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
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