Category Archives: Rides

Specialized Lunch Time Ride #1 Llagos Loop

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I went on a lunch time ride with the Specialized Body Geometry fit class and the instructors.  Let me tell you it pays to have home field advantage.  The ride leader  described the course and said there would be a climb and that he would let us know when we could hammer it out. When we get to the right turn the ride leader says “ok have it this is the climb!” I was thinking about pacing myself when all of the sudden one of the other Specialized boys jumps out of the saddle and sprints.  By the time I got up and chased him the “climb” was over.  It was really just a kicker over the top of a little hill…urg not a climb!!  And who was the Specialized staff member who jumped — well it was none other than the KOM for that segment with a great time from one year ago.  This guy has this “climb” dialed. 😉  Oh well I placed 16th on Strava and I’m happy with the visitor’s result.

You can find my ride file at Garmin Connect here

 

80 for Haiti

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 80 FOR HAITI BENEFIT CYCLING EVENT (FEB 13, NOT FEB 6)


L’Union Fait la Force / Strength Through Unity = National Motto of Haiti
LA JOLLA, CA –  AdventureCORPS, Inc., an athlete-run firm producing some of the world’s toughest sports events – including the Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508 races in Death Valley – will host “80 FOR HAITI,” a cycling benefit ride for Haiti relief supporting Mercy Corps on Saturday, February 13, 2010.  The event will feature an 80-mile ride along Old Hwy 80 in southeastern San Diego County. There will be an $80 entry fee and 100% of the entry fees will go directly to Mercy Corps, one of the most respected relief organizations worldwide. AdventureCORPS will absorb all costs, but food, drink, and support sponsors are being sought.
The “80 FOR HAITI” cycling event start / finish line is just 44 miles east of San Diego, in Pine Valley, CA. The route is spectacular, on absolutely quiet roads through rolling terrain.
As international relief efforts continue in Haiti, a Mercy Corps earthquake response team is in Port-au-Prince responding to urgent needs.
Registering for this ride – or donating to the cause, if you can’t do the actual ride – will help families in Haiti recover from the most powerful quake to hit the country in more than 200 years. Mercy Corps relief workers with experience in disaster responses ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the Myanmar cyclone are converging on Haiti from Africa, Asia, and North America. They’re focusing first on the immediate needs — for water, food, temporary shelter supplies and much more — and expanding their work to three areas: clean water, post-trauma support for children, and job creation.
The needs in Haiti are immense. Its capital lies in ruins, as many as 200,000 may be dead, and survivors are increasingly desperate for food, clean water and shelter. Please ride “80 For Haiti” and/or give what you can to help families recover.
Cycling participants in 80 FOR HAITI must pre-register for the event, so that we can plan accordingly. PLEASE register prior to February 8 for the ride. Donations will be accepted through February 13, and beyond.

Can you ride 80 miles for Haiti? | Can you donate $80 (or more) for Haiti, whether you ride or not? | Can you help us spread the word about this event – RIGHT NOW? Please do!




Click here for all the 80 FOR HAITI information and the Link to Registration / Donation:

Don’t Want to, or Can’t, Ride 80 FOR HAITI, but you still want to donate? Or perhaps you and your friends want to ride your own “80 FOR HAITI” near where you live? Go for it! Please use this link and DONATE NOW directly to Mercy Corps:
80 FOR HAITI HIGHLIGHTS:
• February 13, 2010
• Held along Eastern San Diego County’s Old Hwy 80: Minimal traffic, no traffic lights, and just a few stop signs.
• Three well-stocked checkpoints, plus roving SAG support vehicles on the course.
• The entry fee is a minimum $80 donation: 100% of ALL entry fees will go to Mercy Corps.

ABOUT THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake with the epicenter near Léogane, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, striking at 16:53:10 local time (21:53:10 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of at least 33 aftershocks, fourteen of them between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake, and the Haitian Interior Minister believes that up to 200,000 have died as a result of the disaster, exceeding earlier Red Cross estimates of 45,000–50,000. Several prominent public figures are among the dead. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive recently announced that over 70,000 bodies have been buried in mass graves. Source (and more details): Wikipedia.com

OFFICIAL CHARITY
The Official Charity of 80 FOR HAITI is Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is a team of 3700 professionals helping turn crisis into opportunity for millions around the world. By trade, they are engineers, financial analysts, drivers, community organizers, project managers, public health experts, administrators, social entrepreneurs and logisticians. In spirit, they are activists, optimists, innovators and proud partners of the people they serve. According to their website:

“Mercy Corps has long been recognized as an excellent steward of the resources entrusted to it. Over the past five years, more than 89 percent of our resources have been allocated to programs that help people in need. Ensuring that resources are wisely spent is the cornerstone of our values, vision, and strategy for growth in the future. We are proud of the awards, endorsements, memberships, and honors that substantiate our track record of accountability.”

More info about Mercy Corps’ Efforts in Haiti: http://www.mercycorps.org/haiti

Coffee Crew Training Ride

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People often ask me what rides I do.  Lately, I have been doing short early morning rides so that I can get to work by 10am.  One of the rides is called Coffee Crew in Irvine.  It meets at 615am at the corner of University and Campus Drive in the University of California Irvine (UCI). It is held every Tuesday and Thursday.

Here are a couple of links and overhead pictures for you.

Here is the player from a Garmin GPS download.  (you will notice a small box with four arrows next to the turtle/rabbit slider– click for full screen mode)

Below is an interactive map of the Coffee Crew ride. (you may click on “View Path in Full” for full screen)

You may view this ride and other training rides on my website

The Ride of Silence

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I apologize for the late notice but I just found out about this ride this morning. Please take action in your local area to HONOR those that have been injured or killed!

BRANDY AND I WILL BE AT THE IRVINE COMMUNITY CENTER TONIGHT! WE WILL RIDE IN HONOR OF YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. IF YOU CARE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF THAT WOULD BE GREAT. COMMENTS OR DIRECT EMAIL IF YOU WANT TO SYNCHRONIZE SCHEDULES.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

WHY DOES THIS ORGANIZATION EXIST?

To HONOR those who have been injured or killed
To RAISE AWARENESS that we are here
To ask that we all SHARE THE ROAD

THE RIDE OF SILENCE WILL NOT BE QUIET

On May 20, 2009, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn’t aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.

In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride Of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. (Read the full history here…)

The Ride Of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There is no brochure, no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during Bike Safety month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

Please check the resources on this site. If there is a Ride Of Silence in your area, we encourage you to join them. If there is not a ride planned in your area, please consider adding your city to the ever-growing list of sites. To get information on how to organize and host a Ride of Silence, please click HERE.

Orange County New Year’s Day Ride

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Happy New Year to all my readers out there!!!

I wanted to start my 2008 year off with a century and I heard about the Orange County New Year’s Day ride from Brandy, my girlfriend. I had a few concerns because big rides attract a lot of riders. They come in all skill levels — some that posses the skills to ride in tight quarters and at high tempo and some that just want to see how long they can hang on. I emailed -Anthony D. Morrow PR Director, Editor & Webmaster for Velo Allegro Cycling Club. I voiced my concerns and he put me at ease. I thought it would be a great way to get some tempo work in– something that is hard to do while training alone.

Well let me tell you that I had a blast. The ride is big, and I mean big. There had to be at least 400 riders and we took over one lane and sometimes two lanes as we headed southbound. You could see cyclists that were traveling northbound making u-turns to get on. It is better to catch the ride from the southbound side. The “peloton” just kept getting bigger and bigger. It was great to see the faces of people alongside the road cheering us on as we went by — especially the kids. Hopefully, we motivated the next generation of cyclists to pick up a bike and ride!!

Being an Ultra cyclist I do a lot of training alone and it was a welcomed change to see so many teams. Amazingly enough even in that big group I recognized a few friends. The pace was fast and by the time we reached Dana Point – our first regrouping point– many riders had peeled off. Less than half of the original group headed inland to do the full loop. We rolled through South Orange County where the pace was moderate to high but not nearly as high as it was on the coast. The pace really picked up as we skirted the El Toro airfield. The pace and the crosswinds created gaps and I was getting dropped. Luckily, there was a traffic light and I was able to get back on. Also at that light I saw Brandy who had doubled back on the course from Newport Beach so she could do the last section of the ride.

Eventually the “peloton” ended up back at the coast after going through Back Bay. Once we hit the coast we peeled off and Brandy and I got some coffee. I ended up with 95 miles for the day and some good tempo training. All in all a great way to start the new year. I highly recommend this ride but I wouldn’t go out the night before and party it up too much!!

I was pleasantly surprised when we got home, to find that Brandy had ventured out to PCH in Huntington Beach and Newport Beach this morning to see the ride pass through and snap some pictures. You can find all of Brandy’s photos from the ride on my flickr page. 2008 Orange County New Year’s Day Ride pics.

I will also post a route sheet and overhead map of the course on my website www.epictrain.com.

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The peloton leaving the light at Superior in Newport Beach.

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All smiles!
All smiles after a hard morning of work!

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I had to turn the camera on Brandy for once!

Camp Pendleton Ride

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My typical routine on Wednesdays is to train a client in the early morning and then go do hill repeats on Torrey Pines or Soledad Mountain. But today my client cancelled, he is feeling under the weather, so I thought I would try the Camp Pendleton Wednesday Ride.
Well it was quite humbling. I hung in for a good while but eventually due to poor positioning…I got dropped. I know a little better when to turn it on and when to suck wheel. It is a good fast ride and I should do it more often.