On Saturday I went out really early with the hopes of riding Mount Palomar. I was going to climb South Grade (steeper side), descend East Grade and climb East Grade then go home. It should have been a 130 mile day with about 12,000 feet of climbing in the middle section. About 16 miles into my ride, on Del Dios Hwy, I just didn’t have the legs. I turned around and went back to the coast. I figured since it was still early I could catch the Swami’s ride and then go long (Lake Wholford and Valley Center) with them.
It was great to see the old gang again. I was a Swami for almost four years. I had a bagel and cream cheese and two cups of coffee while visiting with old friends. I felt so much better. We rolled out about 8:10 am. I felt fine throughout the ride and was surprised that I was well positioned for the sprint. I of course don’t have a sprint but I was well positioned.
One of the things I dislike about the world famous Swami’s ride is the LONG regrouping at “the church”. We were stopped 11 minutes! Ridiculous! We had only ridden 55 minutes. I don’t get it.
After the Swami’s ride I did a few hill repeats in San Elijo and a few laps on PCH that added up to a century. I had a good day on the bike even though I felt sluggish in the beginning.
SUNDAY
My training goal for today was to ride a coastal century in under six hours. I set my Garmin Virtual Partner to 16.66 mph. The virtual partner tells you how many miles and how much time you are ahead or behind your goal pace. I also used my Power Tap power meter to pace myself towards my goal.
I rode a 5:18 total time century. I was amazed with my time because of all the stops signs and traffic lights (Leucadia Blvd – has to be the longest light in the county urg!). I never got off the bike. Moving time was 5:11 or 5:13, depending which online GPS service you download your data too, Garmin Connect or RidewithGPS.com.
My route was simple. I rode to the Oceanside Marina then south to Torrey Pines then north to Oceanside Marina then south to Torrey Pines then north to the finish at the Lumberyard in Encinitas. Why would I do such a monotonous route? I prefer to do big-ass loops for my centuries but today I wanted rabbits up ahead to chase down. It was a great little game to play to keep the pace high.
On the way north for my second trip to Oceanside Marina, I hooked up with a triathlete named Scott Federoff. We kept each other honest. Our paces seemed compatible. I believe we pushed each other just enough to make the training ride worth it. He needed three (3) hours and I needed six (6) hours or a little less. I hope we ride together again some time soon. It was a pleasure riding with someone who fit my definition of the perfect riding partner see this post.
Thank you to INFINIT NUTRITION for keeping me fueled. I had two “doubled-up” bottles and that’s it. Doubled-up means I put twice the serving size in my bottle. I had twice the calories but only half the fluids. The temperature was cool for the first three hours of the ride so I was able to conserve my fluids (fuel). When I was done I was a little dehydrated but my goal was to do the complete 100 miles without stopping and keeping the intensity high. INFINIT NUTRITION did the job of keeping me fueled. Please give them a try and customize your own formulas for your needs. When you decide to try Infinit use “vireo” as your discount code and receive 10% off of your order.
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George's Epic Adventures 