I stuffed my tummy with carbohydrates. I then attempted to go to bed early, because I would need to get up at 2am the following morning to drive over to Solana Beach for a 4am start. The ride had a 40-hour time limit, but involved three loops of about 125 miles each (375 miles). I had a room reserved at the Holiday Inn Express (the origin point of all three loops), so that I could sleep when desired. I had a LONG bike ride ahead of me!
I got about 4 hours of sleep. Not bad, but I really needed more. I loaded my bike into the truck, and drove to Solana Beach. I got there with plenty of time to spare, so I unloaded my bike and got all ready for the day's ride.
Loop 1
I learned an important lesson when starting the ride: Don't try to condense route sheets onto a small piece of paper. I had the route sheet clipped onto my handlebars, but because it was a VERY LONG RIDE I had condensed the route sheet to fit onto as few pages as possible. The problem with this approach was that I could not read the route sheet in the dark, even with my helmet lamp on. Fortunately, I was riding with the rest of the field that day (only about 8 of us), so I just rode with the group until daybreak.
As I descended Cole Grade road, I noticed my rear wheel kept wobbling against the brakes. And the problem was that Cole Grade road was a steep--and long--descent, so I had to brake pretty hard on a lot of the turns. Eventually, my rear brakes started to fail (and started to sound like sandpaper), so I stopped to check. My rear rims were hot as a stove! I burned my fingers just touching them! With all that heat buildup, I was in danger of a blowout. Clearly, there was some problem with my rear wheel. It was certainly out-of-true. So from this point forward, I knew I could not really use my rear brakes much. I would need to use mostly my front brakes (and a lot people argue I should anyways; I typically use both). This was going to make for a very nervous remaining 325 miles.
I arrived at the first Control just outside of Rincon. It was at mile 65. But because I had such a big dinner the prior night, I was able to make it that entire distance, and I really was not that hungry. So I ate a few candy bars, used the disgusting bathrooms that were there, and started the 5 mile climb to the base of Mount Palomar (on Highway 76).
The climb was not too bad (especially in comparison to Mulholland the weekend before). But once I got over to Mesa Grande, I got pretty tired. I think I was a little dehydrated, and was running out of fluids. Fortunately, the next control was only 10 miles away.
At Don's Market in Santa Ysabel, I sat and ate some protein bars and drank lots of fluids. I chatted a bit with my fellow cyclists. We then hit the road and started our return towards the coast, through Ramona. I was getting pretty tired, so I didn't try to keep up with them. I was getting pissed off with the headwind coming off of the coast, especially on the 56 Bike Path. Plus it was kind-of hot that day. But once I got within about 2 miles of the coast, I was underneath clouds, and the weather all of a sudden became chilly. But I wasn't going to put my warmers back on; I was just going to keep riding. After the control at the AM/PM, I rode over to Del Mar, and then to Solana Beach for the finish of the first loop.
Loop 2
Before starting the second loop, I checked in at the motel (well, I just got my room key). I then started the second loop straightaway, because for some strange reason I was craving McDonald's! And apparently, so were my fellow cyclists, because most of them were there! So I mac'ed on a Big Mac, fries and soda, and relaxed for a bit before starting the second loop. I was feeling pretty good and confident at this point. Little did I know what was coming later that day.
I had a nice ramble through Carmel Valley and Torrey Highlands, but when I got to the Purple Monster (Scripps Poway Parkway to 67), I got tired again. I climbed at a snail pace, and then just relaxed on the descent to Lakeside. When I got into Lakeside, I stopped at a 7-Eleven, and had me a cookie-ice cream sandwich and a regular coke. Hey, I deserved a little treat!! I then rode through El Cajon out to Dehesa Road, and thought about how nice it would be to take a small detour and visit my dear friends Gloria and Jon, who both lived in El Cajon. But I was on a tight schedule, and there were strict rules regarding going off course on brevets. So I stayed on course.
I got onto Dehesa Road, and a bird shit on me!!! Right on my riding gloves!! Gross! From now on, I'm calling this road Bird Shit Lane.
Other than the bird poop, the road was actually rather nice. It was a nice ramble through the shady trees, out in the countryside. The climb started, and I was doing just fine and feeling good. It must have been that chocolate chip ice cream cookie.
But then, the climb just went on forever. It took an eternity to get to Japatul Road. Memories (or were they nightmares) of the Alpine Challenge were coming back to me. I finally got to Japatul Road.
I had a nice descent. But there's a rule in cycling that says, "What goes down, must come up." I had about 12 miles to get to Lyons Valley Road. And it was just endless climbing. I was getting tired. I started whining. And then I started getting pissed off. And then I started beating up on myself. I said I could not take it anymore. I wanted to stop. I wanted to quit. I was running out of food and water. And I was out in the middle of nowhere. I thought about calling someone to come get me, because I really had enough at that point. But I wasn't sure I had a cell phone signal out there.
I FINALLY got to Lyons Valley Road, and answered the question on my brevet card. I turned onto Lyons Valley Road, and saw mountains ahead. GREAT! How much more climbing did I have NOW!!! The road started to descend, but I just told myself it would go back up again. The road kept descending. It then turned into a technical descent. I decided to refrain from pedaling, and let gravity pull me, even if it meant going slower. I didn't care; I needed the rest. The road just kept descending. And descending. And descending. That . . . made me happy. And my goodness, I did not realize how high up I had climbed earlier!
The sky got dark, and I turned my lights on. I had never been in this part of San Diego County, and I did not know what was around me. I was in the middle of nowhere. I desperately wanted to get out of here and back to civilization, which was some 30 miles away. I was tired and hungry. The darkness enshrouded me. Another climb came up. I was in this dark, dense forest, all alone. I imagined an axe murderer jumping out of the trees and hacking me to death. I was all alone in this darkness, not knowing what stood between me and the comforting city lights.
I turned onto Honey Springs Road. There was a large mountain in front of me. Even worse, I saw vehicle lights high up on that mountain. GREAT! We had to climb that mountain. I was so fed up. I got off of my bike and said, "I can't do this! This is ridiculous!" I angrily finished off one of my water bottles, and downed an energy bar, took a piss, and with frustration, got back on my bike and started climbing.
Fortunately, that's not where the road went. The road had just a little bit of a climb. Then a descent.
And it continued to descend.
And it continued to descend.
And it CONTINUED to descend.
Now I was happy.
But the descent seemed to go on forever.
I started getting cold. I didn't have my warmers on. I was starting to get tired of the descent. But it went on forever.
DANG! That's how high I climbed earlier that day?!
When is descent going to end??
After an eternity, after a cold descent in the pitch darkness, all by myself, down the lonely Honey Springs Road, I finally arrived at State Route 94, with a quick jog onto Otay Lakes Road. Whew! Only about 12 miles now to get to civilization. And I was familiar with this road!
I decided to stop at the Thousands Trails Campground store, to put my warmers on. And at the store, were 3 of my fellow cyclists! I could NOT believe I caught up to them, as I was sure they were WAY far ahead of me. And they are stronger riders. But it sure was comforting to meet up with them again. I didn't ride out with them, though, I stayed back a bit, and then rode out.
It's really disgusting when you put on leg warmers over bare, sticky, sweaty legs covered with bug corpses!
I had a nice ride around Otay Lake. I then got into Eastlake, and then Chula Vista, and I got grumpy because I was getting hungry and desperately wanted some "real food". (Yes, I wanted McDonald's again. And that's unusual for me because I usually try to stay as far away as possible from food like that, but I guess I was craving lots of calories and lots of comfort food.)
I turned onto Main Street in Chula Vista, hoping for a fast food joint that I could use as my Control. I was disappointed and VERY pissed off when I didn't find one, and ended up having to backtrack to go to another crummy AM/PM and buy yet another energy bar. But I asked the store owner, and he directed me to the nearest fast food place 2 blocks off of Main Street, which just pissed me off even more!
I got to McDonald's, and ordered an Angus cheeseburger meal. I was so tired and annoyed. And the hamburger just made me ill. I got back on my bike, sleepy and annoyed, and rode back to the exact point at which I veered from the route (per brevet rules), and continued the official route.
The rest of the ride that evening was not too bad, but I was sleepy and grumpy. I had this fantasy that I would finish the entire ride without sleeping between loops, but it was pretty clear to me that I would need to get a little nap in to avoid getting into an accident. I arrived at the hotel just after midnight. I got my stuff out of the truck, went up to my hotel room, took a shower and slept for a few hours.
Loop 3
I awoke around 5am. I really wanted to just stay in bed and sleep in, and forget the rest of the ride. But I was in this to win it. And this last loop was just up the coast and back. I decided not to put it off anymore, especially since I did not want to miss the Control closing time in Newport Beach. So I got into my biking clothes, checked out of the hotel, loaded my stuff into my truck, and started my final loop.
This was the REAL test. How would I fare, after having ridden almost all day yesterday, 250 miles, and then getting back on my bike for 125 more on the following day? I did not expect much. I expected my ride today would really suck.
I started out . . . and my ride really sucked! I was slow. I was sore. It was hard to move my legs.
That lasted for only about a few miles.
I started going faster and faster. For some reason, and I don't have a CLUE why, I started riding stronger. I hit a 19-20mph average. I didn't get it! From where was I getting this strength? Heh, it was probably tailwind. I couldn't confirm that, but that was most likely the reason (usually is). But...what the hell; I didn't care. Speed is speed.
I was actually feeling good.
I cruised through Carlsbad. I waved at my friend Susan as I passed by her house, even though I had no clue if she was there or not. I flew through Oceanside. I got onto the I-5 freeway, and jammed all the way up to Old Pacific Highway. I was kicking ass! I did slow down on Old Pacific Highway, but I gained speed again while travelling through San Onofre State Beach. I got into San Clemente, and stopped for breakfast at Carl's Jr.
I was feeling good. I was happy. Because I realized . . . I had less than 100 miles left! My updated Facebook status was very simple, "< 100". My friends knew what I meant. I also realized that the following day, I would be going on a road trip with my dog Nitro, to see my dear mother and step-dad. And all throughout this brevet, I had been posting on Facebook. At breakfast, I went to read my posts, and I saw comments and "likes" from SO many of my friends. Everyone was rooting for me. I particularly liked the one comment from Susan, "Ride that bike like you stole it!" I decided to follow her advice.
I'm just going to say this, "I HATE LAGUNA BEACH!" My fellow cyclists know why. Nuff said.
The ride to the far point of the loop took a lot less time than I thought. Before I knew it, I was at the Jack-In-The-Box. (Yeah, I ate really well on this ride, didn't I!) 62.5 miles remained. I had PLENTY of time to finish before the time limit. I was feeling very confident.
I'll say it again, "I HATE LAGUNA BEACH!"
I was riding along just fine. I highly expected headwind on the way back, but there really wasn't any. So I guess I really WAS strong that morning, and it was not just because of wind. I was feeling really good.
Then . . . POP! It sounded like I rolled over a really bad tire hazard. I stopped to check my rear tire to see if it was about to go flat.
My tire was not flat. It was wobbling. It was hitting against my brake.
I broke a spoke.
SHIT!
ONLY 40 MILES LEFT! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so close! I would have to call my friend Susan to come get me. Now I would not be able to finish the ride. I would not be able to achieve Super Randonneur this year.
Or would I??????????
I remembered when this happened to me on the Solvang Spring Double Century in 2011. The SAG driver opened up my rear brakes, used a tool to open them up even wider, and then used a spoke wrench to get my wheel back to a "truer" state.
I didn't have any of those tools with me. So I just opened the quick release on my brakes. I then used my hand to position the brakes such that my rear wheel would only have the minimum amount of rubbing.
I got back on my bike.
The wheel still rubbed off an on per rotation, but I could still ride it.
The only concerns I had were (1) I had no effective rear brakes and (2) with the rubbing, I was concerned about heat buildup on the rims.
That incident on Cole Grade rode yesterday forebode this trouble!
I rode on the "wobbly wheel" for a while. I was nervous as heck. I was REALLY hoping I could get through 40 miles with no issues. I stopped to check the temperature of my rear rims.
They were fine.
At this point, I would just keep riding as far as I could go, and hope that I could make it all the way to the end.
I cautiously progressed through the route. Through San Clemente. Through San Onofre. Down I-5. Into Oceanside.
No issues.
Into Carlsbad. Another wave at Susan's house. Into Leucadia.
No issues.
Through the Leucadia bumps and holes. Through the Encinitas nonsense. Past Swami's.
No issues.
Finally, into Solana Beach!
C'mon wheel! Stay together.
The last mile is always the longest!
There's the hotel.
Wheel's still turning.
And now I'm turning into the hotel.
I finished.
My very first 600k. Finished on a broken spoke.
But not a broken spirit.
Loop 1
I learned an important lesson when starting the ride: Don't try to condense route sheets onto a small piece of paper. I had the route sheet clipped onto my handlebars, but because it was a VERY LONG RIDE I had condensed the route sheet to fit onto as few pages as possible. The problem with this approach was that I could not read the route sheet in the dark, even with my helmet lamp on. Fortunately, I was riding with the rest of the field that day (only about 8 of us), so I just rode with the group until daybreak.
As I descended Cole Grade road, I noticed my rear wheel kept wobbling against the brakes. And the problem was that Cole Grade road was a steep--and long--descent, so I had to brake pretty hard on a lot of the turns. Eventually, my rear brakes started to fail (and started to sound like sandpaper), so I stopped to check. My rear rims were hot as a stove! I burned my fingers just touching them! With all that heat buildup, I was in danger of a blowout. Clearly, there was some problem with my rear wheel. It was certainly out-of-true. So from this point forward, I knew I could not really use my rear brakes much. I would need to use mostly my front brakes (and a lot people argue I should anyways; I typically use both). This was going to make for a very nervous remaining 325 miles.
I arrived at the first Control just outside of Rincon. It was at mile 65. But because I had such a big dinner the prior night, I was able to make it that entire distance, and I really was not that hungry. So I ate a few candy bars, used the disgusting bathrooms that were there, and started the 5 mile climb to the base of Mount Palomar (on Highway 76).
The climb was not too bad (especially in comparison to Mulholland the weekend before). But once I got over to Mesa Grande, I got pretty tired. I think I was a little dehydrated, and was running out of fluids. Fortunately, the next control was only 10 miles away.
At Don's Market in Santa Ysabel, I sat and ate some protein bars and drank lots of fluids. I chatted a bit with my fellow cyclists. We then hit the road and started our return towards the coast, through Ramona. I was getting pretty tired, so I didn't try to keep up with them. I was getting pissed off with the headwind coming off of the coast, especially on the 56 Bike Path. Plus it was kind-of hot that day. But once I got within about 2 miles of the coast, I was underneath clouds, and the weather all of a sudden became chilly. But I wasn't going to put my warmers back on; I was just going to keep riding. After the control at the AM/PM, I rode over to Del Mar, and then to Solana Beach for the finish of the first loop.
Loop 2
Before starting the second loop, I checked in at the motel (well, I just got my room key). I then started the second loop straightaway, because for some strange reason I was craving McDonald's! And apparently, so were my fellow cyclists, because most of them were there! So I mac'ed on a Big Mac, fries and soda, and relaxed for a bit before starting the second loop. I was feeling pretty good and confident at this point. Little did I know what was coming later that day.
I had a nice ramble through Carmel Valley and Torrey Highlands, but when I got to the Purple Monster (Scripps Poway Parkway to 67), I got tired again. I climbed at a snail pace, and then just relaxed on the descent to Lakeside. When I got into Lakeside, I stopped at a 7-Eleven, and had me a cookie-ice cream sandwich and a regular coke. Hey, I deserved a little treat!! I then rode through El Cajon out to Dehesa Road, and thought about how nice it would be to take a small detour and visit my dear friends Gloria and Jon, who both lived in El Cajon. But I was on a tight schedule, and there were strict rules regarding going off course on brevets. So I stayed on course.
I got onto Dehesa Road, and a bird shit on me!!! Right on my riding gloves!! Gross! From now on, I'm calling this road Bird Shit Lane.
Other than the bird poop, the road was actually rather nice. It was a nice ramble through the shady trees, out in the countryside. The climb started, and I was doing just fine and feeling good. It must have been that chocolate chip ice cream cookie.
But then, the climb just went on forever. It took an eternity to get to Japatul Road. Memories (or were they nightmares) of the Alpine Challenge were coming back to me. I finally got to Japatul Road.
I had a nice descent. But there's a rule in cycling that says, "What goes down, must come up." I had about 12 miles to get to Lyons Valley Road. And it was just endless climbing. I was getting tired. I started whining. And then I started getting pissed off. And then I started beating up on myself. I said I could not take it anymore. I wanted to stop. I wanted to quit. I was running out of food and water. And I was out in the middle of nowhere. I thought about calling someone to come get me, because I really had enough at that point. But I wasn't sure I had a cell phone signal out there.
I FINALLY got to Lyons Valley Road, and answered the question on my brevet card. I turned onto Lyons Valley Road, and saw mountains ahead. GREAT! How much more climbing did I have NOW!!! The road started to descend, but I just told myself it would go back up again. The road kept descending. It then turned into a technical descent. I decided to refrain from pedaling, and let gravity pull me, even if it meant going slower. I didn't care; I needed the rest. The road just kept descending. And descending. And descending. That . . . made me happy. And my goodness, I did not realize how high up I had climbed earlier!
The sky got dark, and I turned my lights on. I had never been in this part of San Diego County, and I did not know what was around me. I was in the middle of nowhere. I desperately wanted to get out of here and back to civilization, which was some 30 miles away. I was tired and hungry. The darkness enshrouded me. Another climb came up. I was in this dark, dense forest, all alone. I imagined an axe murderer jumping out of the trees and hacking me to death. I was all alone in this darkness, not knowing what stood between me and the comforting city lights.
I turned onto Honey Springs Road. There was a large mountain in front of me. Even worse, I saw vehicle lights high up on that mountain. GREAT! We had to climb that mountain. I was so fed up. I got off of my bike and said, "I can't do this! This is ridiculous!" I angrily finished off one of my water bottles, and downed an energy bar, took a piss, and with frustration, got back on my bike and started climbing.
Fortunately, that's not where the road went. The road had just a little bit of a climb. Then a descent.
And it continued to descend.
And it continued to descend.
And it CONTINUED to descend.
Now I was happy.
But the descent seemed to go on forever.
I started getting cold. I didn't have my warmers on. I was starting to get tired of the descent. But it went on forever.
DANG! That's how high I climbed earlier that day?!
When is descent going to end??
After an eternity, after a cold descent in the pitch darkness, all by myself, down the lonely Honey Springs Road, I finally arrived at State Route 94, with a quick jog onto Otay Lakes Road. Whew! Only about 12 miles now to get to civilization. And I was familiar with this road!
I decided to stop at the Thousands Trails Campground store, to put my warmers on. And at the store, were 3 of my fellow cyclists! I could NOT believe I caught up to them, as I was sure they were WAY far ahead of me. And they are stronger riders. But it sure was comforting to meet up with them again. I didn't ride out with them, though, I stayed back a bit, and then rode out.
It's really disgusting when you put on leg warmers over bare, sticky, sweaty legs covered with bug corpses!
I had a nice ride around Otay Lake. I then got into Eastlake, and then Chula Vista, and I got grumpy because I was getting hungry and desperately wanted some "real food". (Yes, I wanted McDonald's again. And that's unusual for me because I usually try to stay as far away as possible from food like that, but I guess I was craving lots of calories and lots of comfort food.)
I turned onto Main Street in Chula Vista, hoping for a fast food joint that I could use as my Control. I was disappointed and VERY pissed off when I didn't find one, and ended up having to backtrack to go to another crummy AM/PM and buy yet another energy bar. But I asked the store owner, and he directed me to the nearest fast food place 2 blocks off of Main Street, which just pissed me off even more!
I got to McDonald's, and ordered an Angus cheeseburger meal. I was so tired and annoyed. And the hamburger just made me ill. I got back on my bike, sleepy and annoyed, and rode back to the exact point at which I veered from the route (per brevet rules), and continued the official route.
The rest of the ride that evening was not too bad, but I was sleepy and grumpy. I had this fantasy that I would finish the entire ride without sleeping between loops, but it was pretty clear to me that I would need to get a little nap in to avoid getting into an accident. I arrived at the hotel just after midnight. I got my stuff out of the truck, went up to my hotel room, took a shower and slept for a few hours.
Loop 3
I awoke around 5am. I really wanted to just stay in bed and sleep in, and forget the rest of the ride. But I was in this to win it. And this last loop was just up the coast and back. I decided not to put it off anymore, especially since I did not want to miss the Control closing time in Newport Beach. So I got into my biking clothes, checked out of the hotel, loaded my stuff into my truck, and started my final loop.
This was the REAL test. How would I fare, after having ridden almost all day yesterday, 250 miles, and then getting back on my bike for 125 more on the following day? I did not expect much. I expected my ride today would really suck.
I started out . . . and my ride really sucked! I was slow. I was sore. It was hard to move my legs.
That lasted for only about a few miles.
I started going faster and faster. For some reason, and I don't have a CLUE why, I started riding stronger. I hit a 19-20mph average. I didn't get it! From where was I getting this strength? Heh, it was probably tailwind. I couldn't confirm that, but that was most likely the reason (usually is). But...what the hell; I didn't care. Speed is speed.
I was actually feeling good.
I cruised through Carlsbad. I waved at my friend Susan as I passed by her house, even though I had no clue if she was there or not. I flew through Oceanside. I got onto the I-5 freeway, and jammed all the way up to Old Pacific Highway. I was kicking ass! I did slow down on Old Pacific Highway, but I gained speed again while travelling through San Onofre State Beach. I got into San Clemente, and stopped for breakfast at Carl's Jr.
I was feeling good. I was happy. Because I realized . . . I had less than 100 miles left! My updated Facebook status was very simple, "< 100". My friends knew what I meant. I also realized that the following day, I would be going on a road trip with my dog Nitro, to see my dear mother and step-dad. And all throughout this brevet, I had been posting on Facebook. At breakfast, I went to read my posts, and I saw comments and "likes" from SO many of my friends. Everyone was rooting for me. I particularly liked the one comment from Susan, "Ride that bike like you stole it!" I decided to follow her advice.
I'm just going to say this, "I HATE LAGUNA BEACH!" My fellow cyclists know why. Nuff said.
The ride to the far point of the loop took a lot less time than I thought. Before I knew it, I was at the Jack-In-The-Box. (Yeah, I ate really well on this ride, didn't I!) 62.5 miles remained. I had PLENTY of time to finish before the time limit. I was feeling very confident.
I'll say it again, "I HATE LAGUNA BEACH!"
I was riding along just fine. I highly expected headwind on the way back, but there really wasn't any. So I guess I really WAS strong that morning, and it was not just because of wind. I was feeling really good.
Then . . . POP! It sounded like I rolled over a really bad tire hazard. I stopped to check my rear tire to see if it was about to go flat.
My tire was not flat. It was wobbling. It was hitting against my brake.
I broke a spoke.
SHIT!
ONLY 40 MILES LEFT! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so close! I would have to call my friend Susan to come get me. Now I would not be able to finish the ride. I would not be able to achieve Super Randonneur this year.
Or would I??????????
I remembered when this happened to me on the Solvang Spring Double Century in 2011. The SAG driver opened up my rear brakes, used a tool to open them up even wider, and then used a spoke wrench to get my wheel back to a "truer" state.
I didn't have any of those tools with me. So I just opened the quick release on my brakes. I then used my hand to position the brakes such that my rear wheel would only have the minimum amount of rubbing.
I got back on my bike.
The wheel still rubbed off an on per rotation, but I could still ride it.
The only concerns I had were (1) I had no effective rear brakes and (2) with the rubbing, I was concerned about heat buildup on the rims.
That incident on Cole Grade rode yesterday forebode this trouble!
I rode on the "wobbly wheel" for a while. I was nervous as heck. I was REALLY hoping I could get through 40 miles with no issues. I stopped to check the temperature of my rear rims.
They were fine.
At this point, I would just keep riding as far as I could go, and hope that I could make it all the way to the end.
I cautiously progressed through the route. Through San Clemente. Through San Onofre. Down I-5. Into Oceanside.
No issues.
Into Carlsbad. Another wave at Susan's house. Into Leucadia.
No issues.
Through the Leucadia bumps and holes. Through the Encinitas nonsense. Past Swami's.
No issues.
Finally, into Solana Beach!
C'mon wheel! Stay together.
The last mile is always the longest!
There's the hotel.
Wheel's still turning.
And now I'm turning into the hotel.
I finished.
My very first 600k. Finished on a broken spoke.
But not a broken spirit.
My broken spoke.
My distance, average speed, average heart rate and average cadence. Not super fast, but I guess not all that bad considering the distance and mechanical issues.
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