Another warm one today. Average 97 degrees and 92 when I finished. Stopped to chat with Omar at the Chalan rest stop. First time I actually chatted with him. Funny good guy, some good laughs. Plus much appreciated the rest stop there with the cold water. Made a big difference on the way back. 👍
F word Puncture, Hot AF 🔥, & Windy AF. Average 97 degrees according to Strava. Someone tossed stuff into the road and trying to avoid it but got me about mile 3. Thought about turning back but, Naaaah! Hate having to repair on the road but some dude came by recognizing me saying he watches my videos. Described some video stuff so I know he actually watches. Cool dude and low key so no names but turned out having a good time. 😀 Started out good with my Oatmeal but the way back was windy and rough.
Nice ride up but really felt the heat near the top so I kept the effort down hoping to survive. Saw 105 on my device but Strava says average 97 degrees. Of course heading down I figured I could make it even easier but nope, stupid wind! I was doing like 14 mph at times with a heart rate of 140. Usually at 140 HR, I'm catching people. But today, nobody to catch anyway ha ha ha!
I saw one other rider heading up and one above the SF Nature Center. Other than that, I didn't see any other riders above Encanto Park. A jogger and a walker but that was it. I usually have a few flybys on Strava but when I looked earlier, there was only one other rider.
Sadly, my tire seems like it has a little life left in it though it has a small split. Figuring it might be old so when your wife is bugging you to buy a new set of Conti's, one does not argue. Just ordered a new set but dayum they are so expensive now. I did install the Vitorria I bought a couple or weeks ago just to see how it feels and handles. About half the price of a Conti so it would be nice it it worked just as well. Probably won't tell much being the front tire and taking little pressure on the bike but it should be good enough to get me through a few days till the Conti's arrive. Then I'll keep it as a back up so that I have a matching set on the bike.
After the ride, I ran into George C in the parking lot who was getting ready to go for a ride. He hadn't seen my Trek before but when he saw it, he walked up to it and said, "wow, that is a nice bike and frame!". Yeah, now that I have it back out, I'm realizing how smooth it actually rides. I looked up the specs last night and the original bike was $2200 back in 2011. OF course I got the frame and fork on a warranty claim. So not a bad deal figuring the original Lemond I bought from Trek was only $1050.
Reading some reviews, I saw that people nowadays are saying that it was a smooth ride and one does not need much more in a bike with this one. I always thought that if I win the lotto, I'd buy a newer bike but knowing me, even if I won 10 million, I don't think I would be happy paying more than 5 thousand for a bike. And if I did, I'd spend more time worrying about damaging it rather than riding it ha ha ha!
THE F WORD !!!!
A little too many homeless scumbags out here. Yeah, I know, some people say they're just looking for a better life but imo, worthless idiots. They hang out at the underpasses throwing rocks in the road, glass, boulders under the dark ones, and whatever else they can place on the trail to make it dangerous for cyclists. In this case, some moron broke some kind of an item that looked like a broken Christmas ornament or something similar and harder. I saw it a little early and went to the left to avoid the larges mess in my lane but somehow happened to hit a piece that sliced my tire.
Keeping a low heart rate and effort knowing it was going to be hot. 🔥 🥵
Won 1st place in my age category today. 41 miles. Target "SGRT Classic". 63 years, 2 months & 8 Days Category 😆😄😆Ok not really, I bought this plastic medal at Target for a dollar. 😄 Tough getting out of bed knowing it's hot but once I did, felt great! 👍 Poser ride. Once at the top, some lady pulled over saying something about doing great. Then said something about me being really handsome Then insisted I take a bottle of water. Very nice of her! OK, so the handsome part isn't exactly true. 😄 13.3 average at the top so not bad and I did get a little sweat on my legs today.
It is funny how so many complain about drivers but I have nothing but great experiences with them. Heck, only 3 places to cross traffic on this ride and every time, drivers stop and wave me on. Sometimes 3 or 4 of them stop to let me go. I do make sure we are ALL on the same level to be safe and it amazes me how many are willing to stop for a cyclist to get by safely. Now they're even stopping on the side of the road to give me water ha ha ha!
Seal Beach 40 miles to the beach. Extreme heat warning but wasn't all that bad. Just riding for exercise. Seems bikini season is near, or maybe here and I just arrive a little too early ha ha ha! Seal Beach is not like Huntington where we used to ride. Smaller and arranged so that the ride access points are nowhere near the action and bikinis. Oh well.
Sadly, spoke with an employee of the golf course, maybe a manager. She said that some of the employees are gone already. Since the golf course will close October 1st. Not planning to replace them being so close to closing. She said that the property will be leveled as well as the building to improve the dam. Saying it is planned to take 5 years.
From the lot entrance gate to the dam, it will be destroyed. She said she's not sure what they will do to route the cyclists around the mess. Who knows? Im thinking they could fill the river with water then let us take a fairy upstream. 😄
what puzzles me is, improve the dam for what? There ain't no water and even at the Santa Fe dam, it's huge, miles long and rarely ever water in it. The times I've seen water there, seems like only enough to fill 3 swimming pools. 🤣
I will say though, as I always have is that the biggest danger to me on my bicycle is other cyclists. One reason I hate reading about drivers against cyclists. Very hipocritical if you ask me. Cyclists are just as stupid as auto drivers, maybe even more. Maybe a lesser chance of dying but still the common sense mentality is lacking. Doesn't make a difference whether one is a driver or a cyclist, stupid is stupid.
Today, as soon as I got on the trail, doing about 10 mph spinning up the legs, 50 yards covered, I hit a gate where one has to ride to the opposite side of the trail to continue. At the gate, a group of about 6 riders re-entering the trail. They ride through the gate as I slow to yield but they spread out like and echelon. The person in the back, a little gal about 5 feet tall and not even 100 pounds swings to their left but is in the middle of my lane. WTF!!! They are going about 10 mph as well so it's not like she is going to fall off the back and lose the draft. So why TF did she think she had to challenge me by going head on. A little shout to make her think, hopefully she learns something. One of the bad things about group rides, stupid people do stupid sheot.
Then 1 mile later at the dark steep tunnel, locals will know what I'm talking about. Dark, steep, narrow with the gutters angling down so it's pretty tricky and very unsafe to race through knowing cyclists are heading the opposite way. Many riders just skip the tunnel and cross the busy street after waiting for traffic to clear on a busy blvd.
Right before the tunnel is a snaking left turn heading from the south, Covered and hidden by shrubbery so the rider can't see too well what is coming up. Pretty much a blind turn but snaking S shape to add a little more danger. I approach and slow as one should to look for opposite cycling traffic. As I snake to the left rounding a set of bushes, some moron is on my side, my lane, in the center. Luckily he is only going about 10 mph as it is a steep little ramp up. As I round my turn, I am startled by his presence and he almost jumped out of his bike shorts when he looked up to see me heading at him. Now, WTF, what kind of idiot goes into the opposite lane on a blind turn knowing it is a very dangerous area and surely there had to be some kind of an idea in his stupid head that another cyclist could possibly be approaching. I guess I just don't understand stupid people. And there are far too many of them!
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