – DeSalvo custom bike (no relation). Roman loves Soledad – I think we see him every time we do Soledad ride.

We rode most of the time as a group (as much as this is possible on 18% gradients!), even though we may have temporarily "lost" or "misplaced" Eric Gruff (who used his spare time to explore Soledad descent all the way down to Mission Bay instead of going down Nautilus) and also Jeff Langley – but it turned out Jeff just started Country Club climb ahead of the group.
The weather was great, even though it was a bit on hot and humid side at times.
The clouds rolled in a bit later in the afternoon, which was nice.

In the end, we finished the final climb "thought the Green Valley" (via Valverde) with about 8 riders out of total 18 participants – not bad. The group had apparently some strong animated pulls on the way back to Poway (just like last time), I missed those as I drove the car back home. Most of us ended up with ~60 miles and ~6K ft of climbing but Bryan had taken the prize with 100 miles and 10,000 ft of climbing – nicely done! Still not as much as Larry T. and Matt Babb’s 180-mile, 17K ft adventure yesterday – they would have done 200miles but ran out of daylight. Check it out on strava.

I still had plenty of pastries left, so you most definitely should have come!

Photos are here: http://goo.gl/3J5zL2

Also, here’s a public announcement (from your Mom) on why you should always wear sunscreen (especially if you are light complexion, spend time outside and live some place sunny, like San Diego) – how your face looks in UV camera – enjoy:

http://www.roadbikereview.com/reviews/video-how-the-sun-is-thrashing-your-face-and-what-to-do-about-it

Oleg.

Wohlford and Cole Grade Ride Report

Hi Guys,

I know a number of you were out riding yesterday as part of a commute or just a out for a ride. Sheehan has a much more open schedule these days and he has twisted some arms to go play hooky in the middle of the week and get out for some rides. I was an easy mark, especially since my wrist is broken. I said I would ride anytime. We will get out the word earlier in the future so more riders can join in the fun.

I drove over the Sheehan’s place and we planned to ride over to Pomerado and RB to meet Rick W. Hodges had morning work so he planned to follow our route and try to meet up with us on the return segments. Rick did all the work up front and pulled us as we rode over the Lake Hodges pedestrian bridge and over to Mary Lane. We did the nice gratuitous climb and made our way to the bottom of the Lake Wohlford climb. Rick took off so I grabbed his wheel for a few turns before settling into a manageable pace. Sheehan swept. Rick rode to the top and then turned around to go back to ride with Sheehan to the rest stop at the lake. I waited for them and we took off again for Woods Valley.

Somehow I got stuck on point for the first half mile and then pulled off to let Sheehan take over. He hammered and then Rick got to the front. I blew up at the golf course and let those two pull away to Valley Center. We took a quick water break at the gas station before heading to Cole Grade Road. At Valley Center High School we turned right onto Pauma Heights Road. Sheehan found this road looking for ideas to ride. The only issue is the big sign that says "No Outlet" right after you make the turn. Sheehan told us it goes down to the side entrance of Pauma Valley Golf Resort and a gate. No worries. It was a nice road with no traffic for the first 3 miles. We then hit a mile or two of wicked descent and turns with no signage. Glad the traffic was light and some of the descents were even a bit scary. Sheehan and I both timed the exact pace for the Strava segment so we took home 3rd place trophy honors. Rick does not post so he was out of the awards and only 5 guys have posted a time on the descent segment. Might have a good chance to stay in the top 5 places for a long time!

At the gate we climbed over and passed the bikes to the other side. A couple of cars came so we probably could have waited another minute to go through the gate–next time. We rode through the neighborhood we used to when we parked near Voris in-laws house in the old days and exited back to Cole Grade. It was now about 11 am and our idea of climbing part of Nate Harrison Grade went out the window, we decided it was best to start to head home. We turn up and started to climb Cole Grade. It was long, hard and painful, just like all the other times I have climbed it. Rick was again out front and I saw him head back down just as I was getting to the top. I rode to the high school and stopped for water and shade until Rick and Dave joined me. We relaxed for a bit and then rode back towards Valley Center.

We picked up Hodges along the way and rode over to the gas station near Woods Valley. Sheehan and Rick went straight over Valley Center and back to home. Hodges and I rode Woods Valley and down Lake Wohlford before following a similar route of Rick and Dave–Citrus, Bear Valley to the Mall and over the pedestrian bridge to Pomerado. We rode back to Sheehan’s house and then Mike pootled the rest of the way to his home. It was a nice 67 mile, 5,000 climb loop, great way to play hooky.

Look for many more rides hosted by Sheehan while he enjoys his new flexible schedule. Attached are two photos of the view from Pauma Heights toward Palomar.

You should have come,
Rob