35 miles at 16.1 average speed. POS homeless guy stealing wire from construction site rode his bike out from behind a blind area, blocked by pallets (?). He rode out on his bike, I veered left to the opposite shoulder but Gina tried to go left then realized he was towing a pit bull on a long leash so she ends up T-boning the guy.
Damaged shifter, broken housings and cable, and lots of bruises on Gina. Big bruise on the leg. But luckily the guy somewhat cushioned her fall so she barely hit the pavement with her elbow.
But the bike would not shift so she had to to the final 9 miles single speed style. I'm impressed, more later!
So the day started out great. Gina was feeling good and we were rolling. We saw 3 guys at the Circle K who we somewhat knew for a local club. We turned around at that point, they had taken off but stopped about 1/4 mile down the road for something. We rolled by and waved so the whole time, I though they would catch and pass us. I kept a decent pace since Gina was feeling good. Then we saw them a bit behind us at the Honda Center horseshoe turn. They were about 1 minute behind but never passed us. So we ended up stopping at Edna Park to refill. They rode by as we were getting ready to roll again.
Saw them about 100 yards ahead then they stopped at a ramp. Now there were 2 so I figured they pulled off there so that one of the riders could exit the trail. Then about 3 miles later, I see them coming up as I turned to snap a pic of Gina. They go by and pull ahead about 40 yards.
Again, they start playing the game. Looing back, being able to tell they were pushing their hardest trying to gap us. No biggie! Last time, they faded and we passed them before the coast ha ha ha! But the biggest game player wasn't with them. I know who it is from the last encounter. So we just keep our pace, I've been in the front the entire time just setting a pace for Gina. So we just watch them go all out for a while into the wind.
THEN!!!! Going the opposite way is the biggest player of them all ha ha ha! The 2 guys slow down so that Playuh can turn around to join them. So we roll by as they slow and connect. We just keep our pace heading into the wind toward the coast. The locals know how windy it gets here and we are doing about 17.
But the 3 guys pass us looking like they are trying pretty hard. They are doing 18 from what I see on Strava. They are rotating and we are not far behind so I study them. The guy in the red seems the strongest but the Playuh tries really really hard when he goes to the front, like last time. I know he does well but he is going to fade after than kind of an effort, I know it. The other guy seems to be a bit weaker, he pulls for a bit just barely being able to keep the pace so he pulls off sooner than the others.
So we are only a few seconds behind, maybe 30 yards. They keep looking back and I've been in the front the entire time, maybe 20 miles by this point so I know Jose should be fresh. I did a solo 60 the day before and Jose didn't ride. So I pointed him to the front. Could still see the other guys looking as if they were making a run for it ha ha ha! All 3 still looking back. I am not sure if the Playuh thinks that Gina is not worthy of keeping up, mabye because she's a chick, I dunno!
So screw it, "Jose, close the gap!". So we easily pull up and hop on the back. Jose tends to stay back so the pics don't seem to look as cool as they would had he closed the gap at an even space like the others. But oh well, he's always doing something different ha ha ha!
So we hop on the back with 5 miles to go, from Moon Park by the 405. The guys still seem to be trying really hard and monitoring our whereabouts, on their wheels ha ha ha! The 3 of them still rotating and still looking about the same as earlier. I can see that they are trying even harder as each one takes their turn at the front. I think they are still trying to drop us, or Gina, not sure. But they are doing a good pace into the wind, 18 according to Stava as an average over 3 miles or so.
Then we hit the wooden bridge near the coast, 2 miles left IIRC. They seem to still be trying to drop us so I ask Gina how she feels and if I go to the front, would she be able to go with me. I would have to go around the group on the left, meaning passing 4 guys to get there. She says she will just hang at the back but I tell her that only if she can do it, will I go. Otherwise, I will just hang back with her.
She says she can do it and feeling good. Great! So I get ready to roll around the group holding 17-18 depending on who is at the front. But somehow the guy in red takes the front again, the stronger guy so I tell Gina I'm going to hold back for now as the stronger guy went to the front out of turn and he usually lifts the pace more than the others.OK!
So he goes to the front but quickly fades sooner than I expected. So I tell Gina I'm going for it now, make sure you stick with the group. OK!
So I go around to the front, I sit up as I roll up and let the guys get on, actually making sure the get on so they can't call me a scumbag like I do with those the cheeseballs who take a wheel then sprint around. I don't do that so I MAKE SURE they can catch on and even keep a lower pace for 30 seconds or so allowing them to catch their breath.
So the last 1 1/2 mile, we're all together and I feel good rolling easy at 19. Strava segement says 19 mph but then the last section, darn Gina still on it so I lift the pace even more up to a 19.5 average for the final near 1/2 mile segment. Gina still on it!
But we get to the coast and as I am rolling under PCH, the others had just turned off onto PCH at the ramp. Jose is on my wheel and Gina is there. I ask if she was there the entire time, YUP!
But the Playuh fell back and couldn't hold the pace ha ha ha! The one guy who seems to be the biggest player was the guy who fell back ha ha ha! So much for dropping Gina.
The one guy that did drop Gina, was the homeless guy. What freaking ass hat!
Rolling under the 405 tunnel, I was very careful knowing riders and peds come from the side, a blind corner at the end of the tunnel. We start to head up that little climb and I usually slow a bit here so Gina can catch her breath so luckily, we were not going too fast.
But from behind a stack of materials, this fucking idiot crosses the trail, from the dirt construction site without looking. Blindly rolling across the trail with a long leash holding a pit bull. WTF! I shout out and veer sharp right trying not to hit the guy. Luckily there weren't any riders heading the opposite way or I would have had to hit the guy straight on. Maybe it would have been better than I hit him so I could have thrown an elbow to his jaw.
Gina tries to stop and tries to veer right to go behind him then realizes he has a dog on a leash and can't go that way so she ends up slowing some but T boning the guy. He falls back but doesn't hit the ground so he ended up cushioning her fall I think. But she is stuck everywhere with cross bars, pedals, chainrings, saddles, she's got a ton of bruises now, dark black and blue bruises 4 days later.
I get my adrenaline up and the way I heard Gina yell and cry out, I thought she might be seriously hurt so I jump off my bike running back to see if she is ok, still crying out feeling the pain of hitting some hard parts. I'm looking at her on the ground over her bike and I'm shouting at the guy, "YOU BETTER FUCKING HOPE SHE ISN'T SERIOUSLY HURT!!!".
He's looking at me saying he's sorry. I hate people, well fucking idiots to say they are sorry because that doesn't do anything to help her injuries. He says he is sorry a few times. I said yeah, you're a sorry fucking idiot who doesn't pay attention to what he's doing. Then he says what do you want me to say other than sorry. I want you to fucking pay attention so you don't hurt anybody else and have some common sense crossing a path from behind a blind object. I realize Gina is not seriously hurt at this point other than the painful contact points and not hitting the pavement, a big break!
So the guy says sorry again so I ask, "are you going to pay for damages to the bike, is your sorry going to come up with $100 for a new saddle?". The saddle was torn and I have a replacement but today, this cause a big scrape on the back corner so I just gave the guy shit over it hoping he pulls his head out of his ass. He says he has no money to pay for damages so I tell him, "that is exactly why your sorry doesn't mean shit!". So then he starts saying that I think I am above him because he has no money, plays the poor innocent homeless guy bull shit. "Dude, you're fucking below me because you're stealing wife from this construction site, you're a fucking low life and below me as I would never steal anything! Yeah, you're a fucking low life!".
I told him I should call the cops hoping they would take away his dog without a license, and arrest his ass for stealing shit from the construction site. Then he tries the why do you want to take it out on my dog crap, saying he is just an innocent dog. Yeah, he is innocent and sadly has to be lead around buy a dumb shit like you. He tries to argue about crap but I told him to leave before I bash in his fucking head with a rock. Yeah, I get fired up when some ass hole hurts my wife!
Gina the next day telling her Mom the story on the phone, "I though Fred was going to kill the guy!" It's a good thing she only suffered minor injuries, bruises and cuts from what I say there or I might have ended up in jail for beating the fuck out of some homeless skin head looking mother fucker!
Gina is good 4 days later. Sore, bruised and cut. She has about 15 different bruises from her ankles up to her elbows. Luckily nothing above that other than a sore neck.
The bike, bent shifter, I was able to straighten the lever so the thumb shifter returns again. Sprayed WD40 and shifting good again. It wouldn't shift to a higher gear on the trail after the crash. Then the insulation connector parts (the little plastic cup where entering the shifter) are both broken. The insulation torn on the rear shifter cable. The front shifter I thought was OK on the trail, saw a split in it when we got home. Gina didn't shift the front as we rolled back in a cruise. But when I got home, but it on the trainer to test it. When I shifted the front, the insulation exploded and split open. Well DAMN! Fucking homeless guy!
Just when the day was going so well!
