GMR to Peacock Saddle Once Again

Another 13 miles up to Peacock Saddle. Started early, 6:45 to beat the heat. I did, fairly nice most of the way. Partially getting a little stronger but also the early start helps but I had 2 bottles of water left at the Shack. I kept rolling and went on through to Peacock Saddle nonstop. A great improvement from my first day back on GMR pooping out at mile 5 Newman's Saddle. I think that was after 1 or 2 breaks so it's coming back ha ha!

I thought about going to the high point as I call it. Mat and GMR call it the point of no return. Reason being, when you get there, you are most likely out of water so you have to drop down to the village to get a refill. Or you just head back and most likely out of water ha ha! There is some climbing on the way back as you can see in the pics below so water is good to have on the return.

Once I got to Peacock, I thought about going but I wimped. It was getting warmer and I should have, could have gone but being alone, I figure I'd do it next week. That will give me a bit over 4,000 ft of climbing so today, another 3,000 day was good. I got plenty of time and feeling better, I think it will be nicer next week. Don't ask me why, it just will ha ha!

I'm heading back and getting close to the fork, I see a dude standing in the shade. I'm getting old so my eyes could not adapt but it looked like Mat but I wasn't sure as from a distance, it looked like he was wearing a cycling cap only. As I got closer he shouted BEANZ! Yup, that is Matt and being about 6 years older than me, he may have better eyes ha ha!

We chatted a bit and I like the way Mat thinks. He sees my point of view most time but expresses then in a nicer way ha ha! We chatted about purse snatchers, being a hero and plenty of why we need to keep cycling. BTW, he had a plan to roll down Lil GMR to Eastfork but decided to roll a bit beyond the fork to see if I was anywhere to be found. Wow, good thing I did not go to the high point or I would have missed chatting with Mat. And really, chatting with Mat is a lot easier than those 3 tough miles to the high point ha ha!

On the way down I saw Eduardo sitting at the shack.  I know him as Joaquin's friend from SART. He and his son in law Danny have been doing some hard core rides with a team in the OC. Big improvements in their riding, getting pretty strong.

We all headed down pretty much together and I ended up in front somehow. I got a pic of Danny approaching the shack so I figured I could get one of Eduardo descending. BTW, my crappy camera started acting up after the Mat chat so I used my cell for a few of the pics.

I got back to my truck and Danny was with me so we said bye as he rolled down to Sierra Madre where they park. I sat there for a couple of minutes but never saw Ed. Hmmm! A couple more minutes, nothing! Couple more then I see Danny riding back up. Apparently Eduardo crashed on the way down, about 2 miles up. I racked my bike and thought maybe I would go back up in the truck if they didn't return right away. I could give him a ride back to his vehicle if needed.

But they rolled down. Poor Ed, his arm scraped, torn bibs and a really dirty jersey. I actually hope it isn't torn as Joaquin brought that jersey back from their home country of Guatemala. I see the shorts of the bibs were thrashed and I'm pretty sure those were from G town too.

So anyway, a good ride for me, not so good for Eduardo.


                                              Always good to get in the Mat Chat !!

Eduardo, happy but this was before the crash on the descent.

Hey, why am I always the biggest guy on GMR ha ha! 

Oh yeah, a couple wearing FUBAR jerseys (looked like jelly beans) took the pic for us after Ed asked.  Nice when you meet people who actually know how to take a pic without cutting our heads off ha ha! Thanks for the pic!

Just my bike

Some cool looking roads up there.

Danny approaching the shack.

SART Gina

Sunday ride with Gina, Aimee, and Jose. 35 miles at 15.7 MPH. Gina says she was very hot and the average was a little less than last time. I looked at the Garmin and the average temp was 89 so I'll have to give it to her ha ha!

Started out warm, got hot, nice at the beach then hot on the return according to her. Gave me a chance to hold the pace down steady while getting a nice recovery ride. Mostly recovery I say because my arms are sore in the elbow area. Amazing how many different muscles climbing GMR uses. Even felt the triceps.

Though I did hold the pace down to accommodate Gina, I could tell she was trying really hard. So I'm glad because most times she gets tired, she will sit up and said that's it. Today she didn't, she hung tough and kept up the entire way without complaining though I could hear it in her breathing that she was suffering.

Plus I knew that she didn't ride last week so I was glad she did well. Aimee hasn't been on the bike much but she also did well as usual.

And crap! I took a few pics of them on my wheel today but looking at the little thumbnails while loading pics to my computer, I deleted them. Gina was wearing red and so was Mike on GMR yesterday. I didn't pay enough attention so I deleted the red images not remembering Gina had red today. So stupid me, I deleted them on accident, no way to get them back when I delete them through the camera.

I did see Ron from GMR at the start, the sandal wearing dude ha ha! I didn't recognize him without the bike. He parked right behind us but I wasn't sure. As he was shoving off, he called me so then I was sure ha ha!

He headed to the coast as we headed inland figuring we would cross paths later. We did, saw him on the side of the road fixing his flat tire. We slowed so he saw us and I called out a couple of times asking if he had everything. He didn't hear me I guess as no response so I'm guessing he was good. Seems to be a developed rider so I'm pretty sure he is more than prepared.

But I did get a few others.

                                                Edna Park, Gina was feeling the heat!

Hmm, not bad!

OK, so the tats ruin it for me but the butt is tight ha ha!

You guys always appreciate a good nipple shot!

After the ride, I know Gina was glad to be out of the heat.

Well, she said she was hot and burning up.

I know poor Gina was hot. She ran inside, took off her top then lay down to cool off. Of course I took a few pics ha ha!

GMR to Peacock Saddle with Mike

26 miles with 3,173 ft of gain today with Mike. Mike usually does the shack but had asked me if I would ride up with him and pace him for a little more distance. I don't race my way up to the shack as I usually go further. If I raced to the shack, I'd be pooped by the time I got there so I just pace in "make it up" mode ha ha!

So he liked my pace and said it was a very nice ride and loved that we went further than just the shack. Plus I took another minute of my time off to the shack. Not that I am racing but going up each time shows some improvement. Getting back on the mountain and doing a little more challenging rides will naturally bring back some strength and speed. Well hopefully, I am getting old ha ha! Can't believe we are rolling up on 60. :-O

So anyway, we both felt pretty good. So we said next time we'd hit the high point which I believe is 17 miles up (?).  We should have enough water to hit that point and back. Being a bit more careful lately as the temps were supposed to soar again today. Supposed to be 95 in Glendora so we started early. Average temp today of 78 and high of 86 so not that hot. AND we were happy about that ha ha!

But supposed to be 95, Mike asked if we should start at 9:00. Uhhh NO! Meet me here at our place then I'll drive you to GMR so we can start about 6:30. Makes a huge difference.

Nice ride and as always, lots of friendly climbers!

I did see that dude Rick Burneson from Rebel Riders in OC. I said hello as he rolled by while taking a break at Peacock Saddle. He said hi back but I don't think he recognized me. Or he didn't want to say hi ha ha! You know how forum members are ha ha!

Time Lapse

Testing and figuring out how to make a timelapse video but then discovered it was raining Georgies outside ha ha! Georgie is my cousin so I thought I'd mess with her a bit ha ha!

Looks pretty cool but that is a lot of images to mess with. ;-)

Stupid Fucking N!GGER !!!

OK, first let;s get this straight! I'm not one who goes on facebook, bike forums, or anywhere else on the internet and pretends to be non racist. I honestly believe there are far more than most know but yet everyone is so scared of expressing their feelings. I can here, it's my blog and I am not pretending to be something I am not! I am racist, I will call you a racist name but I do believe there are good and bad in every race.

If I offend any of my black follower or friends, I apologize. I hope you do not take it personally but certain individuals are a disgrace to the race. Again, I don't pretend to be politically correct, an accept everyone for who they are type, I am racist when I get pissed.

But to be fair, if you are of the Mexican race and you piss me off, I will call you a fucking wetback! If you are white, I will call you a whited devil, red neck, or stupid honky. Wow, didn't realize I have more names for white people ha ha! If you are Asian, I will call you a stupid Jap (or equivalent).

Just the way I am,  like it or not, leave or not, accept it or not, I am not changing! But this is my story and the reason I use racist names.  I get tired of the poor me shit people sling out there. I'm Mexican, and many of my people are bad hombres. There is white trash, and as many good black people there are, there are N!ggers!

Tonight at the mall, Gina and I are sitting there enjoying coffee and small chat. Thinking of her son that passed, her brother who is in ICU right now, and others we have lost recently. You know the situation, been a really rough one for Gina.

As Nordstrom's closes it's big door, we are the only ones in that wing of the mall. Nobody around but I see this black dude, about 20 years old, maybe 200 pounds, Gina said he was bigger, I dunno! I see him walk toward the big gate door and he's on the phone. I'm thinking he may be talking to someone inside Nordstrom's who is waiting for them to raise the gate so they can get out. I'm thinking he is waiting for them or someone.

He then walks around the back of Gina between the table area and the shops. So he's about 15 feet away from Gina, no threat. We continue talking and I don't think much about it, he's far from us, no threat.

But then he comes back around and is on the far side of the table area, again by the gate of Nord's. I'm thinking he is still waiting for somebody inside to be let out. The mall closes at 8:30  but Nord's closes at 8:00, so they have been closed for 10 minutes. Nobody else around the wind but us 3.

Then he circles behind Gina but closer this time. I see him about to approach the area but I look away. This has happened before, I look at some black guy and he asks if I'm looking at him cause he's black. So I look away to avoid confrontation of any kind worried he may be one of the sensitive types as he has the Buckwheat hair do! OK, call me racist, but I get sick of black guys crying racism when I do everything to avoid confrontation, till they start it, I've been in plenty of confrontations where one accuses  you of doing things not present. But hey, if you make something of it, I'm always down for a little confrontation.

I'll tell you, I have plenty of friends and relatives that don't mind hanging around me when they feel a bit intimidated. They know I will stand up for myself and protect others in need.

So I did have my suspicions but tried not to act as if I was watching him because he was black, but I should have!

He walks a bit close behind Gina and all of a sudden, I hear, "Hey hey, he got my purse!".

I don't know what happened, not even sure how but in a split second, he grabbed Gina's purse from the back of her chair and took off running but I was up and on my feet chasing him!

I jumped up and was about 10 yards behind him. He ducked into a hall by the pretzel place (for those of you who are familiar with the mall). He ran through the doors and they slammed back. I was aware so a bit cautious not wanting to get hit in the head with a steel door. I made it through and was still on his heels seeing he had a bit of a head start.  We run down the hall about 30 yards and I'm shouting, "STUPID MOTHER FUCKER, WHY YOU GOTTA STEAL HER PURSE??".   He keeps running and a strange thing, I'm cautious but yet very comfortable on his heels. Waiting to see where we go, I am just pacing the guy shouting at him.

He's a big boy but I'm pissed, not Gina! After all the shit she goes through, some stupid Nigger is going to snatch her purse!? He actually looks somewhat well dressed and I bet his Mama and Daddy are real proud of him trying to snatch a purse from older people.

He's high stepping along but I'm comfy, almost thinking all I have to do is pace this guy till  he gets tired then I pull  up and kick his back leg so he falls on his face. I'm pissed and he fucked with Gina so I won't have a problem kicking in his face if he falls tired.

But I'm feeling good so I keep shouting, "THERE'S NO MONEY IN THERE YOU STUPID FUCK, ALL YOU WILL GET IS ID AND THINGS YOU CAN'T USE!!!".

I'm just pissed and waiting for the guy to tire so I can make my move. I'll tell you, I have been eating well the last couple months, riding a little harder, no junk foods and I'm feeling really good lately. I tell my Mom that I feel I need to get back at it cause there are plenty of young punks around that may underestimate us old guys who can still throw down and ass whopping on them. I think this dude underestimated me. Probably thought if he could sprint for 50 yards, this old guy would't be able to hang.

SURPRISE MOTHER FUCKER!!!!! Not saying I am as fast as I was but I have been many times underestimated as far as running speed in my lifetime. I've been 220 pounds and won money beating 140 guys in 40 yard and 100 yard sprints. So I am not what I was but I am not that slow, not so slow that I can not chase you for my wife's purse ha ha!

So this mother fucker is running in sneakers and I'm running in hiking boots. I'm keeping pace and shouting at the guy. We hit the final doors to the outside and I am looking around just in case the guy set me up having a bud stand by the door waiting to trip me up or something.

But all is clear and we are through the last door, no problems, and we hit a straight section heading out to the parking lot. Straight shot from here so this is where I think, I can put it on and catch this guy hoping he is getting tired. I just kept thinking that he would tire and amazingly, I was feeling great like I could run at this pace forever.

We hit the straight section and I start to pick it up still shouting at the guy, "JUST DROP THE PURSE YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!".

I think by this time, this young 20 year old black dude is probably wondering how I am keeping up and wondering how I can keep up while shouting at the top of my lungs. I'm feeling good and think, this is it, time to  open up and just as I start to pick it up, he tossed the purse to the side against the wall.

YES YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!!

All I wanted was the purse. It's a big fucking hassle having to replace cards etc. I see the purse is open and thought dammit, he took something. A couple minutes later Gina arrives and sees me walking back. She doesn't run as fast ha ha! She thought the guy got away in a car  or something.

Nah! He wasn't going anywhere so he tossed the purse to get me off his heels. She was pretty happy, nothing missing!

She said she tried to run behind us but we were too fast and couldn't keep us in sight ha ha! She said through the first section she tried to keep up but quickly got left behind but that she did hear me shouting at the guy the whole time. She said they way I was shouting, she thinks he tossed the purse because he was worried he was going to get his ass kicked once I caught him ha ha!

But it was strange, like cycling, I was pacing the guy on  the prowl waiting for him to falter. I was comfy just holding pace waiting for the right time to sprint. Luckily he tossed the purse just at the right time. All I really wanted was the purse and I got it. No harm, nothing missing.

But it was great, getting close to 60 and still able to keep pace with a 20 black kid. Maybe adrenaline but hey, I was on his heels and he must have thought he was going to get and ass whipping cause he gave it up. I tell Gina and my Mom, I need to get back at it, getting into shape and even start hitting the weights again. Cause as sad as this society is nowadays, stupid young shit holes are going to try fucking us old people and I will not have it!

So anyway, security was notified, hopefully they ID the guy as they have cameras everywhere. I don't give a damn if he's arrested cause his black ass will be out the next morning. Just sad someone else will have to deal with this ass hole, more than likely an old person he figures might not keep up.

But sadly, the world is filled with stupid NIGGERS that think they can fuck over other people that don't deserve it.  Can you imagine, all the shit Gina has been through then this stupid NIGGER has to go and pull this shit?!

I bet, almost bet, willing to bet, if this piece of shit kid would have got caught, after he told his Daddy the story, if he has one, maybe his Mama, they would have said, " BOY, YOU IS A STUPID NIGGER!!!".

Ok, now back to decent people of all colors! ;-)

Good Ride on SART Today

50 miles at 18.0 average with Mike and Jose. Gina decided to sit out today but that was cool as I could not ride GMR yesterday and today I was thinking of a few more miles seeing I only had one day to ride. So She sat out, I'd text Mike and Jose late night. Both were up for it.

I wore my Fat bastard jersey ha ha and rode my old 1998 Cannondale, I love this bike!  CAD and I can just about say I prefer it over the full carbon Madone. But anyway, we started usual place, headed to Gypsum Cyn then back to the beach to get the 50. Beautiful day, saw a few buds out there.

The power in my legs is starting to come back. I want to say 6 weeks ago I would not have been able to respond to a few of the accelerations and a couple of the itty bitty hills. That's right, need power, go ride GMR  ha ha! Whatever you had, GMR will help bring it back.

We decide to do a longer ride. I was a little concerned seeing my longest in some time has been 36 with Gina. But hey, JUST DO IT!!! We hit the trail and went for it. I ended up feeling very comfortable on the bike. Much more than expected, thanks GMR! Heck, a few times one of my partners would pick it up on a little incline or surprise me and open a little gap and it was rather easy to close it down. Much better, must keep doing GMR!!!!

At the coast, having 38 miles we had a 17.4 average. The wind did not feel too bad. I almost thought we had a tailwind to the coast but the others said no way, still breezy. On the return, Tony and Thai headed back with us. I took the first turn and it was not bad. But warming back up quickly, I held it at about 20. Our goal was 17.5 but if it turns out better, we'll take it! We did!

At one point, Tony who was along for the ride, maybe 6 miles got in the front and lifted the pace to about 23 after the short downhill by Moon Park. (405 fwy). Took some effort but I was able to hold on, thanks legs, and GMR! Tony pulled a bit more then turned off as we continued.

My thing is usually to hold the pace steady so that all riders can hang. But at one point, we were doing pretty well when Mike closed down on a lady riding an electric bike. She was rolling pretty good and I felt the acceleration from Mike. I think he wanted to pass her a little sooner than we would have had we just kept our pace. But people get excited and I felt the pace lift. We went from 20 to 23. At this point, my legs felt pretty good but my lungs complained just a bit. I asked him to slow it down for a minute or two and back off the pace. Yeah, I could go balls out, keep up but then maybe I'd blow up. Then I would have to slow to 17, catch my breath, then continue on. Whereas I tell the guys often, if we just keep a decent pace, we all finish strong and nobody falls back. They know I'm right and Jose having been on the bike yesterday, pretty sure he was happy I asked Mike to slow down  ha ha! I know I was happy I asked ha ha!

                          Orangewood to Gypsum, almost back to Yorba Park for a pee pee break!

I was on the back having fun, taking my pic!

On the way back from the beach.

Tony and his buddy Thai rode back with us. Heck, I missed this shot. Had I known he was posing, I would have taken it again.

He's riding a fixie

Dude is hard to catch on camera ha ha!

 

Just before the downhill toward the 405. We'd go down fast then Tony would hold 23 most the way

After the ride,

Father's Memorial Video

My Dad passed away one year ago this August 19th. I made this video for my Mom. It's kind of cool because my Dad loved to karaoke at home mostly. My Mom found these recordings as he loved to record himself on cassettes. Couple of his favorite songs. Then she found this one that mentioned her before singing Blueberry Hill. I recorded it onto my computer via USB mic. Sounds ok but I used this one and one other song Wonderful World, another of his favorites to make a pic video using his voice in the songs.

Came out pretty good, Mom hugged me and said thanks, the video is beautiful. Today we went to the cemetery in Riverside (Veteran's) to take some flowers with a few family members. Strangely enough, Mom had always wanted to get his grave blessed by a priest. We get there and there is a priest doing a service for a neighbor, maybe 3 or 4 plots away. My brother calls him over and asks if he would bless my Dad's grave. He does, we chat for a bit, turns out the priest was visiting from Ireland. Mom was very pleased having his grave blessed then about 15 of us went out to lunch.

After lunch, all went to Mom's  house where I plugged a flash drive into the USB port so we could all watch the video I made. Really liked it, came out pretty nice.

Trying to fix up some pics, took me about 8 hours to create the video. I was pleased with it, turned out pretty nice!

Couple of notes: At the start of the second song, Wonderful World, there is a grey poster that says "...and I say to myself, what a wonderful world."  My Dad used to sing that song all the time so my daughter had the poster/painting made for him. It hangs on the wall of the room where he spend the last couple of months as he was too sick to get out of bed. After dialysis for the last 11 years or so, it finally got the best of him and he ended up passing away in this room. The family didn't want to place him in a home as suggested by the docs. He lived here and died here.

Also, at the end, there is a pic of his headstone at the cemetery. I took my Mom to Stater Bro's on the way to the cemetery to pick up some flowers for him. There she saw a nectarine and it reminder her that when they would go to Stater's, he would see the nectarines and insist on having one as they were always so nice. So on this trip, she saw the nectarine at Stater's so she bought one and left it on his stone knowing he would want one.

Then the bed in one of the final pics was a pic of the bed after his body was removed after passing in his room. There are 5 bedrooms here and his bedroom was actually upstairs. But the last year or so he could not make it up the stairs any longer so they made this lower level room into his medical room where he slept and did his dialysis for the last couple of years.

But the pic of the bed was taken my daughter after he was removed so that one really gets to them.

So anyway, I made the video and I think everyone that saw it liked it. :-)

Also, he recorded the intro as they had been married 53 years ago. It ended up they were married for 59 years before he passed, 3 weeks shy of his 80th birthday. Last 11 years or so of suffering but fortunately, Mom is now 80 and doing really well. Heck, she looks better now, even better than she has over the last 10 years. She's doing well but misses him greatly! So I make sure she gets to visit him every 3 weeks or so since he passed. That's a lot of flowers ha ha!

CheckSix 8 years later!

Hit the road with Gina today. 35 miles at 15.9 average speed. Actually much better than I expected. Started easy then I worked a bit against the wind heading to the coast keeping a steady pace for Gina. But quickly we ran into CheckSix (Gordon) who I hadn't seen in 8 years.  Yeah, he is on my blog back in 2011 when he and I hit the village on GMR. Haven't seen him since. Told us today that he gave up cycling for 8 years to explore other activities. But he hit the trail today with his buddy Jim (hope I got that right). And of course, pain in the butt was the factor today ha ha! I'm sure he could have done more than they did today of it weren't for not being used to the saddle. I know I was off for some time and the biggest factor was getting my butt down on the seat again ha ha! I forgot the amount of miles they told us but I remember it was a decent amount so watching the saddle pain was a good idea, always is ha ha!

So we stopped and of course I forgot the charge the batteries in my point and shoot camera. Thought I have but I could be mistaken or the little sucker is whack ha ha! So the cell phone cam had to do today.

Then later down the road, I see some dude shout Mr. Beanz as we approach. I don't know That Dude! Yeah, I do, it actually is That Dude from yesterday's GMR post ha ha! It's Ron, we met yesterday on GMR, Mat's friend. I could not remember his name though I did know it was a common simple name. Now I know. The Dude is riding with flip flops and looks like he's going to surf at the beach or something ha ha! He told me yesterday that he dresses casual then heads out on his road bike. I didn't realize he meant THAT CASUAL ha ha! We had a chat for a bit then Bad Bob rolled up. So I introduced them to one another, then Ron rolled on. But darn, I should have got his pic but I was thinking about my dead point and shoot. But Bob said he wanted a pic with Gina so I remembered I had my cell. I don't usually carry it so I even almost missed the shots with Gordon earlier. But anyway, missed the pic of Ron.

So we hit the coast and had a chat with a few friends. Then some dude walks by and waves at Gina. Umm, hmm! Then I recognized him. It was Jesus. We have chatted before a few years ago and he looked familiar but I wasn't sure. He knew me as the dude that makes videos ha ha!

We headed back and he wanted to ride with us. OK. We rolled back at a pretty good pace. Then he took the front and lifted the pace to about 21. I was worried about Gina not being on the bike much lately but she hung tough!  There were a couple of obstacles, a detour, blocked trail where we had to stop so I think that gave her a break for a minute or two. Kind of sucks, might have had a better average without having to dismount but then again, she got to rest for a minute or two.

But anyway, we continued at a good pace and she really did very well. I know she always fades on the one little steep underpass at the North end of the golf course just beyond Edna Park. But she was still hanging with the guys and rolling really well. Another dude had joined us and was part of the group. But we rolled down the steep underpass and expecting Gina to fade on the little steep uphill section, I rolled along her side and patted her on the back and said Good Job! That gave her that little inch of extra power to stay with the guys. I'm sure the guys knew what I was doing but hey, that little bit can make the difference and today she was riding too tough to let her fall back on that little climb. SO hey, yeah I cheated a bit, but only for 3 seconds ha ha!

Turned out a pretty good ride and I can tell Gina's form is coming along just fine!

           CheckSix- Haven't seen the dude in 8 years but he does not look one day older.

Gordon, Gina, Jim, and Jose

Bad Bob

Funny but Sometimes we are out there and though she has them all strapped down, her boob look big to me ha ha! Can't go without a pic!

GMR to Peacock Saddle

Another ride up GMR to Peacock Saddle. 13 mile climb with just about 2,600 ft gain on the way. I stop right before the big descent as a turn around point. Today I went down a bit then turned around and headed back up to my break time. That way I would be sure to have 3,000 ft when I finish my ride. It worked, ended up with 3,039 ft.

My time to the shack has gotten better every time since I started riding GMR again, 5 weeks ago I think. From the first time I rode it a few weeks back, been improving. Already shaved off 16 minutes over the last 5 rides. Not that I'm kicking butt, but a good sign it's getting better! Today I felt really good but only 11 seconds better than last week. Oh well. I don't know the segments well so I have no idea of the later segments on GRR after I figured I could pick it up a bit thinking I had some energy left. But I had the same average as last week so maybe it is all in my head ha ha!

I started early again today trying to beat the heat. I think about 6:40 but man I was cold ha ha! My truck wet this morn, the grass still wet so I knew it would be cooler. But yeah, it was cold at the start ha ha! Minimum temp today was 59 degrees. Not actually cold but compared to the 100+ degrees I've encountered lately, I was cold today! Big wimp! :-P Average of 72 degrees.

I did stop at the shack on the descent as I saw Mat resting there. He and a friend, I'm terrible with new names so you'll have to excuse me, just call him That Dude ha ha! :-P So I saw Mat and That Dude there so I stopped for a chat. Cool Dude too, friendly and funny.  Had a good talk about SART and the past problems and clean up. I think everybody is happy about that one! Turns out That Dude rides there too! Again, Mat supported my claim that most everyone on GMR is pretty cool and friendly. I really don't miss that obnoxious attitude of the trail. Yeah, I love riding there, but you'll never see me latch on to a passing rider's wheel then sprint around for the victory over the last 100 yards. I still can't figure out those idiots ha ha!

So we had a cool chat about people and bikes. I had ridden by a guy sitting on the rail of the shack as I stopped to chat with Mat. Turns out it was Vertical Bob from the forums. Haven't seen the guy in 10 years at least ha ha! Good to see his still out riding up the mountains. With a name like Vertical Bob, he has to continue ha ha!

Then I saw a couple facebook friends ride up and stop at the shack. Eduardo and Danny. Both guys have been riding for a few years but this year, really stepped it up! Eduardo used to ride with a friend on SART. Used to smoke Eduardo on every ride but after stepping it up this year, the friend said he can't even hang with Eduardo any longer. Ed has been doing plenty of 70 milers and riding with The Montrose gang. I know nothing about that ride but they said it's pretty fast. I guess that's why I don't know anything about it ha ha!

But yeah, do love GMR. Glad I headed back up the mountain. Though getting better every week and shaving off time, there are still plenty of bad ass climbers heading up. Again, most are very friendly. heck, I hear someone coming and being on SART forever, I expect these guys to roll by and snicker. But the exact opposite. I hear another rider coming up getting ready to pace and today, it was, "how you doing brother?" and "you're doing great, we're almost there!".  many with a smile.

OK sadly SART, it's a wheel sucker with no smile, no greet, then a sprint finish with hands raised as they cross the finish line at PCH!

One thing that I am not crazy about, and is not my problem, I'm not the one going to get hurt is: Well, I was keeping the pace down from the shack a bit wondering if Eduardo and Danny would roll up on me seeing they were leaving the shack just about the same time I was. I heard a couple of riders catching up around Newman's point. It was a group of 3 different riders. OK, Ed and Danny nowhere to be seen so I let loose. I didn't push the pedals, just rolled down most of the way. I descend fairly well and many times lose guys in the turns and switchbacks.

But these 3 guys were trying to push the pace on the downhill. Pretty close together, too close I think. But they went by and no Ed in sight so I just rolled and monitored what the guys were doing as far as speed. I expected them to roll away. On the straight (4 mile point), the dude in the back goes down in the Superman tuck( is that what they call it?). He's sitting on his toptube at the back of the 3 riders. Wow, talk about not having control of the bike. I would not give up any control at all descending GMR to sit on the back hoping to keep up in that weird position. Isn't the draft enough?

So I'm watching these 3 and they are rolling away at a very slight rate. I counted point to point and they were 5 seconds ahead of me. Soon we are on the last turn before the bottom and they are about 8 seconds ahead. I'm not pushing, not trying to gain, just maintaining a decent descent.

Hmmm! I myself would not risk my wellness doing the things these guys were doing to gain  3 or 4 seconds. I say 3 or 4 as I let them pass and get ahead so I could be in a safe place. But they didn't roll away much at all. But they sure took some unnecessary risks if you ask me. Not my thing, I want to get home in one piece.


                                                                    Mat and That Dude!

Fat Bastard at Peacock Saddle break area.

Recovery Ride with Gina

Increased the mileage for Gina just a little bit. 35 miles at 15.6 average speed. She did finish a little stronger too, no fading at the end so that is a good sign. Rode with Jose who sat at the back for the entire ride. He offered to take the front but I stay at the front to pace Gina steadily.

Along the way, we did pick up a couple of riders who hopped on the bike for a few miles. Then of course, sprint around. One guy stayed on till the last couple of miles to the coast. What a cheeseball. If  you fade like a little bitch in the wind but recover after you get help, why not offer to take the front if you think you're strong? Rather than showing that you can sprint away after you recover. I know I was really impressed, WOW! Cheeseball! I hope he's on Strava so I can look up his overall average. Can't be that impressive if we easily caught him in the wind.

Yup, he's on Strava. Ass hole did his ride .1 faster than we did our ride. All that for what? He was going slow when we caught him. He drafted a few miles so it lifted his pace. Then he took off the last mile or so. Too bad we caught the dumb ass, he would have had a lower average than his Lance like blazing time trial speed!

Too many asshats on the trail. As I have said before, the riders on GMR must be the real deal. I never have anybody draft me then sprint around looking back like Lance. Pretty much everybody rides up and does what they can. No macho BS! The bad ass guys ride by and shout, "GOOD JOB!!".

I don't know, I can't figure out the a holes on the trail. I know if I am riding, doing my very best, and another rider goes by, I keep my pace and do what I CAN DO!! I don't feel the need to suck wheel then try to impress the guy that just helped me by proving I can drop him. Though we weren't trying to catch him, that's all in his own little mind, cheeseball!

So anyway, got in a nice steady ride. After doing GMR yesterday, I felt really comfortable today. So hopefully the legs are coming back. First couple of weeks doing GMR, the little ramps on the trail challenged me ha ha! Today was much better so that too is a good sign that hopefully some fitness is returning to my old aging body ha ha!

Gina wanted me to take a pic of her to show everyone how white her hair is turning ha ha! Gina wants me to take her pic? Who am I to argue?

Spoiled little Gina. We get back to the truck and it's hot. Does she ride up to the truck? NO! I have to walk over to grab her bike while she sits in the shade. Then load her bike while I sweat and she watches.

Not only that, I have to take her shoes over to her. I pack up the equipment, bikes, and everything else, sweating like a dog so she can sit in the shade to cool off! Wassup with that?

About 15 miles in! Sunscreen but as my Mom said, I'm turning to chocolate ha ha!

I'm not one for tattoos but...... wait, are there tats in the pic? :-P

Tony was there, had a short little chat as usual. Disclaimer: No way Mrs. Tony was Mr. Tony checking out the lady's boobs. I was but he wasn't. Seriously he was looking at the strange homeless dude standing behind her. I look at boobs, he looks at homeless guys! ;-)