Ride Reports–Descenders Oceanside Coastal Ride and Sunday Social Ride

Posted on December 17, 2012 by sddescenders

Descenders Oceanside Coastal Ride

Saturday, 14 December

by Rob Verfurth

Voris made the excellent strategic suggestion early in the morning to do a late start to allow for all the roads to dry a bit more before we rolled to Oceanside.   We all met on the 56 bike path at 10 am, it was breezy and cool but sunny and fairly dry.  There were 8 riders at the start–Chad, Bernie, Guido, Voris, Yi-Shiou, John, Len (TE) and Rob.  John was riding back into form after his time off due to surgery; he made a quick recovery.  The winds were coming from the west/northwest so it was a strong headwind as we rode along the bike path.  Voris put in an early push and split the group even before we got to Carmel Country Road.  We rode up and around Carmel Country to avoid the mud on the bike path, cruised along the edge of the Torrey Preserve and out to PCH.  The winds were right in our face as we rode north.  Guys took long turns at the front with strong pulls from Chad, Bernie and Voris.  Guido took point for a bit and I snuck my nose to the front a few times but mostly kept to my NOP (never on point) game plan.  The pace was fast even with the wind.

We rode towards Carlsbad where Bernie had to turn for home.  The next time I looked around we had lost Chad, John and Yi-Shiou.  Voris kept up the grinding pace with Guido, Len and I as we rolled into Oceanside.  We had picked up a solo rider as Voris led us to the harbor.  Solo guy tried to take the victory to the turn but Guido would have none of it, he surged from the back and took him out before the turn around.  The four of us stopped for water and waited for the other guys but no one showed.  We decided to head home.

Near the south end of town we caught up with Chad, John and Yi-Shiou.  Chad had flatted near the smokestack heading north and the guys helped him fix the tire.  As they rode north into Oceanside, a pedestrian walked out from in front of a parked car and Chad had to slam on his brakes to avoid taking her out.  John rode into Chad and fell with Yi-Shiou just getting out of the way.  John broke his left front lever and got a little road rash but the damage seemed to be minor.  The pedestrian was unscathed and left the scene without as much as an apology.  John had a damaged bike and was going to take it easy on the way south.

Voris mentioned to Chad that he planned to pick up the pace a bit along the coast.  I knew I was in trouble, my legs were feeling the effects of the 35 miles of headwinds.  We roared through Carlsbad Village and hit the open road-Voris, Chad, me and Guido rolling at 30 mph.  I knew I could not hold the pace.   At the smokestack, I let Guido get in front of me and I saw the three of them roll away, never to be seen by me again.  I was in no man's land, alone and tired but with a good tailwind.  I decided to just keep riding south and skip the RSF return.  I went inland at Via De Valle and headed along the polo fields and back towards the bike path to home.  65 miles, 2,800 feet and tired legs.  Great Descenders ride.

Sunday Social Ride
Sunday, 15 December

A small group met at the corner of Camino del Sur and Carmel Valley Road.  Bryan had ridden out early and met us at 9 am.  Eric, Bob P and Rob meet at the corner too.  Others were out and we tried to meet along the route.  The four of us rode north and down 3 Witches with Eric on point.  Great TT practice for Eric and he pulled us all the way down, a new PR descent for me.  Thanks Eric.  We skipped Stud Loop and rode as a group on Del Dios.  Right before the Via Rancho Parkway light Bob P dropped his chain.  Bryan had to head for home while Eric, Bob and I were going to ride to Elfin Forest.  We stopped a bit farther up the road and tried to fix Bob's chain and gear problem.  He had gotten a kink in his chain and could not go to Elfin.  Eric rode on while Bob and I cruised back the same route as Bryan, who was now well ahead of us.  We rode over the pedestrian bridge on Lake Hodges and cruised through 4S and home.  It was only 34 miles with about 2,500 feet of climbing but just what was needed after the flogging the day before.

Ride on-

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Reservoir Dogs TTT practice report

Posted on December 9, 2012 by sddescenders

Hi Guys,

Great ride today and good summary by Oleg.  I was with the larger group of 6 guys that did our TT practice in a much more sane pace than what was described below.  Geoff, Bob P, Yi-Shiou, Guido and Tony (from Chicago) were the rest of our group.  We kept up a brisk pace heading out to the reservoir.  Geoff and Bob P took long pulls while Guido hung a bit behind, watching the group smoothly go through its paces!  Tony pushed up the final hill to the reservoir and we all spun through the parking lot to the end.  After a brief rest in the now warming sun, we headed back west with all 6 guys pulling hard to the end.

The six of us hung together back along Moreno and then climbed back up 67.  We regrouped at SPP where we met up with a guy we passed earlier on the climb.  He had panniers, fully loaded, on each side of his bike and a large satchel on the front handlebars.  The guy started riding from just east of Jacksonville, Florida about 2 months ago and was on his way to San Fran.  Geoff gave him directions to the coast road and then we all pedaled down SPP.

Yi-Shiou split off at Sycamore Canyon while the rest of us road to Black Mountain and rode up the bike path.  Geoff took Tony back east as he was heading back to 7-11 as well.  Guido headed north while I waited for Bob P who had fallen back a bit.  We rode back and split in PQ for home.  I finished with about 62 miles and almost 4,000 feet of climbing.

Another great day to be on a bike and fun Descenders group ride.  We are heading out to Ramona in the am.  Let me know if you want to ride.

Here are a few photos from the ride today.

Ride on-

Rob

On Sat, Dec 8, 2012 at 3:36 PM, Oleg Shpyrko <oshpyrko@physics.ucsd.edu> wrote:

Descenders, today we had an excellent TTT practice at El Capitan with
14 total descenders by my count. 6 of us (Rob, Guido, Proulx, Jim,
Jeff S. and I) showed up at Casa Voris (both Voris and Hodges were out
of town but we are by now Pavlov's-dog conditioned to meet in their
cul-de-sac). It was very foggy, with visibility reduced to only 100
yards or so. We rode over to 7-11 where we met 6 other descenders
(Rick, Bob Raibert, Yi-Shiou, Larry, Tony from Ireland and Geoff). We
rode over to El Monte where we met with Neil and Matt Babb who were
warming up on the course. We split into three teams – Rick, Matt, Jim
and Bob were the only complete team today. Our team was missing Voris
(Neil, Jeff and I) but we substituted him with Larry. It worked
amazingly well. Others rode as a slightly larger group, I think. We
practiced rotations and calling things out and from what I have heard
and/or seen things went very smooth. After our team did 2
out-and-backs at what I thought was a fairly solid pace, we joined
Rick's team for 8-person TTT. It was a lot of fun riding at 30mph but
catching on to the fast train after taking a 10-second pull proved the
biggest challenge. It was fast, adrenaline-powered ride but riders
were shelling off the back one by one (I was among the first victims
just before the school). I think only Jim, Rick and Matt made it to
the reservoir dam together, with Bob and Jeff not far behind.
Jim, Jeff and I called it quits after 3 rounds of TTT fun and rode
back to Poway, but Rick, Neil, Bob and Matt decided to do another
round. I got back to casa Voris with 72.4 miles, but Jeff put in a
total of 101 miles in his ride from home and back! Bob Raibert also
hit 100.0 – looks like he had to add some loops near his house to hit
that number so precisely, nicely done, Bob!
Excellent ride all around (photos attached), and as always, you should
have come!
— Oleg

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Bay Area Descenders Ride

Posted on December 6, 2012 by sddescenders

Jim and I went up to Bay Area for an experiment at the X-ray Free Electron Laser at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, or SLAC. 
We brought our bikes but it was raining almost non-stop. Except for the last day of our experiment the rain finally stopped and we could get out for a quick ride in the morning. 31 miles on still damp roads (covered with a lot of branches from the storm and wind) – we climbed up Page Mill Road up to Skyline Blvd and down Old La Honda – legendary roads in Bay Area. We made it back to the lab before breakfast, excellent ride to salvage a rainy week. Great views – see photos attached. You should have come! 🙂 

Oleg.

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Montezuma Ride report/ Upcoming Saturday’s ride

Posted on December 5, 2012 by sddescenders
Photo

Descenders,

 

The weather cooperated this time yielding a near perfect day for the Montezuma Loop.  The traffic was light, the winds were mild, and temperatures perfect.  Several segments on strava were shattered to pieces by our group of 14; 11 guys and 3 gals.  Find picture attached.  You should have come!

 

We are a little lax in our postings for December.  Next week will be a TTT practice ride.  We will meet as a club at Garden Road and Poway Road 7-11 at 8:00am, and ride up Scripps Poway Parkway, down the 67 to the Reservoir.  From there we will practice our 4 man team trials on this 13 mile round trip course. Please join the ride even if you aren’t on a team yet.  

 

Why practice?  We can all ride in a group, right? Well, a 100 mile nonstop team race requires a lot of precision.  How do you communicate the pace, skip a pull, keep all 4 together up a hill or down a twisting descent, how long do you pull, how fast can you really go as a team on the flats and sustain it, what happens if one flats or has a tummy ache for a few minutes, can you ride in the drops 1 foot from another wheel at 25 miles and hour?  This is your chance to figure that stuff out or just sit in the back of a hard working group and get entertained.

 

See you Saturday!

 

Dave Voris

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sunday Ride, 25 November–HVR and Mussey-Out and Back

Posted on November 26, 2012 by sddescenders

Ride Report for Sunday Ride, 25 November–HVR and Mussey Grade-Out and Back

by Rob Verfurth

“Liar! Liar!" shrieked suddenly from the now open trap door.
Miracle Max whirled. "Back, Witch–" he commanded.
"I'm not a witch, I'm your wife–" she was advancing on him now, an ancient tiny fury–"and after what you've just done I don't think I want to be that any more–”

The famous quote above was from the classic 1987 movie, "Princess Bride"; one of my favorites.

Liar! Liar! was all I could think of when I showed up at Mike's house expecting a nice easy Sunday ride.  Mike stated in his message, "we are having a gentle spin from my house tomorrow… this will be somewhere between a leisure ride and a spin, which is 2-3 notches above a pootle".  

The day started in thick fog as many of you out riding already knew.  Fortunately I did not roll from my house until past 8:30 am and the skies cleared by the time I pedaled to Hodges.  Sam was a no show and all I saw was Mike and Geoff Barrall, who was fresh off all his great riding up in the bay area.  I knew I was in trouble from the start.  Strava noted a PR for me as we rode up Palomar Road with Geoff on point.  He was pushing me and Mike to hang onto his wheel.  We picked up Sheehan at the corner of RB Road and continued onto HVR.  Geoff kept up the torrid pace on the climb up HVR.  Mike and Sheehan quickly dropped back while I suffered to the Bandy turn.  We planned to ride to the top of HVR.  Geoff slowed a bit so I decided to help us a bit on point.  We both rode to the top of HVR and waited to regroup.  Sheehan had to turn back and Mike eventually came; the three of us rode to Mussey Grade.  We saw Bob Raibert coming up the early part of HVR near the elementary school as we rode toward 67.  He had been out early again racking up the miles.  

Mike took much of the punishment on the descent of Mussey but all three of us took pulls.  We stopped above San Vicente Reservoir to catch our breath and took a few photos with Mike's phone camera.  The climb back up was also pretty quick with Mike doing much of the work.  He dropped his chain near the top and Geoff and I pedaled away.  Mike caught up near the end of Mussey and we turned towards Ramona to reverse our trek down HVR.  Geoff had beaten us up good on the early part of the ride so we felt no love loss when he had to turn towards Mt Woodson on 67 towards home; maybe now I could get the "pootle" ride I was promised.

Mike and I cruised along HVR with Bob, a good rider from Del Mar, we met at the light.  No pootle as Mike again pushed the pace into a heavy headwind.  I was out of water and we stopped at a house for a refill.  A young rider came by us and I was up for a chase after drinking lots of water.  Mike and Bob fell back a bit while I took off to catch the young gun.  I passed him on one of the early descents but he passed me before Starvation Mountain Road.  I caught him again and pulled along the flat section before the next descent down towards Bandy turn.  He was an IT guy from Helsinki who works for Qualcomm.  He told me he does not get to ride enough but he knew every corner on HVR and looked plenty strong to me.  I let him stay on point until the bottom of HVR where we could chat a bit before I stopped to wait for Mike and our new rider, Bob.

Mike came quickly but Bob was well back.  We both chased the young gun and caught him at Pomerado, he turned towards I-15 while Mike and I rode down Pomerado.  I cut off at Ted Williams and spun slowly home.  My distance was 63 miles with just over 4,000 feet of climbing.  Fun ride but not what Mike promised.  He called it a "spritely" pace.  I still called him a Liar!

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Thanksgiving Cyclogram from North Phoenix (by David Voris)

Posted on November 26, 2012 by sddescenders
Photo

If you are interested in a 'summer' climbing ride in the winter, consider Scottsdale AZ.  Here is a picture Dave Voris took during the Thanksgiving break on the curvaceous road up to 7 Springs. Bartlett Lake is another superb option.

 
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Fiesta Island pre-thanksgiving ride

Posted on November 22, 2012 by sddescenders

Bob Raibert and I met on Wednesday at the bottom of Torrey Pines for a quick morning ride – Bob rode from Carlsbad and I rode from home. We went over to Fiesta Island so that Bob could fine-tune his position for Time Trial at Fiesta on Friday (see attached). Bob is coming off some impressive mileage week, including a 100+ miler up to Palomar (South and East grades!) on Monday. After our Fiesta practice went back along the coast, Bob heading back to Carlsbad, and I accompanied him to Torrey Pines before heading back to my office. You should have come,
— Oleg 

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Veteran’s Day Ride

Posted on November 19, 2012 by sddescenders
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Hi All,  

Guido and I celebrated Veterans Day with a ride to the coast.  It was a picture perfect day as we rode up Torrey Pines and headed south past UCSD and down by the ocean pier.  I stopped to take a picture of La Jolla Shores over towards the cove, great view from the top of the hill.  We rode back up the Calle Del Oro climb and back along Torrey Pines to Del Mar.  The views along the beach were spectacular.  We turned inland on Loma Sante Fe and rode into RSF before climbing the Three Witches and heading for home.  Almost 50 miles and a great morning to be on a bike.

Ride on-

Rob
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Sunday Ride–Poway Grade and HVR Loop

Posted on November 19, 2012 by sddescenders

Hi All,

Sheehan could not make the Descenders-Ranchos Ride, so he organized a Sunday ride on the original team route–Poway Grade over to HVR and back home.  His older brother, Mike, was visiting and went along for the ride.  I drove to his house and we rode over to get Boyle at his house near Poway HS.  The four of us rode up Poway Grade and over to Archie Moore.  We flew down HVR and then waited for Mike near Starvation Mountain.  He had a flat near the top so we rode back up to get him and fix his tire.  We finished our descent down HVR and rode along Pomerado back to Sheehan's.  Good Sunday ride of about 29 miles.   

We saw Dave Ernst returning from his 63 mile ride as we neared Sheehan's house.  Ernst rode down to Mission Bay and back–huge solo ride. Chad rode today on Del Dios for a 59 mile loop and Guido rode the coast for almost 40 miles.  Lots of guys getting in god rides.

Ride on-

Rob

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Boys_top_of_mt_woodson
Happy_mike

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Descenders-Ranchos Ride Report

Posted on November 19, 2012 by sddescenders

Hi All,

The combo group ride with the Descenders and Ranchos was a great success.  Dave Voris and Lee Schwarz coordinated the groups and planned the routes.  Bob Proulx and I met up near Santaluz early to ride over to the start as we both had to get home early. A large groups of riders from both riding clubs met at the mall by Lake Hodges early yesterday.  The Descenders group included Voris, Guido, Rick, Hodges, Claus, Garet, Yi-Shiou, Eileen, Bob R, Neil, Matt, Larry, Bob P and me.  There were at least twice that many Ranchos, so about 40 riders total.  Voris and Lee gave some route instructions and we were off towards Mary Lane.  The early miles were fast as we headed over to Citrus.  At Bear Valley Bob P and I peeled south and reversed our track back over Lake Hodges to home–about 38 miles.

The main group climbed up Lake Wohlford and sped across Woods Valley.  I saw many a PR on that segment.  The group then rode up Lilac and went to Couser & Rice Canyons with a return back down Old 395.  I saw 67 mile routes with a number of guys riding much farther.  Looked like a great ride by all.  

Here are a few early photos.

Ride on- 

Rob

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Descenders Group Ride for Sat, 10 November–Mussey and Pamo

Posted on November 11, 2012 by sddescenders
Imag0001

>
> 11/10/12 Ride Report
>
> Only the heartiest of the Descenders showed up (see attached photo by
> Rick as proof of heartiness and showing) as the temperature dipped to
> the 50’s and rain was a possibility. Turned out to be pretty nice
> albeit cool with headwinds that followed out and back but Rick and
> Jeff S carried us through. To round out the total of 7 riders were
> Garret (through Mussey but planning to start some full rides soon), Yi
> Shou, Frankie, Jeff from Chicago (very strong rider) who works here 1
> week/month and wasn’t very sympathetic to our whining about the cold
> and the hint of rain, and myself. Cresup made a cameo appearance on 67
> then vanished. Pretty spirited pace overall with Jeff S and Rick doing
> wickedly fast pulls down Mussey. Some idiot suggested Mahogany Ranch
> which was very painful. Barely hang to the pace line/pulls through Dye
> to Pamo, beautiful in Pamo including wild turkeys trembling with
> anticipation of Thanksgiving. Rick, Jeff S and Frankie assertively
> climbed up Pamo where Amy and Denise were descending after starting
> later thinking it would warm up which it never really did. Brief stop
> at Chevron, dragged through evil headwind on Dye by Jeff S then Rick
> who returned to ride home with Amy and Denise while the rest of us
> went back on Poway Grade (except Jeff S who rode on his 100 mile ride
> down HVR to begin return to the coast) through challenging
> head/crosswinds and unsympathetic drivers. You should have been there
> as Oleg says.
>
> Bernie
>
> On Thu, Nov 8, 2012 at 1:55 PM, Robert Verfurth
> wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> It will be cool and maybe wet Sat am. Dress warm for a classic hill climb
>> group ride.
>>
>> What: Mussey, Pamo, SPP:
>> Where: Meet at 7-11 at Garden Road and Poway Road at 8:00am for the Mussey
>> Grade, Pamo Road Loop.
>> When: Nov 10, 8:00 AM – 8:00 AM
>> Description:
>>
>> Map: Mussey Grade, Pamo Road Loops, up Scripps Poway Parkway
>>
>> I have high school leagues XC meet conflict but will get out sometime.
>>
>> Ride safe-
>>
>> Rob
>>
>
>
>

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Double Peak Photo

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sddescenders
Top_of_double_peak

Guys,

I found the photos taken on top of Double Peak and a few others from our Elfin Forest ride.  Always good to see the jovial Englishman, Mike Hodges.

Rob

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Old Julian Hwy–Birthday Boy Voris

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sddescenders
Birthday_boy_voris
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Old Julian Ride Report–addendum to Oleg’s report

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sddescenders

Hi All,

 
Oleg captured the group ride well in his ride report and he takes great photos with ease.  It was one of our largest Descender group rides ever.  The morning did start out a bit cool but it warmed up nicely and we rode in bright sunshine from the start of the HVR climb.  The Voris flat and tire cut on Pomerado was a disappointment.  We got to the start late and Dave had to head home.  The ride was supposed to be his 50th b-day celebration; he turned 50 years old last week.  Happy B-day Dave.  He hustled home to get a new tire and rode a PR back up the Poway Grade to catch us at the top of Old Julian.  I do not know how he was fresh enough after the long chase but he mixed things up quite a bit on the descent of Old Julian.  We flew back to Ramona and stopped at the gas station for some needed rest and refreshment.
 
Pace lines with more than 20+ riders can be complicated and beautiful.  We rode along Dye and the top of HCR in a nice pace line.  I tried to capture the long line of riders in a photo or two during the ride.  I will post to our Shutterfly album those I do not attached to this e-mail.  The large group rode well going up or down hills throughout the ride. 
 
I fell back a bit on the return on HVR.  Sheehan and I hit the start of the long descent about the same time.  Jeff S and Eileen were just behind us.  Sheehan quickly passed me and we motored down the road smoothly carving around the corners.  We both passed Yi-Shiou north of Bandy and kept up a fast pace all the way to the bottom.  Claus was waiting at the corner but the rest of the leaders had already made the turn down Pomerado.  I headed west across I-15 and cruised back through 4S and behind Black Mountain to get back to PQ.  I finished with 79 miles and a bit over 5,000 of climbing.
 
Special congrats to Chad for the addition to his family, a healthy baby girl.  See everyone on the road soon.
 
Ride on-
 
Rob

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Nov 3, 2012: HVR, Old Julian Ride

Posted on November 3, 2012 by sddescenders

Descenders, today we had a huge turnout of 21-23 riders, depending on who is counting.

Voris, Jim, Guido, Rick and Rob met at casa Voris – it was foggy and chilly but we knew it was going to clear up. It did – after 30 min or so the sun was out and was pretty warm.
On the way to the meeting spot Voris had a flat and the source was a deep cut to his tire. He turned back and rode home on booted tire.
When we go to the meeting spot it was just Ernst and Jeff Southerton waiting for us, the rest of the group took off, hoping we would catch them.
We caught Farkas on the run up to HVR climb. We all split up on the climb but regrouped at the top. It was nice to Chad, who just became a father 4 days ago. He was riding super-strong all day, showing no ill effect of lack of sleep. We rode to Ramona and then to Old Julian – Garret, Matt Davis and Steve turned back early. As we started riding back to Ramona Guido had a flat, and while Guido was changing it, there was a rider in the distance who looked very much like Voris – it was him. He replaced his cut tire with an older tire and rode solo to meet us! The pace back to Ramona was animated at a few points. On the way back to HVR Chad and Bob took off and had a solid 20-second lead until Rick decided he has had enough and reeled them back in, single-handedly (or single-leggedly?). We had some more surges going up to HVR and then on the descent. 
On Pomerado, with just a few miles to go Rick had a major blow-out. He had a long, 20-inch long cut on his tire. Hodges would have patched it up, but Rick decided to wait for Voris vehicle service to pick him up, since we were 10 min away from the house. A few selected photos are attached.
More photos are here: http://goo.gl/CnlCo
amazing ride, you should have come.
Oleg.

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Elfin Forest and Double Peak Ride Report

Posted on October 28, 2012 by sddescenders

Elfin Forest and Double Peak Ride Report

Saturday, 27 October 2012

by Rob Verfurth

Things were running a little late, as usual for me, for the Sat group ride.  I was late meeting the PQ boys so Guido and Chad rolled to Spring Meadow.  I got there just after 7:30 am and Hodges was late.  We left for the group start about 7:40 am.  About 2 miles from the intersection of Pomerado and RB Guido flatted.  I stayed to assist while Voris, Chad and Hodges rode to the start.  We fixed the flat but did not get to the start until 8:15.  There was a huge group of guys waiting.  It started to warm a bit and 18 Descenders pedaled north on Pomerado.  

We cruised over very day Lake Hodges on the pedestrian Bridge and met up with Cresap near the mall.  He was fixing his own flat and was just finishing up, no more time lost.  We had 19 riders now as we rode towards Harmony Grove.  We cut through the neighborhood of Felicita and back to the corner of Via Rancho Parkway and Del Dios Hwy.  The light turned and Cresap decided to play with the bumper of a turning car.  It seemed that damage was minimal and we all regrouped and rode to Elfin Forest.

After the turn onto Harmony Grove, Bob Raibert was coaching Neil and I to start from the back of the group when the segment started.  It was not going to impact my time but it cut a few seconds off of Bob and Neil, like they needed the extra time.  Raibert had ridden the last 10 days straight and was out early in the day going for more KOM segments before the group ride started.  He was on fire!  The group kept up a fast pace through Elfin Forest as evidenced by all the Strava hardware won today.  The full Elfin Forest segment has a new KOM–Neil–great riding. Right behind Neil in the KOM ranking is Matt.  There were some great pulls by those guys our front while most of us held on the slip stream.  Harmony Grove East segment is full of Descender awards with Bob Raibert in 5th overall and many others following the fast pace set by Bob.

We regrouped in San Elijo to climb Double Peak.  The views from the top were epic with 360 degree clear skies.  We saw the islands off the coast, the mountains to the north and east and then downtown and beyond to the south.  The dry air and high pressure offered spectacular views.  We took what should have been a great group photo.  Unfortunately I had someone we met at the top take the shots–nothing was on the camera.  Next time, I take the shot.

The descent off Double Peak was its normal fast cruise back towards Rancho Sante Fe Road.  We headed back towards El Camino Del Norte and climbed to Lago Lindo, regrouping again before the start of Stud Loop.  The first half mile of Stud Loop was spirited and then everyone seemed to slow a bit.  Voris suggested someone should agitate things a bit.  Just before the top of Zumaque I took off and forced others to accelerate to cathc me.  The group went faster and faster as we sped along.  I almost got dropped and then hung onto a wheel.  We neared the end when road construction forced everyone to slow, except me.  I pushed fast toward the guy holding the stop sign and thankfully he turned it around as I bore down on him.  The other fast guys tired to catch me to the line.

We large group continued on to the Three Witches where I again pushed fast from the light and we easily caught by Neil and others a few hundred yards later.  The lead pace was fast and they rode to the top.   We caught our breath at the top before heading into Santaluz.  Ernst and Raibert took off up Del Sur and we had lost a few guys along the way but there was still more than a dozen riders ride the segment of North Gate to South Gate in Santaluz.  The Descenders own most of the top times.  The group finally split at Carmel Valley with Matt and his buddies heading back to their cars while Voris, Guido, Hodges and I went back to the bike path.  

It was one of our largest group rides and certainly one of our fastest rides.  The weather was dry and perfect for riding.  I had 58 miles and 4,300 feet of climbing at the finish.  My legs felt the effort.  Great Descenders ride.  Next week, Old Julian.  Attached are a few photos with the rest going to be posted to our shutterfly album soon.

Ride on-

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MTB Explore to 4S and Del Sur Ride Report

Posted on October 15, 2012 by sddescenders

Hi Guys,

The Julian Fall Classic was a blast yesterday.  A few of us decided to get a little dirty and go ride the trails near 4S.  Jeff Cresap just got himself a new 29er hard tail and was itching to get out.  Mike Hodges was going to join us and I tried to get Farkas to lead us in his backyard area.  Both had conflicts and could not make it.  We sort of coerced Bob Proulx into joining us since we started so close to his Santaluz house.  Bob, Jeff and I met at the top of the Three Witches in the dirt parking lot.  We could have ridden the Lasardi Loop but decided to explore over toward the bottom of Artesian and try to find a way into the Crosby.  We failed miserably.  

I should have noted that Bob was riding an old hard tail and had no clip pedals.  His seat was jacked up way too high for trail riding and his tires were pumped up to 60 lbs psi, also not good for bumpy trails.  Early in the ride we descended down towards the San Dieguito riverbed.  I crossed the river and looked back for Jeff and Bob.  Jeff came, but no Bob.  We pedaled back up the hill and around the corner to find Bob still working out the kinks from his header over the bike.  He landed hard on the right side of his back but otherwise seemed fine except for a bit of trail rash on his elbow.  We convinced Bob to continue on with the ride after we let out some air from his tires.

The exploring was fun as we rode across Artesian and climbed up into RSF.  We saw the Crosby but could not find a trail to get there.  Eventually we climbed back toward the top of Artesian Road.  Bob started to feel light headed so we stopped and got him a ride home.  He actually had to get a ride to emergency care; likely a broken rib.  Jeff and I felt terrible about hurting Bob and hope he heals soon.

We met up with some other MTB riders and went back on trails near Camino Del Sur and part of the Lasardi Loop back to the car.  It was only a 10 mile ride but we wrecked lots of havoc.

Next time we get Farkas to be our guide and make sure all riders have the right gear.  Ride safe!

Ride on-

Rob

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Julian Fall Ride: 10-13-2012

Posted on October 14, 2012 by sddescenders

Descenders, we had 17 rides who came out for our Julian Retro Fall Ride today.

A lot of colorful old timey jerseys – many riders looked quite ridiculous, myself included.

The weather was fantastic, not too hot, not too cold. Descenders regulars were joined by Denise and Amy, as well as several Matt’s friends. We also ran into (or rode into?) Drew Peterson in Julian. It’s been a while since we rode with Drew – he rode 130 miles today, by the way…

Plenty of strong riders and many KOMs, mostly by Rick. I think Rick tied his Engineers Rd. KOM down to a second, and set new best time for Banner grade and a few other segments. He did it while smiling, as always.

Photos (a few selected also attached): http://goo.gl/goPRi

You should have come,
Oleg.

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Bernie’s Everest Challenge Report

Posted on October 12, 2012 by sddescenders

Everest Challenge Ride Report 

Great ride report Rob, the Ernst attack is classic. Everest Challenge 
was as the name implies challenging. Arrived late Friday and got to 
ride with Rick for an hour, sign in, have the usual pasta dinner put 
on by the great volunteers including the Mayor, rider meeting, talk 
with Drew, meet some new people and drop the car off at Tom’s place up 
Hwy 395 to avoid the ride back from the finish to the start when it’s 
the last thing in the world you feel like doing after day 1 summit 
finish. (as we passed the riders while we were driving back to Bishop 
after day 1 Rick even feeling very ill managed to say “poor bastards” 
as we went by). Same day 1 route as last year, start at Milpond north 
of Bishop, off at dawn, neutral start then climb up to South Lake, a 
17.3 mile climb then back past the start over to Pine Creek climb, 
mere 8 mile climb, back down to Lower Rock Creek climb which is 
unexpectedly painful for 12 miles up to Tom’s Place where a more 
painful climb for 11 miles up to the finish at Mosquito Flat and 
plenty of food, refreshment. Rick and Drew were both very fast with 
Rick at a little under 6 hours and Drew right at 6 hours. I was at 
7:12, 20 minutes better than 2011. Rick was hurting bad, I’ll let him 
describe his experience, but of course he was a trooper and tuned 
himself up enough to be able to eat a Taco Bell bean burrito a few 
hours later but was in no condition to consider riding Sunday. Sunday 
again provided excellent weather, mild winds, again off at dawn this 
time from Big Pine south of Bishop. 10.4 miles up to Glacier Lodge, 
not so bad because reasonably fresh, in group of 3-5 others in my 
classification, so drafting ok. FAST FRIGGIN DESCENT down Glacier, 
back across 395 to Death Valley/Waucoba Canyon climb, wasn’t bad last 
year but they added 2.5 miles of climbing to it making it a 13 mile 
plus climb that hurt before taking on the beast of Bristlecone which 
can either be considered a 20 mile climb or a 10 mile White Mountain 
climb immediatately followed by the 10 mile Bristlecone climb. Either 
way it’s really bad after the prior riding. I was more ready this year 
but still whined a lot, Drew glided by in the last few miles, riding 
“….for Rick” to retake the lead in his group (and probably beat most 
all the pros and everyone else too). Some evil little grades the last 
couple miles and then the lady at the side of the road made my day 
“100 yards left”. Great food, congratulations and some shared misery, 
then a kind couple from Santa Barbara whose son won the cat 4 race and 
WANTED  to ride back down 20 miles to the start asked if I wanted a 
ride down…aahh. 
Of course In and Out Burger, lots of junk food on the way home and 
back by 8:30 pm. Hoping for more Descenders next year!! 

Bernie 

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Tour de Poway Ride Report

Posted on October 2, 2012 by sddescenders
Tour de Poway Ride Report
30 September 2012
by Rob Verfurth
The Tour de Poway was a great success for the Descenders.  We had 14 riders out for the Nick Venuto Century while Dave Voris rode the 100 km ride with his family.  The Descenders included: Hodges, Geoff, Claus, Chad, Len (TE), Guido, Ernst, Boyle, Bryan, Matt, Bob R, Frankie (needs a kit), Yi-Shiou and me.  This was an excellent turn-out, especially since a few guys are traveling for business and could not make the ride.  It was good to see Dave Boyle out riding again with the group.  He was wearing the original Descenders kit jersey and black shorts, like 2003 all over again.  I asked him to at least pretend the ride was hurting as I was sure all his clandestine training had him fully prepared for a hard ride.  The local councilman welcomed all the riders to the race/ride/tour.  It is not really a race, but it really is to all the front riders.  It was a cool earl morning but we all knew the temperatures were going to rise fast.

We pedaled off down Midland and onto Poway Road.  I took a few photos before the start of the climb.  The “A” team riders–Matt, Bob R, Chad and Ernst–took off up the Poway Grade with the rest of the lead pack.  I was in a group of riders that included Hodges, Geoff, Claus and Len.  The other Descenders were only a minute or so behind.  We kept a steady pace to the top of the Strava segment and cruised through the stop light at 67 as it was manned by the police.  Our group was about 15 riders strong and we pedaled behind Mt Woodson and over to Dye Road.  Claus and Geoff were at or near the front.  I tried to stay near the back as much as possible.  We cruised quickly through Ramona but had to stop at the light on Main Street.  One Broadcom rider tried to play chicken with a crossing car but in the end we all safely got to the west side of the street.  As we neared West Haverford Road, Hodges told me to get towards the front for the descent down Hwy 78 to be safer.  I took his advice and hit the front before we turned to descent.  Hodges got on point for the early part of the descent with Claus and Geoff in with the lead riders as well.  When we hit the steep curves the group broke up a bit and Claus pulled us back into the front.  Everyone regrouped on the flats and we pedaled by the Safari Park.  Claus and Geoff continued be at or near the front.  Hodges and Len were just ahead of me while I did my best to hide and hang.

The climb up the 78 hill past the Safari Park separated our group a bit but we all regrouped again along Citrus.  The pace was not too fast as we made our way through Escondido.  At mile 38, just before the turn onto El Norte Parkway, Geoff B got a flat.  We left him on the side of the road, one Descender gone.  Our group stayed together to the aid station on Woodland Parkway.  We all stopped for food and drink.  Just as we were about to roll, the next group got to the station.  This group of riders included Guido, Frankie, Boyle, Yi-Shiou and Bryan.  The Descenders contingent was growing as we all formed into one large group after they caught us on Mission Road after Palomar College.  We were now at about 50 miles and had averaged about 19.7 mph, a bit slower than years past but still a good pace.  The group hit a turn onto El Camino Real that was new.  I thought it was wrong and stopped to look for orange arrows.  The signage was weak and we usually went straight along Palomar Airport Road.  I was now behind and alone.  I had to push to catch the group and was fortunately saved by the light at Cannon Road.  This was about mile 55 and Claus was over fixing his own flat, another Descender left to his own demise.  The group rode to PCH and the next aid station.

I needed water again so I stopped as did Boyle, Bryan and a few others.  Most of the large group headed south on PCH.  We were behind again and had to push along PCH to La Costa.  Bryan did not join us as he was working out some leg issues.  Our group was down to only 4 guys, I was hurting and fell back.  Fortunately I was again saved by the light at Olivenhain as we all turned east toward RSF.  The group stayed together until the climb up El Camino del Norte blew things up.  It was not a long climb since we turned early into RSF but enough to put me at the back.  Our group was down to Hodges, Boyle, me and a few other riders.  I led the way through RSF and we caught up with Guido in downtown RSF.  Len was still out front with the group.  We rode along Apajo and Guido took a left up Three Witches while the rest of us turned right onto San Dieguito Road. 

Our group was again down to 4-5 guys with Hodges and Boyle riding on point while I struggled to maintain pace.  My hamstring was tightening up a bit but I managed to hang on the back.  We all struggled up the climb back to Del Mar Heights where we reconnected with Bryan,  He had taken a slightly shorter route back from PCH.  We all eagerly awaited the next aid station at mile 82.  Everyone stopped for food and water.  We picked up Frankie and a new ride, Robb Maxwell, along with Bryan, Hodges, Boyle and me.  The pace back to Santaluz was not super fast but it still hurt.  The climb up to Del Sur hurt even more.  Frankie was feeling good and picked up the pace.  We picked up a few riders out for a local ride and rode out ahead.  The local guys peeled away in 4S and it was just Frankie, Robb and me heading for the finish.  Frankie pulled hard down Pomerado.  I then lead us along Metate and back up Community to the finish.  My Garmin said 101.7 miles with just over 5,100 feet of climbing in 5:29 with 13 minutes of water breaks and stop lights.  Hodges and Bryan finished a few minutes later.  Boyle had to stretch out a cramp on Metate so he was another few minutes back.  Yi-Shiou came in a few minutes farther back.

Ernst was resting in the shade by the time I finished.  He had pulled the hogwash ride of the day earning KOM awards on the Ramona Grade descent at the lead of the race and then going on a 26 mile breakaway before getting caught by the race leaders in RSF.  Great riding Ernst.  Len was a super stud all day.  He rode with the second group while most of us fell back and finished very strong.  Claus made up time after his flat with a super effort to finish just a bit behind Hodges.  Claus saw Geoff B on the route as well so all recovered from the flats.  There were other Descenders with flat tires.  Matt got a flat along La Costa and still finished in the top 5 riders.  Bob R got a double flat at mile 92 and Chad stopped to help him.  They quickly fixed the tires and finished in 3rd and 4th place for the ride.  Strong riding from the “A” team guys.  Voris and family rode a strong 100 km event averaging about 17 mph and getting passed by no one the entire ride.  All the Descenders finished the ride they planned, great team effort and good showing.

Ernst had a fun party following the ride with plenty of food, drink and a much needed shower. Thanks Beth and Dave for organizing the post-ride party.  Everyone is already looking forward to the Tour de Poway next year.  I will send this ride report without photos and include them in the post to the web site.

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