60 Miles on San Gabe!

I took Mike to the trail today to test it out. He liked it. Said a bit rough in some spots but other than that, not bad at all and VERY VERY few homeless people. No loose dogs, drunks wandering in the lanes, etc.

I thought about 40 miles as I did 30 last week but Mike said we ought to do the 60 from Arrow to Seal Beach. I haven't been on the bike much but what the hey! So we went for it just trying to hold a steady pace. Ain't that the way you get back into shape? Do a little more than you think you can do?

I will admit, on the way back, my legs were frying on the little steps in the trail leading up to the finish. My Gosh my legs were toasty. But once we hit the end of the trail, we had 59.2 miles. DAMMIT! OK, let's not be wussies and head back down for .4 of a mile then head back so we can call it an even 60.

16.1 according to Garmin, 15.0 according to Strava. Strava sucks ha ha! :-P

Breezy but nice. I don't think the wind heading to the coast was as bad today but heading back was a bit more than last week. No wind situation ha ha! But we managed. Mike has been riding plenty and lost plenty of weight too so he was looking good. I have to say half way back I started taking his wheel as much as I could. Felt comfy but knowing those little steps back up the trail were going to hurt, I might as well conserve while I can.

Mike says it's a different kind of trail from SART. Though the numbers don't show a big difference, one sure feels it on the return.

Did see LewisAClark this time for sure! Twice! He saw me and acknowledged me this time. If hadn't been so worried about my legs frying, I would have turned back for a brief chat but I was a bit worried about going the distance ha ha!

Pics for now, a video at a later time or date.

Mike's bike. Thing is light and the new CF wheel are light too! Yeah, I'll let him take the front ha ha!

Still from the video.

I did ask Gina if she wanted to ride but she says she will wait another month. Mmmkay! Her son is still in the hospital but not in any danger of dying right now so I figured maybe even though she spends lots of time at the hospital. So she spent Saturday with me then left to stay at the hospital over night with her son but she was kind enough to take a few pictures for me so I could remember what she looked like! :-P

River's End Cafe Is No More :-/

With permission, I stole these images from Jimbo. The River's End Cafe is gone, no more, poof! :-/

Though I don't frequent the San Gabe River Trail, I am sad to see it go. The few times we did the trail from Encanto Park to Seal Beach, I looked forward to stopping there. Haven't eaten there either but it was somewhat of a landmark to me. I am sure plenty of cyclists will miss it too as it was a hot spot for cyclists.

I must say by the time I get there, it's a landmark spot where I can use the restroom ha ha! Fortunately Jimbo says the restroom is still available as it is on the outside section of the joint. Phew, close call!

But still sad to see it no longer exists. I see from comments below his images, maybe new owners taking over? We'll see! Hopefully it's open again by the time I make the entire trail trip again. Be nice as I have plans to ride this trail for a while.

Thanks Jimbo for the images and info! ;-)

Let me know if you have any more details you want posted Jimbo! ;-)

Images courtesy of Jimbo:

Cyclists are Fighters I Tell Ya!

Can't believe it, another cyclist ready to go down with Cancer. A real fighter! I will say we did not interact over the last several years but when it comes down to it, I was happy to have known the guy. Not going to say we were besties but the fact this guy fought cancer and kicked its ass most of the time is really impressive and a noble deal.

We first communicated on a cycling forum years ago. He sent a PM stating he had cancer and a hamstring removed. Saying some day he would like to try GMR after viewing my reports, pics and videos. Most guys in this position, heck let me say I know perfectly healthy riders that are too big uh wussies to even try with limited health issues, like hang nails. That's coming from another cycling forum ha ha! You know who you are wimp!

So this dude with no hamstring talks about GMR and actually does it after battling cancer. Wow! Like I said, not besties but when someone has the courage to do this, conquer mountains after dealing with health issues like this, it's nothing but admirable, noble, and downright BADASS!!!

Hard to believe we have lost a few friends now to cancer. Robert (Mad_One on the forums) who rode with us for a couple of years. Still can't believe he is gone at 40 years old. Then Old man Gentleman Boyd. One of the kindest, smoothest, most gentle men I have ever met. Throat cancer. I can say both these guys battled cancer then returned to cycling till they were once again confronted.

Another of our buddies actually facing cancer right now. Had a rough time but like the others, has also fought cancer and not let it keep them down fighting to do what they love, cycle!

But the latest case I mention has seemed to have come to the end of his battle. Giving up treatments after the news of a no win situation. I have to admire this. He is going to give up the ugly chemo so that he can enjoy his remaining time with his family.

Wow, that is tough but I think I would do the same thing. Enjoy it while you can. After having 2 stepsons who are constantly in the hospital fighting for their lives, I think there comes a point where one has to give up the drugs and treatments that keep them unconscious so that one can enjoy what remains of their lives with loved ones.

The good thing is, that the guys I know who go down, at least I can say that I got to ride with them, knew them, and even have cycling things of which to remember them. Pictures, videos, jerseys, maybe even bike parts. But either way, there is something there to always remind us of who and what they are!

FIGHTERS!!!

All I can say is these guys are Bad ASS!!! Take a licking, get back up and keep ticking....the pedals!

My hat goes off to anybody who has taken the beating and gotten back up! I hope I can do the same and will do the same if it happens to me. I have some pretty good examples in my cycling world that will remind me that it can be done. Cancer patients, cancer survivors, heart patients, heart meds, quite a few guys with life threatening situations.

I just think it so sad that this has to happen but in another way, it shows me that it's possible. Coming from a family that tells me I can no do some things, like ride 100 miles at 40, like walk across the mall at 50 because I'm too old, I am proud to say I can and I know others who CAN no matter their situation and it reminds me to pay no mind to those nay say'ers who whine at every little obstacle we encounter.

You can't do it! It can't be done! All I have to say is Bullshit! I know guys who have done it and guys who are doing it! I'm also a cyclist and a fighter! ;-)

San Gabriel Trail Ride Solo

30 windy miles at 15.9 average speed. I started at Arrow and the trail head. I hadn't been on this trail for years but with the mess on SART, I figured why not! I remember climbing the dam on the return and surely didn't want to do that on my return so I parked on Arrow. Heck, with all the time off the bike I was worried about the underpasses ha ha!

Heck of a headwind though. I remember cruising down the trail to 4 corners (name?) at 18 MPH soft pedaling. Today I was averaging about 17 till I hit the area where the schools are then all of a sudden the headwind started tearing me up! Heading to 4 corners I was pushing pretty hard and holding 15.5-16 trying to keep my average up. Scum sucking headwind really made sure that wouldn't happen ha ha!

After the dam (?)/golf driving range it eased up a bit so I pushed a bit to get it back up. Did good for a while but once I got next to the 605 fwy, it sucked again! Wasn't sure if I would go to Wilderness Park or Liberty Park which would have given me about 40 but not knowing the course, I wanted to make sure I would be OK and no too wiped out after the ride. So I stopped at Wilderness Park.

On the way I did see LewisAClark from the forums before it fell apart and started sucking without me! :-P

I saw him around a train pass. He was looking at the train when we crossed paths. I recognized his college football cycling jersey. I shouted HEY! but he seemed to react with a quick hey but not sure he recognized me after studying the train ha ha! Then I saw him again at Arrow while I was stopped chatting with the guys. He rolled by and I didn't want to shout in everybody's ear so I just let him roll by. He vanished from SART a few years back and I had heard he rode the San Gabe often. So now I know it's true!

After a brief stop at Wilderness, I headed back. Thinking it would be tough heading back uphill towards the mountains. My average had dropped and I figured it might drop lower with the climb. Not that it's that steep, just a gentle climb back. On the flatter sections I did lift it back to over 16 and felt pretty good. Passed some dude I saw at the park who was slightly ahead of me. Once I passed him he fell back somewhere. Later in the ride he caught me and rolled by. He shouted, "you're holding a good pace!". It was about 17.5 at that point which is not bad as you can see the road rolling up and up. He pulled away for a bit and I was actually surprised that he caught me. But not trying to race him, I figured if I tried to keep him in sight, it would only help my average. At one point I had 16.0 heading back up but man the legs were getting fried with each little step up. Like stairs in the road every so often.

Soon I noticed he was slowing and I was catching back up. Not that I wanted to race him but trying to hold my average up, I figured even if I caught him again, it would do me good to try to keep pace. But right as I was about 10 yards behind him (50 at one time) he pulled off on an exit ramp. He looked across at me and waved as I rolled by. Seemed like a cool dude. I was going to use him as a rabbit to keep my average up but  he turned off. Probably a good thing because the last mile or so of the trail is just step after step. I stood up a few times trying to keep my 16 average. But the Garmin was reading 1, 2, 3 4 % at times and I felt every percent of the road ha ha!

Of course at the end of the trail, maybe 1/2 mile back I could see it rolling upward so I gave it my all but NO DICE! Ended up dropping to 15.0.

Oh well it was a fun ride. But I didn't get to see the beach like SART rides. Plus I can't say the scenery is much of a view but the trail was actually really clean compared to the homeless SART trail. I did see a couple of really small camps. One looked vacant and abandoned and two others were camps consisting of one tent. Huge difference from SART.

I forgot to mention, I think, this trail is only like 15 or so miles from home vs the 30 mile trip to SART. Plus the traffic is far better than the OC traffic. Heck if Gina doesn't start riding soon, I just may have to stay up here ha ha! Gina doesn't care much for this trail but heck, to me riding is riding.

So I guess I'll ride here for a while. Seems it may help me as I'll have to do longer rides if I want to see the beach again!

At the end of the ride, I ran across John. We chatted for a bit about bikes then it turned to hamburgers ha ha! I'm always looking for a good fresh burger as I don't eat fast food poison. He did suggest a place, I think called TOP'S. I have to look at the video as he gave them a little shout out. The things the told me about it seem worth a try. I have no problem making the drive for a good fresh burger. I think it's in Arcadia and we are in Upland. Should be a fun drive.



Short little video showing a little of the SGRT. I made this with my new editor so having to learn everything all over again I think I may have forgot to make it high def, so many settings on this new editor. But anyway, here is my first one, short but learning ha ha!





Anyway, John was pretty cool and on a 30 mile loop as well. I told him about my blog and my channel so hopefully he sees his pic and his video that should be up late tonight. ;-)

OK not really much color in the trail but I did what I could as far as editing trying to make it look nice ha ha!

40 Solo, Almost Again!

40.3 miles at 15.9 average. I thought it was windy, heck heading to Imperial from Katella felt windy to me. Then I turned around and Oh My God! Yes, you can still say GOD on my blog. If not, then you can go to hell ha ha! Just kidding, not my problem if you want to burn. :-P

So anyway, it was windy imo. But then it could have been that I have not done a 40 mile ride since early November ?? Only a couple of 30 milers and a 12 during the week. BUT I wanted to do the 40 just to test myself to see if I could after slacking for so long. I made it!

I did see that Mr. Miyagi guy again, the little short guy that wanted to beat me up. Well he did make me laugh I will say that ha ha! I turned around at Imperial when he went by. I let him get far ahead then did my thing. I ended up passing him and without fail, he took my wheel. So did some other dork I saw hop on the trail. OK whatever, so I sat up and slowed way down so they would pass me. Neither one did, bastards! Then I realized my batteries were dead in my point and shoot, bastards!

I'm sitting up riding no hands slowing down and both bastards stay on my wheel. Really? At 10 MPH? Finally I heard Mr. Miyagi shout left then took off like a bat out of hell. Just continuing my 10 MPH pace the other dude would not go around. So I turned around, looked at him then waved him around. Finally he took off, GREAT, that's what I wanted.

I saw them far ahead, second dude caught Mr. Miyagi, took his wheel then sprinted around dropping him like a bad habit. I was just sitting back about 100 yards laughing. I'm guessing the other dude had to be some kind of strong or he would not have caught Mr. Miyagi so easily. Of course if you remember the story of Mr. Miyagi, me and the girls caught him from behind after he passed us as we exited the park at about 2 MPH. We passed him, he drafted then sprinted around. We caught him again then did the same about 3 or 4 times. Finally I told him to just go on his own and stop interfering with our little group. Yes, he was cutting off the girls to "stay ahead" I guess. He got upset saying I was just mad because he was faster. Uhh OK! Then I blasted his doors off for like 1/4 making him look stupid so he got upset. Uhh yeah dude, you're really fast on that short little ride you do. We have a 2 MPH faster average than he does on a ride double his distance ha ha! Just a refresher on Mr. Miyagi.

So anyway, I slowed to 10 MPH, held it there for a bit then I returned to my normal pace. Once we got by Lincoln, I could see Mr. Miyagi fading fast ha ha! The other dude rode him off his wheel so he was out in the wind alone.Sure enough by the time we got to the Honda Center, I had caught him. I slowed down behind him wondering if he was going to continue on or turn around for his cheesy little usual ride. He turned around. :-P

The other dude noticed I had caught him too and was about 10 yards behind him at Honda Center. This was after being back about 200 yards at one time. But I was not trying to lift the pace knowing I had not done the 40 for a while, and definitely not solo. I was trying to conserve figuring the worst was yet to come. I will say the other guy had to be strong. He raced off once again and once we hit Edna Park, he vanished somewhere. Didn't see him cross the bridge and didn't see him at the park restroom, hmmm!

So anyway, after Edna Park, it really felt windy! At this point, I did not see anybody going my way as far back as I could see or as far ahead. Kind of an awful feeling when you look around and wonder why you are out there alone ha ha!

But I survived the worst part and met Ron and Dixie at the beach stop. I was thinking man it was windy till I asked Ron how they were doing and asked for his average. Darn! It was one mile an hour faster than mine so at that point, I knew it was me and my out of shape legs. :-P

A short bit later, Jose showed up. I didn't even know he had planned to ride. Usually at 8 am if he rides alone. I didn't start till almost 11 figuring he was done already. He only does 20 if he rides alone.

Then Ron and Dixie asked if I wanted to ride back with them. HEEEEEELLL NO! they tear it up with any kind of a tailwind so I figured I'd be dropped anyway so it was better I stay back and hold my pace so I didn't die.

Jose was there and said he would ride back with me. OK, I really did want to ride alone as a test but hey, if I get tired, I got some help. So he rode my wheel back to the soccer fields then I let him go to the front. He did pull me back to Memory Lane but I won't lie. It's kind of hard to keep somebody's wheel when you are tired. I had planned to keep it at 18 to make sure I got back since I was doing the long ride and he the shorter 20. But after he got up front, I looked down and say 19.7 a few times. OK, that explains why my legs were feeling toasty, 18 hunh???

Oh well, it was a decent ride and I figured I better do it now since the evictions are going to continue on Tuesday. So I figure the trail could be closed for 3 months and this was my last chance for a while.  I was actually planning to do the San Gabe trail but a quick change of mind figuring the return would be flatter on SART till I get my legs back.

I did see Bad Bob heading the other direction. Then Thai and Tony. Almost missed them and only a quick glance and "HEY!" as I was busy trying to wipe the tears from my eyes heading into the wind ha ha!

Well I did catch this one! Somebody who rode back with me said he liked this chick cause one could tell she was a little older but kept herself in good shape. No names because he is married ha ha but we rode back together. ;-) No worries, he doesn't even look at my blog so I doubt his wife does! :-P

My stupid point and shoot batteries were dead so I took a selfie with my cell. With no camera, this is all you get! :-P

Gina came home for a while from the hospital. Long enough to eat dinner with me then back to my cell. I did get a pic of her so I might remember what she looks like.

Windy 30 Miler on SART

So some judge put a stop to the homeless evictions, don't get me started. I wasn't sure so I started at Memory Lane and Bristol with a plan to add a few miles on PCH to get in a 30 miler.

Little did I know the trail must be open as I saw riders coming through the area I thought was closed. Anyway, felt pretty breezy today. I haven't done many miles in the last couple of months, maybe 50 total so today I wanted a shorter ride than our usual 44. Man was I glad I chose a shorter ride. Not really the distance but the wind! If I had done a 44 miler today, I would have been toast.

Jose and I started out doing pretty well. Holding it down to a steady 17 heading to the coast. Wasn't hard. Caught up with some guy ahead of us who hopped on the back. Jose and I rotated and the guy tried to stay at the back. But hey, I've been off the bike so any help we get would be cool.

As I always say, I don't understand riders. We were holding 17-17.5. I was at the front for about a mile then moved over so Jose could take his turn. He was up there about 2 minutes when the other guy raced around to the front. He did wait for us but he kicked it up to about 20 mph. OK! Not sure why he did that after 2 minutes when he could see we were doing longer pulls. So anyway he kicks it up. After 1/4 mile he looks to be struggling. Another 1/4 and he pulls off. OK, let Jose finish his turn.

So Jose goes to the front and and returns to 17-17.5 again. After about 1/2 mile, the dude falls off and within a minute or so is like 50 yards behind. MMMMKAY! Now if the dude had let Jose finish his turn, held it down to 17.5, he'd be cool but instead got dropped like a hot potato and not that we were trying. :-/

So anyway, we hit the last bridge heading to the coast and man did it get windy! We were rotating taking turns and holding 15.5 ha ha! AND trying hard to keep our average up. We had about a 16.9 when we hit PCH.

But we stopped for a second then a group of gals rode by. We hopped on PCH behind them but stayed back about 20 yards as they had a pretty good size group and 2 dudes, maybe 15 all together. Not wanting to bother them, we hung back knowing we'd roll down PCH about 4 miles then turn back.

We'd all group at an intersection and they would stay in line pretty well to avoid cars. Jose and I stopped at the back and maintained the line for safety reasons. But we get a green, plenty of cars so we take off and not long after, all 3 lanes to our left are empty.

BUT here comes the idiot cyclist, all 3 lanes clear, we are hanging back trying not to crowd the chicks and this idiot buzzes me. WTF, couple inches! I swear I love cycling but the with all the sports I have participated in, cyclists are the biggest hypocrites of the bunch. WHINE WHINE GIVE ME 3 FEET YOU ASSHOLES!!  Then you get the idiot that buzzes you. I should have chased him down and started whining he didn't give me 3 feet ha ha! I swear, cyclist running lights, blocking peds with their bikes across the sidewalk, stopping and blocking the bike lane. Do that to one of them and they'l whine for sure. Well I can't say all will whine but I will say all the crybabies on the bike forums do and would ha ha! I see it way to often. A few in person too!

So anyway, we had an easy 17 average heading North on PCH but once we turned around? Heck, our average dropped from 17 to 15.9 within 4 miles ha ha!

We were just out for a cruise though we did work hard against the wind. Had to or fall down ha ha!

So heading back on the trail, seemed we had a decent tail wind but we just cruised back and ended up with a 16.5 average. Of course my Garmin read 16.5 for like the last 3 miles but I get home, plug in and Strava rips me off a tenth, bastards! :-P

                                              Ran into Alex at the beginning of the ride.

Yes, new wheels! Reynolds Strike. And I know who to go to when I need new wheels, cassette, and a chain installed ha ha! You know who you are!

Good work with Jose today, nice and steady!

Hey, I got get one of me too!

Dark, cloudy, cool day at the coast and on the trail. Did I say windy yet?

Stopped on the return for a brief chat with Mark who was heading the opposite way.

Sick Kid but BACK on the Bike!

14 miles, 1,079 ft of gain, around the hood tonight. As much as I wanted to ride this past weekend, I was a bit worried about doing distance only having been on the bike like 2 times in 2 months so I opted for the shorter but hillier ride around home. My usual midweek evening ride when I start riding at night.

Another month off, NEVER have I been off the bike this much in the last 20 years. But as some of you may know, my stepson fell ill again. Gina's older son on dialysis for 18 years now. Gina donated a kidney, it failed after a year. I won't go into that, I get upset. 6 months ago open heart surgery. Doing well at age 36 and has learned the importance of taking care of himself so he's good for a while.

Then Gina's younger son also ends up on dialysis. Been doing it for 5 or 6 years now. Not very good at taking care of himself. Age 31, Plenty of strokes, a few mild heart attacks, seizures but still doesn't take care of himself very well.

4 weeks ago he starts feeling bad so he goes to the ER. Doc says he's having a heart attack. So they insert a couple of stents. His heart is doing better but all of a sudden, he has a massive stroke. BLIND, can't see a few minutes after the stroke. Then he has a shower of strokes, 20 smaller strokes in various parts of the brain. Major stroke was at the back affecting motor skills and sight.

Thinking he may bet better over the next few days, he gets worse. So now he can't move, can't talk, can't even move his thumb at the end of the first week. Things don't get any better. I don't know if it would be paralyzed or a coma. But he can not respond, can not answer, can not eat.

He moved his thumb a couple times during the second week, that's about it. Then the docs said he was not doing well and may not recover. So they tell Gina prepare for the worst. May have to make a decision if his heart stops, to revive or not revive.

But he has seemed to pull through so far but last week the docs said he is not breathing on his own properly. So they insert all kinds of tubes down his throat so he can breath on the machine. the docs say he is not getting better but not getting worse at his point,

But he can not breath on his ow, can not eat, can not move and can not see. He has tubes down his throat to feed him, rectal tube for the out process, and now a tracheotomy so that he can breath with the aid of a machine as they plan to place him in a home sometime this week.

Gina just replenished her 4 weeks vacation at the beginning of January, bone. Week of sick leave, gone! Plus she has been at the hospital 24/7 for 4 weeks. I think I have had dinner with her twice in that time. Make that 3, I forgot about last night.

So if you are wondering why we have not been on the bikes, that pretty much explains it!

I will tell you I feel sorry for Gina.

Anyway, felt good to be back on the bike in the fresh evening air!

Yeah, I am thinking my tights are nearing their end!