Lunch Ride - Good to Be Back...I Think

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/rides/24505808

Attendees:  Todd, Adrian, Hiroshi, Mitchell and Vin

Although not the biggest crew today, it was still nice to be back out on a bike with the guys even after just a one week hiatus.  Mitchell also made his comeback appearance today and looked just as strong as the last time he was out with us.

The route did include going to Back Bay and up San Joaquin, but at the top, we found that they had closed the road and had to come up with a slightly different route.  We ended up proceeding through Eastbluff to Jamboree and adding Pelican and the Horseshoe to the route as well as coming back in via McArthur.

On the bike trail, Hiroshi, Adrian and Vin had a little breakaway while Todd, Mitchell and I just watched from afar.  Todd eventually reeled them in with us in tow.  It was only after we proceeded past Back Bay though that I finally started taking some pulls with Todd.

Vin must have had a Taro bun before the ride, as he kept trying to breakaway here and there.  He did so on San Joaquin, Pelican (to me anyway) and even on San Joaquin (down).  Either it was a taro bun or he finally got a new chain after abusing (not oiling) his last one.  Funny how a bike works better when it's maintained, huh?

Todd was being a team rider today (wha?) and was doing a lot of the work up front (as expected) on the climbs . I was trying to give him a good workout by trying to alternate some pulls here and there, but for the most part, I just hung on as best as I could.  That only lasted until about 3/4 of the way up Ridge as far as the climbs go.  I did fall back on the NPC downhill as well, but I just wanted to make the Pelican climb interesting.  Adrian was talking trash after about my downhill skills, but boy it didn't take long to pass him once we started climbing.  AHA.

We did go on the Horseshoe where Adrian ended up launching an attack for the KOM, but once I hit the detonate button just before the crest, BOOM!  I passed him there too.

I did try to breakaway after I finished the horseshoe, but got caught pretty easily before the downhill.  The downhill did get pretty fast.  As I mentioned above, Vin did try and breakaway but he slowed where we caught him before McArthur.  The turn here was a little hairy with a car coming into the turn with us, but we all got by unscathed.

Todd took off ahead of us rounding the corner first, but we were able to reel him in eventually.  Adrian came around from behind me and took the next pull, and then I did the same subsequently.

After rounding Bison, it seemed like there was some setting up for a sprint, but after the last light going over the 73, I ended up going off alone.  Adrian says he's saving it for the ride home.  Ummm...okay.

Good ride today with plenty of elevation gain.  Hopefully, we'll do a few more of these before Santa Barbara, but there really isn't much time to make vast improvements between now and then.  Still good training though.  Thanks, guys!