Nice 42 mile ride with Gina and El Monarcha on SART. More of a breeze today but with the heat, heck, I'll take it. We left Upland at 9:15 heading to the trial head, temps were already 100 degrees according to the local bank on the corner ha ha. Gina suffered yesterday but did very well today.
Caught a fly by of Greg and Bad Bob, lots of yelling and funny faces! Eric Anderson caught us at the start and was nice enough to ride with us for a while with some tales of bicycle bad luck (tires). I didn't capture it on video but one of his comments was similar to "If Beanz can do the lifts.....". I'm expecting He'll be out there on Baldy Road real soon ha ha!
Jeff and Angie mentioned yesterday that they may show up and ride with us on today's ride. Yup, they showed. They are pretty darn fast on the tandem so I talked them into holding down the pace a bit so that we could gets some footage. Jeff said it was up to Angie and her strong muscular 35 mph legs. Luckily she agreed but the camera work is a little shaky. Heck, it's hard holding the pace at 24 mph with one hand on the bars and one on the recorder. Yes, they are fast! But Gina actually did a PR on the short drop while trying to hold their wheel. She hit 32 while they hit 35!
It was a cool ride though. Angie is quite the bicycle enthusiast. Plenty of hoots and hollers! It was good thing that they were at the end of their ride and we only had to hang for 7 miles before hitting their trail exit. Anymore would have killed me ha ha!
Lots of friends out on the trail today. A hot one so you have to figure they were all there to beat the heat. This is a good example of why we head inland first, then hit the coast near the end of the ride. A hot sweaty Gina did suffer in the heat today. I think we spent too much time in the sun chit chatting. Just after the soccer fields we ran into a poster who wishes to be unidentified by name. Last time we met he was doing 20 milers, today doing 80 in preparation for the Amtrak Century, cool! After a few minutes there TerBennett stops by with the latest updates and a good word of the Clyde worthy Deep V wheels.
Plenty of friends at the coast, GregK, MTBLrker, Mark and some new friends like Marcello and a meeting with member Flying Merkel. FM approaches and says, Beanz". Cool, another face to a forum member. We talk for a while as he gives me the scoop on his modified Schwinn Varsity. Nice bike, I really need to build myself something like it, looks like fun. FM is the type of rider who rides with no computer, doesn't measure speed and doesn't really care who passes who, so he says. Just looking at the guy, I bet if you challenged him, he'd whip the pants off of you on his Varsity ha ha! I talk his ear off for a while then he heads on.
Marcello is actually one of Alex2's ride partner for the day about a year back. He stops in for a chat then I figure, heck, let's talk with the guy. I ask him to introduce himself but he says maybe next time as he knows not what to say. I tell him that I will do the talking and just nod his head ha ha. I say a few words then he jumps right in, I knew it, they guy is a natural. So we have a some fun conversation at the coast with the riders, Alex2, MTBLrker,GregK, Jeff and Angie, then head back with Mark.
It was a nice fun visit but Gina really suffered on the return. Too much fun and too much time sitting in the sun. Fun but it brought on a headache for Gina on the return. We had to pull off the trail looking for Advil. She suffered but we had a good time!
Well, Hillbasher set up another ride in an attempt to erase me from cycling. Someday I'm going to find a partner that will chose and easy ride ha ha! 7 am start didn't seem to make much of a difference today. Heat warning and thinking we'd be done early, not so. GMR, down to East Fork, 39 to West Fork where Hillbasher swore it was a flat 8 miles to Cogswell Dam.
To start off Hillbasher's kicking my butt up GMR so by the time we get to West Fork, my legs are fried. Not a steep climb but enough to remind me that my legs are frying. Not to mention the steep climb up to the dam, 15 plus percent, ouch! On the return down Hwy 39, the sun really shined his eye on us. What I thought would be an hour ride turned into a 51 mile 4:40 ride time 4600 ft ride (time according to my computer). Going back across Sierra Madre was hot and dry and like Hillbasher said, "that ride must have taken two weeks out of is life" ha ha! I know I am glad it is over.
Right before the shack I see a couple of guys flying up the mountain. What the heck, I'll try to reach the shack before they catch me. Didn't happen, about 40 yards before the shack I feel a hand on my back. A pat on the back from one of the riders and a "great job!". I get up to the landing shortly after they do so we chat for a bit. Jay and Ciocc (hope I got it right) are a couple of great guys from an organization called "Cast A Shadow". They explain some of the way they help the less fortunate people by way of bicycles. Jay explains a few of their rides and the big one coming up called Mt. Tabor. Sounds like a great ride, 5 days, lots of climbing and a support crew second to none. Hotels rooms, transportation, the works. Seems like a great nearly week long ride. He explains the ride and the organization in the video but just in case you're interested, check out castashadow.org and the Mt. Tabor Bike Ride. $1150 entry and raise $1000 but if you raise $200, the entry fee is only $150. That's a steal for this kind of supported ride according to Jay.
I'm not real big on advertising but any dude that pats me on the back on the way up is cool with me. Plus I know there are a few members/riders out there that like this kind of a ride. These Dudes were cool.
Another SART ride with Gina and El Monarcha today, a windy ride. Ran into GregK at the coast for a little chat. A visit with high mileage Julie and a quick stop by the Haircut Crew Bad Bob and The Legend Greg. Check out Bob's new shoes! A little later Jeff and Angie roll up on their tandem. THEN, a surprise visit with Ray Clone of the Glendora Ridge Riders. Check out the matching jerseys. Wow, what a shocker! The climbers do ride the flats. Not sure how often but they do ha ha!
Heading back we tried to keep up with Jeff and Angie for a bit so that I could get some footage but they quickly lifted the pace. Gina fell back and I hung on for a while till we hit a crowded underpass. We were fling at this point and things didn't look safe to me so I backed off for a clear pass. Once we hit the opposite side of the underpass I tried to close the 40 yard gap but that wasn't happening. Jeff and Angie at this point looked as if they lifted the pace again and they were gone.
So there is a short clip of some tandem ride footage in the video but mostly interviews with the riders. On the way home Gina and I figure we won't be eating dinner for a while so we get something to hold us over at Burger King. While Gina is ordering the BK Doublestack, some dude, under the influence I'm guessing by the smell of booze on his breath approaches me. "C'Mere C'mere", check out my bike" he says. He saw our bikes on the truck so he figures we cyclists should do some bike chat.
I'm cool to the guy, then he takes me out to show his bike. Cool! We begin to eat and he's seated a row behind us. A few people in the joint but seems they feel a bit threatened by the guy's presence as well as the BK workers. We're eating and he keeps shouting out to me about bikes. So after several interruptions, I finally decide, fudge it, I'm interviewing this dude ha ha! So I whip out the Flip and start with the interview. Dude ended up being pretty cool, just a friendly misunderstood guy.
Nice 50 miler with Gina on SART. JohnR caught us from behind near Imperial so we had a chance to ride with him for a while. Go the latest scoop then quickly ran into Lenny with his kids Karen and Kevin. Lenny is Actel on the forums and like any good forum member, he's teaching his kids how to ride the smart way on the trail. Cute kids but that little Kevin looks pretty serious and mean. He's going to be a terror on the bike like Dad in no time! Karen, well she's got the long thin levers made for cranking them pedals.
A little silly chat with Sarah and friend Peggy at Edna Park. Crazy chat with Sarah
which seems to be the usual.
On to the coast where we meet up with Mark, Pete and a new comer to us, Cindy. We get a chance to chat for a while and as always, I get to tell more then my share of cycling stories ha ha! Gina and I were running late so we headed back after a brief rest. That was cool as it gave us a chance to ride with the little red gang ha ha!
So is this what is considered a bad luck weekend or what? After thinking about it, I'm chalking it up to a good luck weekend. A front flat on GMR yesterday and my rear tire falling apart on me today. The good luck, I figure my tires could have failed me on GMR yesterday, a descent resulting in something not so good. I'll look at the bright side. My favorite inexpensive tire Serfas Secas haven't done so well lately. Used to use them with confidence but the last tires split down the center. It was worn but this tire, 2 months 800 miles and it split the same way the last tired split. Heck with it, I'm going with another Armadillo. Many riders don't care for them or the slow feel of the ride but last one I used, 5,000 miles without a single flat. That included plenty of rides on GMR back when I was training for Ride Around the Bear. But like I say, it isn't the tire that makes me feel slow! Maybe I'm just tough on tires at my weight but I'm thinking more about the security and tire durability in my old age.
at the start of our ride EricAnderson rides by while we water up at the leaky fountain. He rolls by and we shout but no idea he heard us. Next thing we know he rolls up and we have a little chat about his long rides. Gee, what ears you got Eric ha ha! We roll out and head to Imperial. Gina's pretty happy to be off GMR and she is smiling while Abec rolls on down the road. We hit Imperial turn around to head back into a headwind. Still smiling we run across PainFreak for a shout.
Abec is somewhere ahead when I feel a thump thump somewhere on my bike. I'm thinking flat but tires are pumped. I roll the rear around only to find another big knot like the last tire. That's it, I've had good luck with these budget tires for a couple of years but the last two? Ain't worth breaking my face!
So we roll slowly back from Katella to the leaky fountain. Good, no blow out! Bummer but the good side is that Louie rolls on by and gives us the latest on his trip to the Philippines. His visit allowed him to visit the children receiving the aid raised by his Sikad Ng Bayan fun bike ride. Nice story and a good look at his touring bike.
I had sent a text to Abec telling him that we were out of the ride so that he wouldn't wonder about our no show at the coast. Arriving at the truck we see Alan and Tammy. A little chat and a short clip of Alan's story. Sure, Alan, stills only, I won't post the video! ~whistle~
A while later, Abec sends a self portrait of himself at the coast saying he made it for us ha ha! Sucker! Well, we missed out but really, it turned out to be a nice pleasure cruise and some visits with friends.
Photos:
Eric Anderson chillin' on his bent. Then Gina was admiring his jersey so I asked him to stick out his chest super hero style to display the design. Abec's text pic and Alan and Tammy trying to escape my lens ha ha!
