After a rainy week, we can finally ride again

The bad weather coincided with the first cold I have had in ages, so I didn't miss out on any rides this week and today, I finally felt well enough to make the drive down the hill to join up with the Bike Buddies. I got to ride with Jeannie again today, and a friend of her's named John. He was a very strong rider.

I rode my $40.00 Gios Torino today and had a good time on it. On the level parts, that bike just flies.

As we rode around South Grade, Hector got a flat tire. We stopped for him and who do I see right across the street from us but "lostguy". Since he is the guy who got me back into riding, I introduced him all around to the half dozen of us who were lending "helping" Hector fix his tire.

Here is the Profile of our ride today:



And here is the chart from my heart rate monitor:



I have no idea what all those little squiggles mean, but it looks like I'm working pretty hard most of the time.

It was a beautiful day after the morning chill burned off. I was grateful to be able to talk to Mike after the ride. I appreciate his kindness and moral support.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone

I missed the Thanksgiving Day ride with the Bike Buddies for two reasons. First, the weather. It has been raining for a couple of days now. And, I have a cold. I haven't had a cold for eight or nine years, so I almost forgot what it was like to have to stay within a few feet of the Kleenex box. This has been going on since last Saturday, when I had a sore throat. So far, there is no improvement, but I am hoping I'll feel better by Saturday so I can ride that morning . . . if the weather cooperates.

A really fun ride on a gorgeous, gorgeous day!

Before we took off, several of us visited in the Ralph's parking lot, so we didn't get started at 8:00 like a couple of other groups who also ride on Saturday morning. Today I rode with Steve, and two people I just met, Jeannie and Tom. Boy, it was a fun ride.

As we rode down Willow Glen, and later on Dehesa Road, I could smell the big Saturday morning breakfasts being prepared and served in the kitchens of the houses we passed. When we got to the "rest stop," Larry and his wife and son were still there. He showed me the cool Flight Deck computer he has on his bike. It has buttons on the handlebars for changing the screens to see the data that is important.

I got a late start up the hill because I had trouble getting my cleats in the Look pedals Steve gave me. Today was the first day riding with them, and since they are "one-sided," I have to work on my technique.

At the top of the hill we made the decision to ride down South Grade. This time I left plenty of room between myself and the guys in front of me so I could ride full speed, using "counter-steering" to round the curves. Since Tom has a motorcycle, I asked him if he counter steers and when he said "Yes," I said, "Would you tell Steve. Maybe he'll believe it from a man because he doesn't understand it when I explain the technique."

On the way back down Dehesa Road and Willow Glen, Jeannie and I drafted behind the men most of the time. When we arrived back at Willow Glen and Jamacha, Jeannie said, "That was sure an easy ride. I feel fresh as a daisy." Tom didn't have that same opinion since he fought the headwind most of the way . . .



After the ride, we sat outside the Coffee Grounds coffee shop visiting until it was time to take off our different directions to complete our Saturday afternoon errands.

As usual, I went to the nearby Goodwill Store hoping to find a second hand treasure.

The day was fantastic, and it sure is nice to be feeling better again.

Finally, a circumnavigation of my "neighborhood"

It was another gorgeous day, and I wasn't going to be going on the Thursday ride, so I decided to ride down Skyline Truck Trail to Highway 94 and east to Honey Springs.

My GPSr didn't record the track correctly, so I don't have a Profile of that ride, but one of these days I'll do it again, and then I'll get a profile of that challenging 20-plus mile ride.

A lazy ride up to Alpine

When we got near the Starbuck's, I told Tom I was going to stop instead of riding all the way out to the white church. I didn't feel strong today and didn't want to slow the guys down.

It was a good thing, 'cause Jim showed up back at the Starbuck's in what seemed to be a very short time. They must have been flying when they rode out there.

After leaving the Starbuck's, we rode back along South Grade and back to down Dehesa.



It was yet another gorgeous, warm day . . .

Another fun ride with the Bike Buddies group

I met up with the group in the Ralph's parking lot, and since I was finally feeling better, I was more outgoing and effusive in my conversation. Steve showed up wearing a racing outfit sent to him from Europe. He is secure enough in his masculinity to wear purple and pink, and that is a good thing, because he sure got teased by the other guys.

We did the usual ride up Dehesa Road, then north on Tavern, but this time we rode to Arnold and coasted down it. I was behind another, more-cautious ride, so I didn't get to go as fast as my bike wanted to go down Arnold. Once we got to the Harbison Canyon road, I stood up on the pedals and passed up Steve and two other guys in order to be first going down that steep road. Once I got going 42 miles an hour on that road. I think I might have gotten going almost that fast today.

A long, tough ride for me today

One of our riders hurt his leg a few days ago, so we decided to ride the Otay loop because the hills are not as steep. The ride was long, 41 miles, and I didn't feel very well, so I struggled along the Otay Lakes section of the road, and up the "phantom" hill on Highway 94.



I haven't been feeling well for more than a week now. I sure hope I get out of this low spot on my health roller coaster soon.

Up Dehesa Road and flying down South Grade/Harbison

The slope up Dehesa road looks daunting in the Profile, but it is an easy grade, one during which, if you have another cyclist to talk to, you can keep up a conversation.



When we ride the other way and go up Harbison Canyon, I struggle, however I have gotten stronger, and can change gears more than I did two months ago when I started these rides.

As has been the norm for this month, the weather was beautiful and warm again. It is very hard to believe this is November and Thanksgiving is just two weeks away . . .

What an amazing ride with the Thursday group

Our usual ride is up to Alpine and back. Sometimes we ride beyond the new Starbuck's before coming back there for a break.

Today, we took a really different route, riding on surface streets through El Cajon where Steve got a flat tire. There was a lot of glass on the road, and that is what his brand new tire picked up. I watched Larry put in a new tube in near record time, putting the tire back on the rim without the help of tire tools.

After that brief break, we continued all the way out to El Capitan Reservoir, riding past several horse stables. At the reservoir, we were surprised to see how full it is at this time of the year. We were also surprised there were not more people enjoying the lake on such an amazingly-beautiful, and incredibly clear day.

Before we headed back, we stopped at a nursery where they also have a coffee bar and a patio where we rested and visited for a while.

Here is the profile of the long ride, the longest I have been on so far.

In the beginning, it was a gorgeous day

It really was a gorgeous day when I set out on Skyline Truck Trail heading for Four Corners. At that intersection, I turned north on Lyons Valley Road. Once the views opened up when I reached the valley, I could see even more of the awesome sky and clouds.

I rode to the Japatul intersection, where some other bikers were just arriving after riding up Japatul. By then, the clouds had rolled in and the temperature dropped. I rode back with two people who didn't have jackets and needed to keep moving.

We had a great ride, and if the GPSr recorded my speed correctly, I got up to 44 mph at one point going down the hill after the Horsethief Canyon staging area.

Here is a portion of the profile of my 20-mile ride. I don't know why the GPSr didn't record the trip back up the hill from Four Corners . . .