SART with Gina

 31 miles at 15.8 average speed. Nice ride, cool and a little breezy but still a good ride. Thought after GMR yesterday, my legs would be toast but they felt great. I guess all the hard work climbing makes the flats easier for big guys like me ha ha ha!

Gina did really well. A bit breezy to the coast but a tailwind ALL THE WAY BACK!!!! Not sure I remember a ride where we actually had a tailwind all the way back so I'll take it. Actually enjoyed it.  Probably could have flown back today but didn't want to kill Gina ha ha ha! Though she did really well and kept a decent pace on the return.

Ran into Jordan and had some good conversation. Hadn't seen the guy in a couple of years. Also Rheo, the fast guy. Tony and Thai rolled up for a potty stop but left rather quickly.  I think Tony is shy around other people ha ha ha! 

GMR for 4,000 Please

 22.6 miles today with 4,049 ft of gain. Rode to the shack and thought about the high point 17 miles up. But I hate to ride back there alone and not really feeling it. So I rode down to the fork, back up, down, back up again. When I got to the bottom, I saw I had 3,100 ft gain. Heck, might as well go back up again for another 900 to get 4k. Always have to do a bit more so Strava doesn't rip me off the gain total ha ha ha!

I did see Eduardo and his buddies up there. Tried to snap a quick pic of Ed and his new bike but his buddies were talking off so I missed a bit but hey, better than nothing!

Very nice day though. A bit warm the first time up. Felt nice going down then nice heading up the final climb. But once in the sun again, it got warm. Thankfully I was done ha ha ha!

I did see Ron on my way home. He was stopped at the top of a hill by Live Oak. Wasn't sure if it was him at first but yup, was him as I rolled by. So I doubled back to make sure he got back on the road. I rolled by a second time and gave him a thumbs up. He returned it so I figured he must be OK so I headed out.

                   I like this view while climbing up. I didn't say it was fun but it is a cool view.

You know how hard it is to climb this section, reach back, get the camera out of the case, take a pic and try to smile riding with one hand? Looks more like I'm trying not to fall off my bike ha ha ha!

Ran into Eduardo at the top

Tried to get a new bike shot but his buddies headed down so he was in a rush to head out. Rush photography ha ha!

My bike up there. They say pics or it didn't happen! :-P

Just digging this little red stuff on my bike.

Beanz enjoying a Clif Bar in the wilderness wondering if he should head back up for the final grand.

I tried to get this shot riding up the first time. Missed like 3 times so second time up, I just stopped to take it ha ha ha!

Ahhhh haaaa! Ron caught me rolling by with his recorders. An image from his video.

Solo Night Ride for 1,100.

 Rode from Claremont to Glendora, up Lorraine, Sierra Madre and back. 24 mile with 1100 ft. Just and easy ride to keep the legs loose since I was too lazy on Tuesday, to go out. Very nice evening as I was expecting to be cold. 

When I was done with the ride, I was so close to a grand that I figured I'd go up Mills for a little more gain. Wow, dark and spooky on the upper section. The road really narrows there so I turned around before getting in too deep. Wish it was wider like the lower section.

But a nice ride! Love riding at night!

                          Descending San Dimas Cyn. Pretty dark around here ha ha ha!

A quick pic on the bike before the descent gets too fast! :-P

Gina and I for 26

 26 windy miles at 14.9 average speed. Pretty windy about half the way as the wind was shifting back and forth. Headed south from the train station thinking we would have a tailwind all the way then fight a tough headwind on the way back. My strategy is to ride easy with the tailwind then work on the return against the headwind. But the wind shifted so we were working hard both ways and some tailwind both ways. Not as bad as I expected. I was expecting a real sufferfest but not all that bad. Just a good plan to make it through.

I didn't really feel like riding but this would put me over 400 miles for the month. I ended up with 421 which is good for me! Gina didn't want to ride but we have an agreement. I let her skip Saturdays to spend with her son then she rides Sundays. She tried to use the wind as an excuse but nope, a deal is a deal!

Didn't see too many riders out there and the beach stop was empty. But who cares, I ride for myself ha ha ha! And it was nice to have a mostly empty trail to ourselves.

Solo Fat Bastard Ride 43 Miles

 43 solo miles today at 17.4 average speed. Been feeling good so I went out alone to see if I could do 17 average. Did better so I am happy ha ha ha!

Ran into Bad Bob at the coast. I enjoy talking to Bad Bob about real life stuff. I think we're on the same level. Treat people like they treat you. If you're a d!ck, expect to be treated like one ha ha ha! Ran into Paul, a YouTube fan at the start. Had a little bike chat with him then Rheo was there and heading the same direction so I took off because I knew he was going to catch me somewhere along the way ha ha ha! Ran across a dude named Jason. I thought he said Dave but my hearing sucks but once I saw him on Strava, his name is Jason. Boy my hearing is bad now.

I did run into Tony and Thai at the coast as well. Thai was telling me how he is trying to talk Tony into being more adventurous, do some organized rides etc. But according to Thai, he says Tony is sheltered ha ha ha! Said he worries about going outside in the wind worried a stick falling from a tree might hit him. That's funny! I never though of Tony that way but I guess Thai knows him best as they ride together all the time.

I was trying to maintain 17 the entire time and felt good. I stopped at Edna Park and when I got back on the trail, some dude was just ahead of me, like 20 yards. He kept looking back and trying to race off. OK, whatever! I'm trying to hold my pace and ride solo but I ended up catching him after he faded. Of course taking my wheel. I tried to make it clear with my body language that I wanted to ride solo but another wheelsucker I guess. So I stopped and let him roll on, about 100 yard head start.

No, didn't want to catch him, just wanted to keep my 17. Doing 16.5 or so trying to keep my average from dropping too much. Had a 17.1 at Yorba Park with the tailwind while warming up. So trying to keep it close but kept catching this dude. Didn't want him on my wheel, didn't want his help and to start off, he was trying to stay away from the start. If someone acts like a good team mate from the start, I'm more likely to ride with them. But too much ego riding around others. I'd rather just do my own thing. So catching him a second time, he took my wheel again. Geeze, I stopped again and let him have another 100 yards seeing we were about a mile from the coast. 

Of course when I stopped, Rheo caught me as I started up again. He rolled by and offered me his wheel but I refused the offer wanting to do the ride under my own power. So he pulled away some but before we hit the coast, he turned back. Quick wave and he was gone.

On the return, I ran across Jason again. He had parked at the train station as well so we ran into each other one more time at the boy's room ha ha ha!

                 Paul, a YouTube fan! You probably saw him at the start of a recent video.

At Yorba Park. Feeling good but the headwind was to come. Not bad though, for once!

Nice day at the coast. All around really!

Jason, riding a fat bike. Wow, those tires are huge! Not sure I could do it ha ha ha!

Just wanted to see my little red bar end plugs, and valve caps ha ha!

After the ride, feeling good!

 

Solo Night Ride

 Did a solo night ride tonight. 22 miles with 988 ft of gain. Dang it, had I know I would have gone up a little more to make 1,000 ha ha ha!

Ran across the Ladies & Gents ride once I came down San Dimas Cyn.  Rode by for a quick shout as they were at a regroup. But a nice sweet mellow ride alone. So nice to get out in the fresh air and not too cold.

FOR ONCE! The little napkin pieces I cut up and place in my ear stayed in through the entire ride. Usually pulling my mask up and down to cover my ears makes them fall out. This time, they stayed in and on the way home, I was wondering why Bruce sounded so muffled. Born in the USA muffled. I just thought it was my hearing ha ha ha!

Much harder to take a pic on the fly with a cell phone cam. Descending Valley Center. Took about 3 shots and this was the best ha ha!

Short EZ Local Ride at Night

 11 miles at an easy pace of 10.2 going easy on the local foothills. One climb reads 15% on the Garmin while climbing. San Antonio CR E. I guess that means CREST. But anyway, a steep little mutha there. I did a few loops and did that little stretch a couple of times. Then the last loop, after that street, I went left up to the top where Mountain and Euclid meet. That is a little beotch too ha ha! I didn't look down at my Garmin there, but running the cursor along the Strava graph, it shows a 12.5% in there. I've done it many times over the years and I know it is steep ha ha ha!

So having tired legs still, after the windy 72 on Saturday, and 20 more windy miles on Sunday, I wasn't sure if I could make the hills but I gave it a try. So I was happy about making it up this night.

Very nice refreshing air in the foothills. Finally got a chance to wear my shorts and go windbreaker less on a night ride, for once. Hope the weather holds for a few more ha ha ha!

                               Where Mountain and Euclid meet. Nice view over the valley.

At the top of that steep little climb just above the chapel

I enjoy riding up San Antonio. Drivers are very courteous, wide open roads, good lighting sort of ha ha ha! Sometimes the drivers are too courteous ha ha! There have been times when I approach a crowded 4 way stop but ALL the drivers wave me through. Very nice but little do they know I'm dying for a short stop to catch my breath. So you have to ride through and not show the pain, and even remove  your hand from the bars for a quick thank you wave ha ha ha!

Yes, the Fat Bastard was out on the road again!

Hey, now I'm almost cool! Found some red stuff on ebay to add some accent to the bike.

Red valve caps, 4 for $6. Red go pro screws 3 for $7, and now the bar end plugs, set for like $9.