Half Ride to Oceanside

Today was a scheduled San Clemente and back ride on the coast, but Carl, Kevin H and I each had family commitments and planned to turn around about halfway and get back. For me, it is the combined Birthday Party for my sister Kate, daughter Emma (6), wife Diana, and son Owen (4); the actual dates are 8/22, 8/25, 8/27 and 9/9 but we try to have a big combined party on one day and this is it. My Dad is visiting from NH and Kate is down from LA. This was a quick and easy ride, and at turnaround I talked with Georgina (whom I learned is Carlos Gutierrez' sister) and learned that she was injured on July 19 and was just getting back on the bike. She joined us at our early turnaround and we had a good visit on the way. We both agreed that discretion was the better part of valor this day.

Spill your coffee Tuesday.
Even though I luckily won the Immunity Challenge for the Scott & BR Cycling Team last Sunday and wasn't going to be eliminated today, my morning follies (trying to connect with Producer Marty as I arrived at work, getting disconnected, hanging up because my battery runs out in 2 minutes, running to the office, spilling my coffee on the way into the building, being unable to take the elevator because it was full of equipment on-the-move, then bounding up four flights of stairs to reach my office and plug in my phone) ensured that my heart rate was unhealthily spiked nonetheless. I'm a one-man Keystone Kops each of these cut-down days.
Fortunately, I was able to talk with Scott and BR, but also had to hear the unhappy news that our friend and teammate Kris McDaniel was eliminated. Kris is on vacation, and got the news while listening over the internet. It is truly the case that we don't know what criteria are used for elimination, and it's no fun waiting each Tuesday to hear that we're now one fewer, even though we knew going in this was how the contest would progress.

Scott gave my blog a plug on air; but I once again missed my opportunity to mention our Fundraiser/Party 'Exceptional Athletes, Exceptional People' taking place at Bondi Restaurant, 333 5th Ave in the Gaslamp Quarter on Sunday, September 14th from 2:00 until 6:00 pm. Bondi will be providing a delicious Aussie BBQ, Coopers beer specials, and live music, all this and a special raffle prize are included with the purchase of the $20.00 event ticket. The emceed event will also have additional door prizes, a silent auction, raffles, a hosted Singles Auction and some great guest speakers including Challenged Athlete Ryan Levinson and Olympic athletes. All funds raised will benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Please contact me or Carl Gregory at http://carlsbigworld.blogspot.com to purchase your ticket and come join the fun! Look to this space for more details coming soon, and check out our event website at http://thesix.org.

Recovery+

Today's ride was a scheduled recovery ride, and good thing. Friday night was a late one, a rare night out for Diana and I. Our neighbor Andy is the bass player for local legends 'Buck O Nine' and put us on the guest list for their show at House of Blues that night. We had a blast and Buck O Nine stole the show, even though they weren't the headliners that evening. But, on Saturday I was in even more need of a recovery than would have been the case after Kitchen Creek, San Clemente and Fallbrook/395 rides the last three weeks...
First things first today; I surrendered the Immunity Pump idol, now adorned with my flair. In honor of our team sponsors, The Scott and BR Show, and particularly celebrated former Charger's linebacker Billy Ray Smith, I added a Chargers can cooler, to keep the giant Coors light (Kevin Heil's addition) cold.
The Immunity Challenge today was an Olympic theme, and consisted of two questions:
What are the 4 biking related events at the Olympics.
How many gold medals are being awarded across these events.
I came up with the 4 categories; Road Race, Time Trial, MTB Race, and Track events.
For medals, I could only think of 14, but there are 18. I must have been closest, because I won the Immunity Pump again! Out on the ride, James remarked that this is a pretty solid strategy, to avoid elimination by having the Pump each week.
The ride itself felt very short, as usual group 2 had couple of short bursts of speed, but overall it was nicely paced, good for chatting, and actually served the recovery purpose. When we approached Fletcher Cove, I slowed and readied to turn in, bewildered when everyone kept going and Mike Jennings had to remind me to keep rolling through; our ride left from Flower Hill Mall rather than our usual spot today. Great ride, and great to get back to see Diana, Emma and Owen just after 10 today.

Tonight's get together is an educational presentation by one of our great coaches, Fitness Professional Pat Jak, about nutrition and recovery. Unfortunately, not able to make this one but I'll be trying to get a copy of the presentation on Sunday.
I should also be able to pick up my bike from Dan Plummer's new shop, Wheels On Wheels, 9225 Carlton Hills Blvd, Santee, after work tomorrow. Dan's replacing the spoke I broke on last Sunday's ride, putting on new tires, brake pads, and bar tape, as well as giving the bike the once-over for other stuff needing attention, cleaning and lube. Thanks Dan!

No Spinning Class for me today, feeling the effects of some late nights recently. I also need to use my lunch hour to get my bike into the shop to have my broken spoke replaced, or else no ride on Sunday!

delayed post Tuesday 8/12/08 6:45 AM on the radio with Scott and BR from xx1090

I was the super lucky winner of the Immunity Pump before last Sunday's ride to Fallbrook, so I knew I would not be getting eliminated from the SBR Cycling team on Tuesday. I got a call Monday night from Marty Caswell/Scott and BR Show producer, asking if I'd be available to talk to Scott and BR on Tuesday morning; I was trying to figure out when I'd need to call her on Tuesday early AM, so I was glad she called me. She said she'd give me a call at around 6:40, and did. I was streaming the show on my PC, so my wife got to listen in. Unfortunately, before I got to chat with Scott and BR, the weekly cut was made, and our friend and teammate Kevin Davenport was eliminated from the competition.
I felt so nervous talking to Scott and BR on the radio, a first-timer on the air. It was a great visit, I got to tease Billy Ray a little about coming out to ride with us on next Sunday's recovery ride; we'd all like to meet BR in person! Scott did mention that after next week, cut down to 10 riders, the remaining team will visit the new studios in Sorrento Mesa and go more in depth about the our involvement with the QMDC, Team SBR, and CAF. Thanks for having me, Scott, BR, Marty and Team 1090!

delayed post - but only by a day! Fallbrook/Live Oak Park ride 8/10/08, 85 miles

I was so tired late last week, got to Spin on Wednesday but rather than perking up on Thu/Fri, I was drained. I was quite heartened to read Mari's email that it was OK, even to be expected to feel this way at the end of this build phase.
XX1090 Immunity Pump challenge was a quiz again yesterday, and I was fortunate and very happy to win. Each weekly winner is supposed to leave his mark on the totem, and it is really quite ghastly now. Carl set the bar high in his first week's win, adding a plastic light-up skull, and subsequent winners added a top hat with a logo and running horse figure (in honor of the Great Friends Stables), a cape and decorative trim with CAF and Scott and BR Show logos, and the most recent addition, Kevin Heil's bike bottle cage with the giant can of Coors Light (official beer sponsor of The Scott and BR Show on XX1090. How will I top this? Regardless, it is a great relief to get to stick around for another week.
The ride started with a haul up the coast, to the Oceanside bike trail. This was another reasonably paced ride, with ample time for visiting. Once we reached the trail, though, it was single file, and from a good bit there after, too; roads too narrow for side-by-side riding. Not too much to report about the ride, several long hills followed by long descents, then back up and down again. It was particularly beautiful coming back through Live Oak Park though, midday sun dappling the road through swaying trees overhead. Of course, this was a downhill stretch, so it went by pretty quickly. Some time before the last SAG stop, someone noticed I had a broken rear wheel spoke, and the wheel was out of true. It wasn't too bad, Kam showed me how to wrap the spoke around the others, and loosened the rear brakes so they wouldn't rub. Thanks Kam. I tried to avoid as many bumps and potholes as I could, and rode home without any incident. I chatted with Dan Plummer when we got back, and I'm going to get my bike over to him for a spoke replacement, brake shoe replacement, and tuneup this week - or no ride on Sunday. I'm glad it will be a recovery ride this week.

delayed post, San Clemente up and back ride, Sunday 8/3/08, 82 mi, 4.5 hr

xx1090 Immunity Challenge was a Calorie Counter - when I first saw the props for the quiz I thought we were going to have to eat as many as possible! Instead, we had to estimate how many calories were in a bucket containing packets of PowerBar Gel. Knowing that each packet has 110 calories, it was just knowing how many packets. I overestimated by twice, there turned out to be 155 packets so about 16,000 cal., I had guessed around 300 and 33,000 cal. Kevin Heil won immunity for a second time with his answer.
This was a good ride with a lot of close riding with a big group 2 this day; although a few of us stopped for a nature break in Carlsbad and didn't reconnect with the rest of 2 until emerging on the north side of Camp Pendleton. That meant a very quick SAG with a few sips of Coke (caffeine!), pretzels, and water refills, then off with the front part of group 2. But, given the size of the group, and the rolling coastal ride, I was able to visit with many different people. It was a beautiful ride, not too hot, I even got to peek at the coast and water a few times. Still it was a long 82 miles and I was ready to be done by the time we got back.

delayed posts, Spinning Class, 7/30/08 50 min. Lunchtime run, 7/31/08 4 mi, 30 min

Spinning is always a great start to the day, and as mentioned before I can feel the benefits on Sunday rides. The intensity of spinning for 45 minutes may be equal to riding twice as long, and breaking a sweat early in the day means at least a workout's been accomplished, all before 8:30 am!
Thursday I was able to get out for a lunchtime run; a quick run down into the right of way/fire road trails next to Campus Point. As before, I definitely notice slower turnover in my running pace, since I'm riding much more than running these days. It was nice to have a different workout, sunshine and warm breeze in the middle of the day.

delayed Post - Sunday July 27, Pine Valley Kitchen Creek Ride 60 mi, 3000'

Hills and Turkeys
I remember an earlier than usual rising, printing a map to Pine Valley (East of Viejas on I8), a morning drive with sun just rising in the east. It was very cool in the parking lot of Major's Diner, and I wished I had brought a sweatshirt, but the sun rose quickly as QMDC riders arrived, and it warmed. The XX1090 immunity challenge was not even contested, as nobody but a demonstrating Todd could reasonably track stand. The ride started with a small climb and a whizzing downhill, still cool at this point, but after 8 or so miles, the climbing started. It did not end until about 22 miles. It was continual, not too steep, but so long. I kept rounding bends and cursing, seeing the road snake on up ahead, up and up. I followed Kevin D for a good while, and when we finally reached the high point of the climbing and flattened out, it was a very alpine area, sparse and shorter pine trees with that warm, dry summer pine needle smell. It would've been a nice place for a picnic or hike, but we were just passing through.
Our first SAG was a much needed stop for water, gel, and pretzels, with a Powerbar. The back half of the ride was just a bit more climbing, then rollers heading first north, skirting the edge of Anza-Borrego - a long way down to the desert, and I wouldn't have wanted to climb back up. When we reached 76 for our left turn, I was amazed to see a sign for Julian - 6 miles. I tried to hang with group 2 on this turn, but the pace was too much and I couldn't hang on the back, so I slowed and found my pace.
I passed by a field by Lake Cuyamaca, and there were 20 or more wild turkeys, led by a big Tom as they grazed, unimpressed by me.
Water began to run low as I made a final turn towards the last 5 miles, and the unpleasant reality of a 2 mile climb before a 3 mile run in had me just about to cramp up; I nursed my way in, though. I wouldn't have been able to ride another 5 miles, but it was great. Carl shared a big bowl of strawberries post ride, and was as always a very popular guy. Thanks Carl!

delayed posts - from week of 7/27/08

Never a good idea to put off any posting, since now I have to rely on my Garmin 50 data and spotty memory to remember back to two weeks ago. How sad is that?
Diana was out of town on business, so no Spinning Class on Wednesday 22nd. But, as my Garmin remembers, I put my bike in the minivan and brought it to work, for a couple of lunchtime rides on Thursday and Friday that week. Thursday was from Campus Point, over to N.Torrey Pines, downhill, over to Vista Sorrento Pkwy and back, with the return by way of Miramar Rd and Eastgate Mall, about 21 miles. Friday was from Campus Point, down the 5, up Sorrento Valley Blvd to Camino Santa Fe, and back by Eastgate Mall, about16 miles. This was getting ready for Kitchen Creek on Sunday.