503 For the Month/ 22.500 Ele Gain

 Another 17 today at an easy pace. Sure didn't feel like going out today but crushed my monthly goal of 400 miles. I was so close to 500 that I couldn't NOT go ha ha ha! So a good month and nice gain I think at 22.500 for the month. 

Lazy day, almost looked like rain but I went anyway. Felt really good and just did an easy ride on and easy course to get in the final miles.

Kind of proud of myself. Been feeling good on the bike and good for my health and mind.

 Digging out the oldie Cannondale for the ride today. Can't believe it's 23 years old already

Tried the behind the bike shot but got all leg.

Just cruising the hoods looking for miles. Well, not my hood ha ha ha!

Hey Gina, I'm home! OK, not really!

Not bad, 4 yellow bands for $4.87 at Wally World. I got the tri color bands years ago and one is not all that bright. I saw these and thought I'd test them. Sandra told me that she could see them really well on our last ride. So I'm glad. Just little rolls that wrap around the ankles, kind of clip on. My ankles are big so they barely fit me but really well on Sandra when she tried them on. Said she was going to get some for the night rides. I like them, work well, and cheap! No velcro like the tri color bands but they were more expensive. I look for cheap sheot ha ha ha!

And 13 More Will be 500 for the Month Easy Cruise

 31 miles at 15.6 average speed today with Gina. Felt good to just simmer down and do an easy ride. I must be getting old, the legs are feeling the fatigue. But a few more and it will be a 500 mile month with 22,000+ plus feet of climbing. Probably haven't done that in a while ha ha ha!

Gina did really well, and passing me up on some of the little inclines. Did I say my legs were feeling fatigue? Ha ha ha! I got 101 excuses. Gina says it was hot but I thought it was nice. I actually thought it was cold at the beach, hmmm! 

But a great ride. My breathing was great the last couple of days. More legs but really happy with the ease of breathing I've been feeling with the better amount of riding I have been doing.

On the way back, we passed a couple. Richard and Eileen. I had seen them before quite a few times. Have some nice custom made Robertson steel lugged bikes. We passed them somewhere along the way back. Then we spoke at the end as we were parked pretty close together. Eileen said Gina was fast. She saw us pass but thought it funny that she kept pulling away and opening ground on them. Ha ha ha always entertaining to talk about Gina and the times she has been underestimated by way too many of my friends. So we had a good talk about that kind of stuff. Eileen says they will probably never be that fast!

Uhhhh NO! I told told her to keep putting in the miles and one day, it will click! Happened to both us and it will happen to them too. I remember pushing Gina back on some of the longer rides, physically with my hand on her back after she pooped out.  But as mentioned, one day, it clicked. She got out of bed, onto her bike then bam, a 17 average over a 43 mile ride. It happens so you got to believe and keep at it!

But a nice chat, long chat, and I have to say, most of it was me ha ha ha! Those of you who know me, MIGHT believe that's true ha ha ha! But a nice couple and nice talking bike chat and bikes with nice people. Really dig their bikes. I caught them in a video not long ago and mentioned something about their bikes during a quick appearance.

Saw Tony and Thai heading the opposite way. Thai with his signature no hands riding ha ha ha! Then saw a couple of friends ride by, Eduardo and Danny who ride with the Tio's Cycling Club. I saw them go by the opposite direction as well. Then I saw the jerseys heading back and thought it was them. So I snapped a pic then realized it wasn't them ha ha ha! The guys probably thought I was some kind of nut taking their pic.

BTW, I post off and on in this little cycling forum. I started this thread back in 2015. Seems to still be going and having 265,000 views ha ha ha!

https://www.cyclingforums.com/threads/did-you-ride-today.450064/page-168#post-3865977

                                                          Nice easy rolling felt good!

I stand corrected. I asked Gina if she wanted something from my nut bag. She said it's a bag of nuts. OK ha ha ha!

After the ride. She did well but said she was hot. I didn't feel it much today.

Getting ready to roll back. Not many cyclists around the beach stop lately.

So I can not count the times I have argued with others on cycling forums. They claim drivers hate cyclists because they are green, don't pollute and don't little like the scum bag drivers. Yeah, OK! I have mentioned the times I have seen cyclist trash on the trails and in the mountains. But they argue and say I make it up! Whatever.

Pretty obvious, this was intentional. But according to studies, 100 out of 100 cyclists would put their wrappers in a jersey pocket and dump it specified container. Idiots!

I though it was Ed and Danny but not them. Just 3 guys who probably think I'm a nut ha ha ha!

Thai and Tony

Good workout pulling a trailer into the wind.

Solo SART Ride Fat Bastard

 Solo 45 miler on SART today. 17.1 average speed. Supposed to be really hot today so I took a weekend off from the Foothills and gave the trail a try. Started a bit early, about 8:30 'ish. Good move, much cooler and surprisingly, a bit of drizzle at the coast. About 5 miles away, I could see the clouds at the beach. Heck, I didn't mind. Welcomed it with the heat we've been having.

I wanted to ride solo to see if I could hold a 17 average. Wow, my legs are tired from the hills I guess. My breathing was great but my legs felt a bit fatigued from the hills during the week, I guess. Either way, took a while to warm up but mid ride, felt really good. I was able to push back pretty well hoping to get my average. I did!

Ran into Mark J at the coast. Haven't seen him in a few years but one of the guys I started out riding with back in like 1993. Good to see him back on the bike again after years and years off. We did my first Ride Around the Beat back in about 2003 or 4.

Saw Tony B as well as Tony and Thai. Didn't  have a chance to snap their pics as I was heading out quickly to catch T & T as they left rather quickly. So a very quick chat with Tony B then headed out. Did see Dale at the coast as well. Always a cool guy.  Calif MTB champ years ago. Good strong fast rider.

A few other fly bys but no chance for pics. Next time!

                                                 Starting out without the headwind. :-)

Mark J

Cool most of the ride but the last 5 or so, sweat and heat!

Cool Man Dale!

Thursday Night Ride Video with Sandra

 Nice Thursday night ride with my buddy Sandra. Pretty cool riding together. She likes to ride up hills and being from the other side of the area that we ride, she knows plenty of other courses that suit my style. I picked these 2 songs for the video because Here Comes the Night seems suitable as I love riding at night. Show Me the Way also seems suitable because Sandra is showing me other courses to ride and I am showing her cycling etiquette that keeps a rider safe on the road. So these two oldies by Ben E. King seem right for the video. I could have used Stand By Me as it is a song that refers to the night as well but everybody and their mamma have used it ha ha ha! Couple of my favorite hidden treasure tunes.

(Video Friday) Few Night Hills with Sandra

 Nice 28 miler with 1700 ft on a nice fresh evening with Sandra. I had planned to include San Dimas Cyn but we started a little late hoping it would cool down a bit before we started. It did some but warm. But once the night came, boy it was nice!

 Hoping for a video tomorrow. The final little climb over the 210 fwy overpass on Baseline just east of Monte Vista. 

Pretty cool riding with Sandra and I get to teach her a lot of things she didn't know about cycling!

Solo Tues Night Ride

 A nice relaxing 22 mile ride with 1100 ft. Wow, the gain really adds up when you're not riding the trail. My goal every month is 400 miles. I have 381 so far but 18,000+ ft gain for the month. SO that's nice and I should kill my 400 mile goal

Feels really good getting back on track again. Previous years I was doing 2,000, last year 4,000 and maybe 5,000 this year if I can keep it up. So I am really happy about that and the gain is just a bonus.

So far, 3245 miles with just about 120,000 ft of gain.

Baseline across to Wheeler, up then across Baseline once again to Amelia then down to Bonita. Nice ride and relaxing.

                      After the Wheeler climb, stopped at Mills park to refill the water.

Looking down from that park, I saw San Dimas Cyn Rd below. Wow, when I ride that road, I always wonder what's at the top of the big hills. Now I know! Seems like you're out in the middle of the desert when you're on that road but it's all just right above me ha ha ha!

Love this cheapo little XOSS gps unit. Auto light at night and like $35

Getting dark now!

Little extra credit climb up Mills to get the 1k of climbing. Across Miramar to Grand then back down to Baseline. Sure was dark up here. That is my light beam on the trees.

Nice SART Ride w/Gina

 Nice 31 miler at 16.2 average speed with Gina. The foothills are taking their toll on my legs. A little harder to push up the hills so today was a nice smooth fairly easy ride to recover. Little bit of wind but not too bad so it was nice. Gina said she wasn't feeling up to a long ride today so she chose the short version. OK with me, felt nice.

The weather was nice, not hot and overcast most of the day. I don't think the sun shined till we ended the ride back at the truck. But wow, where are all the people? We see a couple of riders here and there but not many. I know many start early but when we're at the beach stop, it's empty! None of our known friends around either.

But we did run into Fazi and Dariush at the start of the ride, at the train station. Dariush got a new ride. He got a pretty nice Roubaix with a head tube suspension. He loves it he says. I had told him on one of our rides that he ought to try a roadie vs the hybrid he was riding. I mean he was strong on the hybrid and I almost hated to tell him but hey, got to be fair, right?! So I guess now he's hammering away on the roadies saying it makes a big difference. The gears are much better suited to his taste as well. He had one front chainring on his hybrid but he says he's loving this set up. Going to be an experience trying to ride with him next time. Heck, he may bee too strong on a roadie ha ha ha!

But a nice ride, not many around but we got our exercise. Gina did really well making it look easy but that's a good thing. Showing some progress doing a long ride last week and a shorter one this week but faster than the time before. Hopefully her fitness is coming back!

I do have to say there are some a holes on the trail. The dude in blue, in the background of Dariush and Fazi in the tunnel. Gina and I were heading back just rolling. Hardly anybody around so I sat up and took a couple of pics while rolling across the flat section after the downhill heading toward the tunnel.  I finished taking the pics and put my camera away. So I was in the center of the lane so that Gina could sit to the right on my wheel. I was not moving, swerving, holding a straight line being done with my camera.

So after a minute or so, some idiot comes and just about buzzes me on my left. REALLY?!?! There is like 15 feet to my right and 15 feet to my left, for those who know what I'm talking about, really wide on that stretch. But this moron decides to just about buzz me. OK, so that puts him pretty close to Gina as well. What kind of fucking idiot takes a chance hurting a lady. Me, I can see but I can call him a fucking idiot if that's what he wants but why get so close to a female when there is a ton of space around?

So he pretty much buzzed me no warming. As he rolls by, I shout, "thanks for the warming!". As his buddies rolled by, I told them that if they were going to be that close, at least give a warning. They went very wide though as I said that ha ha ha! At least two of the guys had some brains.

Another guy heading to the coast was actually entertaining today. Gina and I stopped at Edna Park heading to the coast. As we were leaving the park, getting on the wooden bridge, some guy comes up from behind and shadows us for about a mile. I figure maybe we're the same speed so that's why he's back and has been back there for a bit. I was actually expecting him to pass us.

But then a mile later, he ZOOOOOMS around. OK, cool! There is always somebody faster and I have no problem getting passed by faster guys. I think he may have underestimated having Gina with me. Maybe it was my Fat Bastard jersey? But he zooms around and gets almost one stretch ahead of us. More power to him I say as he is about 150 yards ahead.

BUT!!! About 6 miles down the road, we're pulling up on the guy. He looks back and zooms off again, now about 50 yards ahead. I'm just cruising and see that he starts struggling all the little ramps of the underpasses. I swear we closed a 50 yard gap in about 30 seconds as he struggled up. I just rolled up and wondered why the dude was struggling so much. He recovered a bit then pulled away again.

OK, now this is fun! I'm not trying and he's struggling now after zooming around ha ha ha! Every underpass we hit, he fades like a MOFO ha ha ha! SO finally, he can no longer lift the pace on the flats as he was earlier. So now the dude is fading big time on the flat sections. Soon we catch him and just roll by like he's standing still. I don't usually care much where guys are but after his little game of cat and mouse, he lost so I look back to see where he is. He was about 40 yards back and held there for a while. At one point, seems he tried to catch back up and closed the gap to about 10 yards. I lifted the pace this time just to play the game and he fell back quickly. I think he blew his wad trying to catch back up. So the last section to the coast, we just left him behind, pretty far behind. That was funny! I get a kick out of those guys that ZOOOOOM around and can't hold it. I was hoping he was on Strava but so far, haven't seen him on the fly bys. :-P

A little update ha ha ha! back in August of 2016, some dude named Steve called me a douchebag under his breath a couple of times at the beach stop. I wasn't sure so I never said anything. Till one day he was riding the opposite way and he called me that name again. I chased him down and had a little face to face chat with him. He denied everything but I threatened him and said if I ever saw him at the beach stop again, I was going to rip him a new one and embarrass him in front of all my friends.

Believe it or not, I haven't seen the guy out there in 5 years now. Ha ha ha ha! I was just messing with his head but he took it seriously I guess ha ha ha! So today, I saw him out there heading the opposite way. I shouted really loud, STEEEEVE!!!". He looked at me kind of shocked. It was a quick pass so I didn't really get to see his reaction but he didn't call me a d-bag this time ha ha ha. He's probably freaking out knowing I still ride out there. Ha ha ha ha! Funny when you can talk trash to someone and they freak out about it ha ha ha! I do a lot of things out of entertainment but people take me seriously ha ha ha!

                                                              Dariush and his new roadie!

Don't hold me to this but I think Fazi used to edge out Dariush on rides. But now that D has a new roadie, Fazi is going to have his hands full ha ha ha!

Starting out easy to get the kinks out of these old legs!

Gina did really well today and she looked really pretty today. Maybe it was the bike ha ha ha!

A sneaky shot capturing her nipple ha ha ha!

Jose R. and his gang

Either those are really big sharks or sailboats. Had to zoom in with the camera.

This is what I get when I ask her to strike a pose.

Where is everybody?

Almost done thumbs up! Feeling good!

New roadie Dariush too fast for the camera

After the ride, some lady asked to take a pic with me. OK, not really!

Solo BWCSMB Ride

 Nice 32 mile ride with 1800+ ft of gain. Riding from Euro Cafe on Baseline and Mills across to about Azusa then back.

Baseline, up Wheeler, across Baseline and old Foothill to Citrus, up to Sierra Madre, back across Bonita. Nice ride but darn if Sierra Madre isn't like a freeway now. Well, the part near the roundabout just below the Big A on the mountain. I had about 7 cars coming up from behind me just passed the roundabout. The road widened so I moved to the right to let them all go by. I'm patient enough to back off the pedals keeping myself alive not worrying about losing a tenth on my average. I'd make that up in a bit anyway!

So I let them go but the road really gets narrow east of the RA. So it's clear and about 100-200 yards long, not sure off hand. But I get going and try to crank through the section before any cars pull up from behind. I was doing pretty good till the last 30 yards or so. Cars caught me and I was taking the lane but you know that scary feeling hoping the driver sees you. He should with my rear Cygolite blasting full power for the day ride. I really like this light, I go blind turning it on and the beat can be increased to very rapid. No way one can not see this light in the daytime. That is exactly the name of this beam setting, daytime. 

So last few yards and I move over slightly when it was possible to let the driver pass. But he slowed and I could tell he was blocking me from the other traffic. Cool, always appreciate this. So I get to the end and he slows to turn so I give the "I appreciate it much" wave!

Guess I am lucky because I encounter so many caring good drivers that help me out or show the patience needed to keep me alive. Heck, on Old Foothill, there was another narrow section and I was like damn it! But the driver behind me, also stayed behind me from a distance and let me go. I went full out at about 23 or so hoping not to hold him up too much seeing traffic was doing like 50. But he stayed behind me for about 1/8 of a mile. Long enough to keep me alive. Then when traffic cleared, he went around in the left lane. Some really cool drivers out there! ;-)

So anyway, a bit cool at the start, about 10:30. I was almost wishing I had my windbreaker. But things warmed up nicely when I hit the climbs ha ha ha! As usual!

Hoping to get to GMR real soon, maybe next week now that I have a few foothills in my legs.

                                                                          The profile

There's my house on the right just ahead of the car. OK, not really!

Nice park just below Sierra Madre. Water fountain and a nice restroom. What else could

an old guy wish for ha ha ha ?

Nice look downward!

Almost done, eastbound on Bonita

Thursday Night Ride by Raging Waters with Tony & Sandra

 Nice evening ride, 300 miles with 1,600 ft gain. I got 17 PR's on Strava chasing Tony up the climbs ha ha ha! He got 9 PR's as well. Just a nice friendly good steady pace ride throughout with some good little efforts on some of the climbs. Nothing too long, most was about a mile riding up along the 57 freeway on San Dimas Ave. One little steep sucker on Reeder just after transitioning from Puente Ave. Good little gut buster right there with some grades of 14% that I saw on Strava. Pretty short but you know you're going up at that point ha ha ha!

I remember riding through there with Hillbasher years ago. So having created the routes we've been doing, other than Sandra's Wheeler ride, I have been mixing some of the places I have ridden in the past, like 1998- 2005 in order to vary the course some. I have been using the Ladies & Gents ride we were doing as a base seeing it uses Baseline and Bonita that are pretty good roads to ride.

But Sandra gets bored doing the same thing over and over and over. She mentioned that the Ladies & Gents ride has been the same for like 15 years that they have been doing it. I don't know, I only rode it last year several time and yup, same course over and over. So these rides we have been doing are a little more interesting as I have been adding in more climbing. Pretty much 50% or more elevation gain than the L&G ride.  That is Ladies & Gents, not Lesbian and Gays ha ha ha!

So anyway, cool rides. Goin UP Wheeler, up other roads adding gain. Different sights to keep Sandra happy. I myself don't really notice too many sights. I'm usually concentrating on my riding so things like that don't bore me as far as sights. I feel more the hills and effort to get up them that make a difference for me. I think it is a good thing Sandra wants to add more gain as it does me good. I usually think about it riding the trail but never get around to it or have a purpose to change up the Overstuffed Sausage ride as I call it . The L&G ride, just to have a different name so I don't infringe on copyrights ha ha ha!

So it's good to have Sandra along inspiring me to add different roads and more climbs. I did one that added the first 4 miles of GMR couple weeks back as a test run. Seems really cool so I think we'll do that one next week. We do start a bit earlier than I do alone. I start late so it's dark most the ride but start at 6:00 with Sandra. Tony is pretty neutral so it doesn't matter to him. But we've been starting a little earlier so we should have time to make it up GMR 4 miles and down before it gets dark. Not that I haven't done GMR in total darkness a few times. But just figure it would be better descending GMR with some daylight.

Sandra is actually pretty tough! She wants to climb more unlike many many riders I know. She likes a challenge and willing to tough it out. We did some pretty good climbs yesterday and she put her heart into them. Then along the flats, she was holding tough. I could hear her gasping for air at times. I asked her last week if she was OK and if we should slow down. "Nope, that's the way I ride!" she said. OK, let's do it! So we kept on and last night, when I heard her gasping some, I knew that was just the way she rides.

Funny how we are the outcasts in the group. Now I see why. We are the riders willing to kick it up a notch. Do some climbing, add some gain, add some kind of a challenge to the ride. There are a few but for the most part, the group riders are happy doing the same easy ride over and over and over. The ride leader won't change it up and add more climbing. We all know about that and his commitment to avoid climbing ha ha ha! So this changing it up makes it more interesting and challenging vs staying in the group getting overly bored with the ride.

I was told long ago that I could take over the ride if I wanted to do so. Nah, not me! I don't like having to think about too many people. So my thoughts are that I would rather do a small group ride using more of the adventurous types. Like let's add more climbing, more miles, more heart into the rides. I have a hard time cruising at 11 MP waiting and waiting for riders. Seems I am more compatible with the type that are willing to put some heart into the ride. 

And that is what we have so far. Heck, wouldn't mind a couple more riders with good attitudes, less snobbery, less attitude, less obnoxious personalities. I mean I did have people in the group suggesting we do more climbing but when I did suggest it to the ride leader, that is when it went south.  Kind of a defense mechanism that I noticed in his personality. Rather than keep the people happy, he had to keep it safe for himself. Of course the ride leader can not finish last on a ride so it was a threat to the male ego to alter the course to the people's liking. Me? Heck, Tony leaves me behind pretty well on the longer climbs but I don't cry about it. I know I'll make my way up and well too. No threat to me so we just go out, do our thing and enjoy it without big egos to maintain.

Funny when you look at the stats and probably why it explains the ride leader felt threatened. He claims to have been a racer, hardcore guy, but the stats are a little different in the tale they tell. This is why we are the outcasts ha ha ha!

Sandra ..............3200 miles

Ride leader........3500 miles

Now look at the elevation gain stats.

Sandra............147,000 ft

Ride leader.........96,000

Tell me who the more serious rider is ha ha ha!

That is what makes the rides enjoyable. Just put some heart into it and enjoy the ride!

                                                                    West on Baseline

See, I'm having fun!

Tony Sagan (OK, not really!)

Good heart! Sweating after a good workout but still looking good and happy with the ride.

Not sure but I think this cowboy was going to draw on me!

EASY SART with Gina 40 Miles

 A nice steady pace with Gina today. 15.9 average speed. I figured the usual 31 but like last week, she said, I can do 40. Last week it was 36. OK, don't think I was ready ha ha ha! I was expecting 31 ha ha ha! So we went for the 40. I figure it's my chance to get her back on longer miles.  Today a high of 100 and average of 90. 

Nothing went well this morning. Woke up late, well I stayed in bed late ha ha! I almost said let's stay home but I went into the restroom, came out and Gina was already dressed. Hmm, missed that omelette with my name on it. But just as well. Then realized I needed gas, having to drive up town first to the least expensive place. Double back to our usual place to get a breakfast sandwich. CLOSED!!! Ended up at Carl's JR paying way too much for a little sandwich. $4 more than usual for the same thing, they suck!

So took us a while to get started, I should have just stayed home. But when I do, I feel like I wasted the day doing nothing. Us cyclists know that if we don't ride our bikes that day, we did nothing ha ha ha!

But it was all good. Keeping on track with my 400 mile months. I should easily hit it again this month.

Pretty uneventful ride today, just cruising on the trail. Did get warm on the way back, usual headwind to the coast. Some nice bikinis at the beach stop for once but I forgot my camera. Kind of harder with the cell phone cam.

So anyway, Gina got hot when we reached the Edna Park bridge. Let her sit in the shade for a bit before continuing. Stopped in the train station to cool off again. That's about it really!

BTW, wish more riders would enable their flyby feature on Strava. Looking at the flyby map yesterday, it shows only Gina and I on the trail. Kind of boring not being able to see other riders around.

                                        Arrived about 11:15 and it was getting hot already!

A little rest and leg stretch at Imperial.

I was the Old Fart yesterday, today the Fat Bastard ha ha ha!

There she goes!

She said her face was a bit red from the heat. After the ride trying to cool off in the station.