Lunch Ride - It Was a HOT One!

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/78527345#kudos

So there's hot and then there's Africa hot.  I can't believe that even during a coastal ride, the average temperature was 92 degrees with a max of 102.  I believe that Africa hot applies here.

It's no wonder that only a couple people came out (Todd and Vin) for today's lunch ride.  I was hoping to ride with more people given my last few outings have been solo, but people who opted to not ride, ride in the morning instead, or just eat a box of popsicles probably made the wiser choice for today.

Todd and I had talked about backing it down some before the ride given the immense heat we were feeling sitting in the shade (his Garmin was already indicating 90+).  This was probably a good idea given that Vin would likely have to ride alone otherwise.

Todd started us off and essentially, I was working with him to keep the pace up when I could.  Did I mention it was hot?  Vin was fine sitting in the back taking comfort in the draft provided to him.

When we got to Spyglass, Todd was planning to push it but the heat was sucking the energy right out of all of us.  This actually worked to our advantage since it kept us all together during the climb.  I could have sworn Vin popped off at one point, but he was back up with us as we crested at the top.

Going up San Joaquin, I think this was when the heat pretty much peaked, which meant our energy stores were zapped even more.  Todd had us going up at a pretty good pace despite, and we couldn't wait to get to the top and be done with the climbing.  Vin stayed on here as well, and I figure it was likely since he just didn't have anyone else to ride with where at all cost he would not drop.  Maybe he should think this way all the time moving forward....

When we got on Pelican, I started us off with Todd taking the next turn as we made our way down.  I passed on the following climb, but Todd rode up beside me as we made it to the crest.  Now I didn't think it was a race or anything, but I could have sworn Vin yelled out Todd won.

PCH was uneventful but Todd and I were still pushing the pace obviously throwing out the whole "backing it down" proposal.  When we got to Ocean, Vin decided he was going to pull away from us never looking back despite having been towed 100% of the time beforehand.  Todd and I didn't mind, however, as we were hoping to let him play rabbit and eventually catch him on PCH and possibly even Back Bay if he got through a light ahead of us.  However, we ended up rolling up on him just as we were making the right back onto PCH.

We got on PCH, and Todd and I resumed the rotations up front.  This continued onto Back Bay where it was actually nice to go through and work with someone through that section given I've been riding it mostly solo on my TT bike.  Todd took the last pull and I got up to the top first shamelessly ahead of them.

In return, I took the front originally on the climb up Jamboree, but Todd made his way past me midway up.  I took that opportunity to latch on and stay on his wheel, which was no easy feat given I was near death by the time we got to Bison.  Vin didn't manage to stay with us on this climb, but he was not far behind.

On Bison, we did hit a few lights including the one right before the 73 overpass, but I guess Vin wanted to test out his sprinting legs soon after we crossed that light.  Who was I to deny him of being challenged, so I took off after him.  He had a good start, but I could see I was reeling him in once I got going. Needless to say, he got passed.  It's always nice to contest a sprint against someone who drafted most of the ride.  Just sayin.

It was a good training session despite the heat, the Africa heat, so thanks to Todd and Vin for coming out. Did I mention it was hot?!?

Lunch Ride - Vince's BAM Challenge

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/76755608

It's been a while since we've done a ride for points based on the top three of specified segments, be it hills or sprints.  Thus, when Vince suggested we do a route for points just prior to his paternity leave, how could I refuse?  The route would have two KOM segments and two sprint segments where first is awarded 30 points, second gets 20, and 3rd 10.  We had rules in the interest of safety, and everyone was advised to have a strategy to get top honors, or close to it, for this challenge.  Easy enough....

Strategies are a funny thing.  You can't really come up with a good strategy unless/until you know who you'll be up against.  When Shannon and Galen indicated they couldn't make it, it definitely factored in as to how I was going to play the game...but not much.  My plan, now that it's over and I can share it, would use the acronym DIVA, which stands for the following:

D - Don't be a hero
I - Ignore any gestures to pull
V - Victimize those who feel the need to be heroes
A - Ass haul but backwards

Even with this plan going into the event, one has to be prepared to alter, improvise and overcome depending on how things are going throughout.  Additional strategies used include let Todd take the KOMs as he will not likely challenge for the sprints, cover Todd at all costs after he ended up taking the first sprint (SPOILER alert), and toward the end just survive.

Adrian, Jeremy, Mitchell and Vin also came out and everyone was on board to give up a buck to the ultimate point winner...a twist I added to make it more worth the while.  Jeremy, however, was not really interested in the points as much as getting some training in, but since he was on the playing field, will be included in the point system nonetheless.  He ultimately would do a bulk of the work for the day, especially toward the end, so we're thankful to his contributions.  Now onto the challenge:

For the first challenge, it was to get to the top of Shady first.  The strategies started early on where despite Jeremy not playing, Todd would not let him get away too far on E Peltason and Anteater simply to prevent an incidental breakaway.  As we were going up Anteater, Todd tried to break away at this point with hopes of getting a green light at Bonita Canyon only to be stopped at a red.  I was chasing with Adrian in tow, but stopped immediately once I saw the light ahead of us.  Even after we crossed Bonita Canyon, the strategies ensued with Todd leading but in a pretty manageable pace.  He was encouraging me to pull, and I think I did once (violating the "I" above), but not for long where Todd resumed the front and led us onto the bike trail.

Surprisingly, Adrian ended up taking the front one the bike trail just before the last bridge.  I'm not sure if he was trying to break away, but it wasn't long after that Todd passed him with me in tow ultimately creating a gap.  Now, I think I could have challenged for the top of Shady, but I'm certain it would cost me two ways:  1) Todd would get angry (and we don't want to see Todd get angry...or so I hear) and really kill it everywhere else, and 2) I may get tired and I would like to save it for the sprints.  Thus, he took it with me just behind him.  Adrian, I hear, finished in #3.

For the second KOM challenge, Todd and I had broken away a little bit but I ended up blowing the turn where the others had managed to reel us in after I had to turn around.  Jeremy ended up taking the front again while Todd and I comfortably sat behind him.  Okay, so it wasn't that comfortable given that his pace broke the rest of the crew off.  Once we got near the top, Todd started to break away and we both passed Jeremy making our way to the top with Todd taking top honors again here.  My thought again was I only needed to get 2nd, and I'll contest the sprints hoping to get the best overall points.  Jeremy rolled up as #3, and the rest followed shortly.

When we got back down to Quail Hill, there were a couple breakaway attempts by Todd and Adrian, including one with Adrian cutting in front of a BMW (no bueno).  Fortunately, we were all able to get onto the bike trail safely, and the speed picked up right away.  Adrian and Mitchell were up front, with Mitchell ultimately setting us up with a leadout to the bridge.  When I saw Adrian take off from the #2 spot, I pursued.  He took a little early considering the wind, so after I passed when he blew himself out, I thought I clinched it.  Then to my left, I see Todd making his way past me after I apparently led him out where he was able to take top honors for the sprint.  Wha?  Apparently, he was covering me the whole time where the setup-er became the setup-ee.  Nice, Todd.  Jeremy, I believe, ended up rolling in at the #3 spot.

After the sprint, I couldn't believe one of my calves started cramping.  As we made our way onto the bridge, I was struggling (albeit keeping it on the downlow) just to keep up as Jeremy, Todd and Vin were pulling away ahead of me.  It was purely by the grace of God Almighty that the first light on Jeffrey turned red allowing me to roll up to them.

After we take off from the light, it was no longer a matter of strategy that I would stay away from the front as it was survival.  I would get hints of cramping where I just had to manage and not get it to fully lockup.  And yes, folks, I was drinking my water.  After all, it was HOT!

Jeremy was definitely doing a bulk of the work on the way back being up front.  There were times when he would gap us or when Vin would take off where I would ask Todd to pursue, but he responded with "I'm not worried about them."  The difference between Vin and Jeremy, however, was when Vin took off, he had breakaway intentions for sure.  Jeremy was just trying to keep the pace up and get a good workout, so his effort was definitely more beneficial for the rest of us.  In fact, we held him out for a good portion of the time as we made our way to University allowing for us to still have a good overall average for the ride.  Todd even tried to use him for a breakaway at one point only to catch Jeremy off guard.  I caught Todd's wheel as he passed anyway, so I was definitely covering the points leader.

Despite some obstacles on the bike path once we got to University, Mitchell takes off and everyone jumped on to prepare for the final sprint to California.  Looking back, I think my biggest mistake here was to continue with being in the #2 spot...especially with the winds not being favorable.  When I finally took off, I knew it would be a long one, but I went for it anyway.  The hard part about taking off though was that the bike trail was tight, I knew everyone else would be wanting to take off at some point, and I just had to keep looking over my shoulder before committing to the sprint.  This obviously provided the necessary cues for the others where once I took off, I apparently had others just behind me.  As we neared California, Adrian passes me first, and then Todd followed him past me.  While I congratulated them for a job well done at the base of California, in my mind I was screaming DAAAAAMMNNNN  IIITTTT!!!  HAHA

Todd led us up California with Jeremy and me in tow.  When Jeremy took off near the top, my instincts were to give chase and follow.  However, after realizing there was no money in it and the fact that I was just too tired, I stopped doing so.  We'll need to throw this hill in as one last pointed section next time though.

Here are the scores:

	KOH1	KOH2	Sprint1	Sprint2	Totals
Todd	30	30	30	20	110
Adrian	10			30	40
Mitchell					0
Jeremy		10	10		20
Vin					0
Rich	20	20	20	10	70

Congratulations, Todd!  We all owe you a buck.

Lunch Ride - Puke Route...The Non-Comfort Zone Edition

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/76233352

It's bad enough that the route we did today is called "The Puke Route."  However, we added an additional intensity twist to it where I was interested in taking people completely out of their comfort zone.  After all, what are friends for, right?   Rather than racing up all the hills as we typically do, today's drills involved climbing NPC and Ridge Park seated the whole time, climbing Pelican ascents off-the-seat the whole time, and finishing up Vista with any method desired...just make it to the top!

It was rather unnerving to have Galen, Todd and Shannon be the first ones to arrive to the locker room after me.  You just know it's going to be a long day.  It was good to see Vin and Jeremy come in after them, although these two had attacks on their mind as well today.  Adrian met us at the corner, so we had a pretty good sized group make it out.

When we started out, Adrian was up front but he was definitely soft pedaling waiting for someone to pass him on Health Sciences Rd.  I opted to take the reigns and just tried to keep us at a good pace as we made our way to Anteater.  I rolled to the back eventually after someone pushed up (can you believe I actually forgot who?) and immediately the pace picked up causing some early separation even before we got to Bonita Canyon.  I think Todd, Jeremy, Shannon and Galen had gapped the rest of us, but we were fortunate that we were all able to regroup just before the climb up NPC.

When we started the climb, a couple guys started off pedaling off the seat but shortly after sat back down remembering today's exercise.  Todd led early on with Galen, Shannon and me in tow, and it wasn't long before I looked over my shoulder to see there was some separation.  Before we got to the 2nd light, I just could not hold the power the guys ahead of me were holding and I too dropped off and opted to just do what I could to climb seated and fight the urge to get off.  I watched as the guys ahead continued to pull away, and I pretty much had to climb on my own.  Jeremy had reeled me in at the top, and the two of us got lucky and caught Todd, Galen and Shannon at the left turn light to Ridge Park.

Jeremy capitalized on the light as it turned green while we had momentum and was able to pass everyone after the turn.  I was able to get past Shannon and Galen, but could not get close enough to reel in Todd.  Eventually, Shannon made his way past me and Todd subsequently, but I think Jeremy made it to Vista ahead of everyone.  Galen got past me, but I was able to stay with him for the most part.  I tried to reel him in near the top, and he accelerated enough to gap me before making the right turn to Vista.

Jeremy had kept going, probably because we forgot to mention how we were regrouping at the top since he came late, but Shannon, Todd, Galen and I waited for Vin and hopefully Adrian.  Vin arrived, but Adrian was no where in sight so we ended up taking off in case Adrian opted for a different route.

We made the left turn to NPC and Todd led us up to an awaiting Jeremy.  There was a little "racing" going on as we made our way down NPC toward the 2nd Pelican, but I didn't want any of that since I knew the standing climb exercise on Pelican would be challenging enough already.

When we made the right turn to Pelican, I was surprised to see Vin take off climbing off the seat and gapping the rest of us.  I was able to make my way past the others as well, but Jeremy stayed pretty close and ultimately passed after the first ascent.  He and Vin had a gap on us by the 2nd short ascent and ultimately the final one.  I was in the number 3 spot, but I was passed by both Todd and Shannon early on in the climb.  I did pass Shannon for a little bit only to have him show his climbing prowess subsequently and literally blowing by every one of us off the seat all the way to the top.  Vin and Jeremy held the rest of us off, but they did succumb to getting back on their seat on the final part of the climb just after the bend.  I was actually surprised to see Todd also get back on his seat before the climb ended(probably after seeing Vin and Jeremy do so), but he just came back from vacationing in Ohio for 5 days. We'll give him a pass.

I was lucky to have caught the others on the left turn back on NPC, and I guess Galen just made it (wink wink) and rolled up behind us as we all made our way toward Vista.  I was kind of looking forward to being able to do a combination of climbing styles again as the forced seated and forced off-the-seat climbing for the entire length was just brutal.

When we made the turn, I wasn't sure what I would have but immediately started the climb off the seat.  Surprisingly, this allowed me to make my way past the others and lead the climb, and getting back on the seat eventually allowed me to hold everyone off until we hit the false flat.  I could see someone looming in the background, but I wasn't sure who it was.  Rather than trying to keep the break, which is often times impossible for me on climbs, I dropped it down a little waiting for the pass.  when I saw it was Todd, I had to speed up just to be able to latch onto his wheel and have him tow me to the last part of the climb.  From there, I took advantage and made my way around getting some momentum after getting off the seat again to climb.  Mid-way up, though, the hill turned into that Poltergeist movie hallway that seemed to just keep getting longer and longer as I rode up it.  I had to finish back on the seat, and I literally closed my eyes a couple/few times just hoping that when they opened I'd be at the top.  Talk about pain!

We regrouped at the top and Todd and Galen led us down Ridge Park and got things started on the NPC descent.  Galen got us going early on, so it was hard for me to take the front especially with a compact crank.  I was able to get one pull in, but Shannon passed us subsequently and brought the pace up to where I was really spinning out my cranks just to keep up.  It got a little hairy through the underpass due to a dangerous pass by a guy in an Audi among other things, but we made it down to the bottom unscathed.

When everyone was talking about how idiotic the driver in the Audi was and how close he came to us, I couldn't even talk.  I was spent, so I just sat there trying to recover.  When we got going again, Galen led early on followed by Shannon but Shannon waved me on to jump on Galen's wheel.  I took the following pull, but after Todd relieved me, I was D-O-N-E, done!  I was back in the line and thankfully we slowed due to a car turning right on one of the intersections.  I thought I'd get a second to recover, but one he cleared out of the way, the immediate acceleration popped me off right away leaving Todd behind me having to fend for himself.  Sorry.  Todd was able to catch the group, but I opted to live to fight another day.  Yeah, that's it.

Excellent training today, gents, topped with excellent efforts throughout.  We'll have to do this again sometime, but let's wait another month to let me fully recover from today's ridiculousness.

Thanks for coming out!

Vince's Final Pre-Baby Group Ride

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/75431137

With Vince becoming a daddy tomorrow, he wanted to get a longish group ride in today and understandably so.  It may be his last for a while.  I had planned to ride Sunday, but just couldn't pass up the opportunity to ride with a veteran team member under these circumstances.  The plan was to get about 50-60 miles in, make it a no-drop ride, have fun on some hills and cruise the rest as Vince announced.  At first, I thought no one else could make it, but Mitchell decided to come out of his summer hibernation,  Vin came out and intercepted and accompanied us for a good portion of the ride, and Trevor opted to make his debut appearance under the premise it would be a "fun group ride." 

"Fun group ride" is usually defined differently for our cycling team than most, but we were not going to be leaving anyone behind today...at least not for too long.  This actually made for a great training day because we got to work on things that we wouldn't usually be able to do when we're just so busy trying to keep up.  And with Trevor coming out for his first time with us, we were going to be good ambassadors to the sport of cycling and ensure that we made the pace more than manageable.   We'd pull away on occasion to train, but altogether never really made the pace too manic. 

Vince originally planned for us to go down 133 to Laguna Beach, but we opted for a slightly safer route and went over NPC to PCH instead.  It was "fun" to work that hill off the seat all the time for me, and having my wingman Mitchell wit me was a bonus.  We regrouped at the top and stayed together down to PCH, over to and through Laguna Beach, and ultimately to Crown Valley.  It was a little hairy going through downtown Laguna Beach in that direction as always, but we all got through it incident free.

We would string out on occasion as we got on Crown Valley, but never for very long.  We were  holding a good pace, and made our way together to meet Vin just after crossing the 5 freeway.  He seemed to come out of nowhere, and Vince was already trying to instigate how he and I should pick it up on Live Oak together.  As if we'd stay together (wink wink).

When we got on Antonio Parkway and making our way toward Live Oak, another cyclist had passed us.  Shortly after, another cyclist passed us.  Vin rolled up and started joking around how he can't believe we could let them do that. I told him I wasn't really interested in chasing anyone down today, but I wondered if Vin noticed the uncontrollable eye twitch I was having from having been passed without responding. 

As we neared Santa Margarita, which heads to Live Oak, Vince mentioned how a large group was coming up fast behind us.  When I turned around, I see a group of at least 20 riders coming sure enough.  1 or 2 riders, okay, but a whole group was just too much to pass up.  We were hoping everyone would be able to latch on, and if not, we would deal with the fallout subsequently. 

Vince started pushing up to the front of the group and attempting breakaways immediately.  The rest of us opted to ride with the group and see just how fast they were.  As we started to look around, we did notice some familiar faces from the Como Street ride.  At that point, we knew this must be a regular Saturday group training ride but we just didn't know which one.  Nonetheless, Vince still opted to breakaway and actually succeeded early on after just getting through a stop light with a few others.  After awhile, we lost sight of him. 

We went down the tight zig zagging turns as a group, but being toward the middle, there was already a gap forming in front of the couple riders ahead of us once we got to the bottom.  A guy on a TT bike started to try and reel them in, so I jumped in behind him hoping he would reel them in with us in tow.  After I saw that he wasn't getting it done, I swung around and closed the gap myself.  I think Mitchell and Vin did the same eventually and/or had gotten with others who did as I did see them as we started to make our way up.

The pace was pretty fast, so people were popping off left and right.  This made it even more intense because we'd have to get around them and latch back on to the front group.  Eventually, the attrition took its toll and there weren't too many people in this front pack anymore as we approached the last part of the climb. It was here where we finally made our way to Vince, who had been working with another guy to try to keep the breakaway.  He was just starting up the steeper ascent at the end when the front group started to make their way past him.  I would have called out but I was pretty short of breath from closing gaps and just trying to keep up.  By the time we got to the top, I was worked.  It was nice to get some rest as we descended to the bottom.  

We regrouped at the bottom sans Trevor, so I decided to go back and make sure he was making his way up okay.  I was descending on the other side when I saw Trevor, but I couldn't turn around too quickly as he continued to make his way up.  I motioned him to keep going, and I turned around when it was safer to do so.  As I started to make my way too him, I see something move on the side of the road.  When I looked down, it was a racoon that looked like it got hit and was on its back moving, which scared the bejeezus out of me.  I eventually made my way up to Trevor, and rode with him to keep him going at his pace.  We made it up and over together and regrouped with the others who were waiting for us on El Toro.

We went up Glenn Ranch from there and down toward Portola.  Vin opted to head home from here and turned left, while the rest of us turned right to head toward Alton.  When we got to Alton, there were a group of riders who were crossing Portola in front of us.  We got on Alton and started to descend, but still managed a respectable pace.  Then, a few of the riders who crossed in front of us passed us but ended up getting caught at a light ahead of us.   We also arrived at the light, so when it turned green...BAM!  Vince, Mitchell and I started taking turns and Trevor hung on while we snapped those riders off.  BAM BAM!

We made our way back to work via the San Diego bike trail off of Alton, but Trevor was feeling worked from the long ride.  I had hoped that we could have taken a break before we went up Live Oak, but that group having come up on us at that time prevented it from  happening.  With us so close back, we just did what we could to stay together.  After we got past the bridge after Harvard, the winds were a little stiff so this made it even harder.   Eventually, Mitchell and I had gotten ahead and opted to chase down a guy who had drafted us but got away after we spun up to regroup.  Vince helped Trevor make it back to California, and we all were able to finish the ride. 

62 miles with 4K of climbing is a pretty legit route.  Trevor has now been officially exposed to team BAM, and hopefully had a great ride out of it.  It was definitely nice to have Mitchell back out with us, and he says he should be joining the lunch rides again soon.  Vince seemed to have had a great ride as well, and I hope one that he'll want to repeat again once he can break away from his daddy duties.   Thanks, buddy, and best wishes for a smooth delivery of your healthy baby boy tomorrow. 

BRCM Lunch - The Turtle Rock Ring Loop

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/74972178

I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about going out on today's lunch ride seeing only Shannon in the locker room initially.  After all, he and Vince punished me last week and left me sucking my thumb as I rode my way back on the bike trail alone midway through the route.  Not only is there the thought of how hard it will be to keep up with him, but he may also actually be angry with how long I end up holding him out IF I can keep up.  Fortunately, others started to trickle into the locker room some time after, and Adrian and Hiroshi came out and met us at the corner.  All together, it was a crew of 6 today with Vin and Jaffe rounding us out.  Phew!

Editorial sidenote:  One thing Shannon and I talked about in the locker room was how the new trend in our riding seems to be to see how much we can punish one another by sprinting from stop lights/signs at intersection, taking shortcuts (or fastcuts as I'd like to call them), and just not having the camraderie that we used to have thus having him ride in the same fashion as a result.  This may be a topic we'll need to touch on with our group sometime, but I'm just throwing it out there as a preview for a future discussion.

Back to the ride....

Adrian started us off early on with an early breakaway with Hiroshi.  Shannon ended up closing the gap before the stop sign on E. Peltason, and ended up taking the lead subsequently.  Although I was a couple riders back, I couldn't let Shannon be held out for too long, so I eventually pulled up to the front and thought to myself...hmmm, this is going to be one of those rides, huh?

We ended up making the light on Bonita Canyon and proceeded up Shady with Shannon once again taking the lead.  I rolled to the back after my pull, but ended up having to roll up and relieve him some time after.  The next time, I just opted to get right behind him to prevent being splintered off.

Shannon took us up to Sunnyhill, but there were a lot of cars that had approached the intersection upon our arrival.  Shannon and Jaffe ended up getting through, but the rest of us had to wait for the traffic to clear and eventually ended up going into chase mode.

I half expected that when I took the front to give chase that we were going to be in for a long day if I were to do the work alone.  To my welcomed surprise, Vin and Adrian rolled up to the front to help keep the pace up with Vin eventually rolling us up to the back of Shannon and Jaffe.  Vin actually kept going past the two but was eventually relegated back into the draft.  I had gotten up front past Vin, but Shannon relieved me shortly after and pretty much towed the group all the way to the Ridgeline intersection (our first regroup point).

Adrian came up from the back and took the lead as we made our way over to Shady.  I ended up taking the front after we were on the trail, but he wanted to do a little sprint up the hill after the bridge.  Do I need to indicate the outcome here, folks?

The others rolled up after, and we were together again as we made our way up to the rest of the Shady climb.  There were no sprints to the top, but everyone was pretty tight as we made our way up and over the crest.

As we made our way toward the 405, Jaffe took the "fast cut" by skipping the trails and riding the streets to get to the last trail opening before heading toward the 405.  I reeled him and we were all working to make our way to the bridge.  I didn't think anyone was contest for a sprint in that section as the wind was just a little too much.

We stayed together as we made our way to Ridgeline and hit the light where everyone waited patiently to cross and start the climb.  Well, almost everyone....  Adrian arrived at the light behind us, but jumped to get a headstart.  Vin started up the hill after him with the rest of us in tow, and it took up to the first part that pitched up to reel Adrian in.  I had taken the front around that point, and opted to keep the pace up as best as I could (which doesn't say much), but I was surprised/impressed that Hiroshi stayed latched on the whole time.  All that Como and Coffee Crew training is definitely paying off.

we regrouped again at Turtle Rock, and Adrian ended up jumping to the front and leading us a good portion of the way down.  I finished and got us to the bottom and eventually to the Campus/Culver intersection where we made it just as the light turned green.  After that, it was the Shannon show going up Culver.

I know for a fact that while Culver is not particularly steep, Shannon can drop some serious wattage on this seemingly long ass hill.  I tried to pass at one point, but maybe it was a half-hearted attempt given the pace he was already going.  Looking back after we passed the first light, I saw that Shannon singlehandedly snapped the rest of the guys off.  I just hung on eating some humble pie along the way as he towed me to the top.  I did apologize for holding him out after, so if anything, I'm not shameless. HA HA.

We took turns on Bonita Canyon and the headwind there was pretty stiff.  Nevertheless, we managed to keep the rest at bay and made it to Ford without seeing anyone else behind us.

As we headed to the Condo, I wasn't sure if Shannon was strategizing the hill as he fell back (like I would when I set others up...HA) as I lead us toward it.  When we got there though, it was a cluster given there was a guy making a right turn as we approached the intersection and a truck with orange cones parked right after the corner obstructing the path.  Thus, the climb up the condo was rather uneventful.

When Shannon and I arrived and waited for the light on McArthur, Vin eventually rolled up behind us followed by Hiroshi and Jaffe.  Vin proceeded to tell us how Jaffe blocked him off as Shannon and I broke away, but I think what he may not have realized was that he wouldn't have been blocked off if he was closer to or actually up front.  Just sayin.

When I was at the McArthur light with just Shannon, I wasn't sure he'd be up for a sprint, but with Vin rolling up...you just know the kid wanted to take a stab at it.  If he did, I figured I'd let him start us off so I got behind him as we made our way past some stop lights before he 73.  Once we were approaching the last light, Hiroshi decided to take off and ultimately lead us out for the sprint.  I came around from Vin's draft and jumped over to Hiroshi's while I watched the kid get behind me.  Although I prefer the #3 spot, I'd see what he could do from me being in #2.  Once we got past the last light, I looked over and saw Vin getting ready to sprint so I took off.  Now the kid had some momentum and came up to my left seemingly like he would be able to pass me.  Fortunately for me (unfortunate for him), I was still gaining momentum and stuffed his attack like Raid on roaches.  Old guys rule!

It was a great workout and nice fast group ride for most of the route...until Shannon splintered off the others.  I hope this is something we can extend to weekends again, but for now I'm content with doing so at lunch.  Thanks, gents!  

BRCM Lunch - NPC Loop with Todd

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/74718522

Todd came out and joined me today after I missed yesterday's lunch ride, and I was kinda glad to hear he had already ridden in the morning.  This may actually give me a chance to keep up, especially going up NPC, which was part of today's route.  He did say in the locker room that I'd be towing him throughout the ride since he was tired, but we all know that BAM kicks in the moment we start pedaling and that was just a bunch of hogwash.  Sure enough, once we started, he took off.  HA HA

We waited for a bit hoping others may come out, but once we figured no one was coming, Todd led us out...and fast.  I was able to get behind him just as we were climbing up E. Peltason, and began rotating up front once on Anteater.  Despite Todd being "tired," he still kept pushing up to the front a lot and often.  What a beast!

When we got on NPC, I decided to check myself before I wrecked myself and stayed behind Todd for a majority of the climb.  This is no small feat, mind you, but I did push up at one point only be relieved by Todd as we got to the top.

We kept alternating after San Joaquin, and this continued on down Pelican.  We thought we had a pretty good run and expected to see good Strava results, but we must have both been delusional since we weren't even close.

Todd and I continued to trade and after I had a long pull on PCH, he pretty much towed us through the CDM neighborhood all the way to Avocado.  He definitely didn't seem tired then.

When we got on PCH, the alternating continued and it would be just at the right times too.  I would think we're going pretty fast only to have him give me a reality check and pass me showing we could be going faster.

Todd led us through the trailer park bike trail as I waited until we got on Back Bay to relieve him since it's not the safest place to go fast and/or pass.  Once on Back Bay, we started to pick up the pace with me starting us off.  I saw another rider ahead of us, and we were definitely making ground on him fast.  Todd passed me and closed it even faster where the both of us passed him at a pretty good clip.  I looked back and saw that the rider tried to respond and began chasing us down.  Once we got to San Joaquin, however, he must have popped or realized it was useless since Todd and I were working together.

More rotations occurred after with Todd taking the final pull and the both of us ascending to the top pretty much together.  As we were making our way on the sidewalk to the bike trail on Jamboree and University, we saw construction signs and decided to stop and go up Jamboree instead.  This is where it got a little interesting.

We started our way up from a dead stop, and I stayed behind Todd to let him set the pace hoping I could keep up.  Shortly after starting the climb, two guys zoom past us followed by about 4 others guys who we had to check up for until they passed too.  The 4 were calling out to us to make sure we knew they were there, so we didn't have a choice but wait.  Once they finished passing, the chase was on...Todd's killer instincts were riled.  We reeled in the 4 riders ahead of us despite them all seeming to have come directly from Jamboree since they definitely had momentum when they passed.  We would have loved to mix it up with the first two, but they kept going past Bison and we were already heading back.  Next time.  And to the four we did pass, remember the logo on the jerseys since we both wore BRCM today (Todd-white and me-black).  Recognize....

Good average for just the two of us and a great workout as to be expected when riding with a BAM'er.  Thanks, Todd!

Lunch Ride - Ohhh So That's What Quitting Feels Like

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/73254901

The only way you can test your truly limits is by allowing yourself to go beyond them.  Today was such a day.  My calves and quads were cramping, my lungs struggled to get any more air in, and my heart rate was maxed the hell out.  And that was only half way into the ride! 

Shannon, Vince, Jeremy, Hiroshi and Vin came out today, so I knew it was going to be fast.   I was trying to be respectful of this fact in the beginning of the ride, and didn't make my way to the front until we got past Bonita Canyon.  When I finally took the front after the intersection, I thought I'd help to amp it up and brought the pace up to a respectable speed.  When I got relieved by Shannon or Vince, I rolled all the way to the back to recover.  Of course, Shannon amped it up to a ridiculous pace up front and strung the group out pretty much immediately.  Vince was able to stay with him, but the rest of us worked to try and not let them get too far away.

Jeremy was ahead of me, so we worked together to try and close the gap.  We could see Shannon and Vince looking back every once in a while keeping an eye on us, but we just kept pushing forward.  Vin even got in the rotation to help, but we seemed to only be keeping the gap from growing if anything.

As we climbed toward Starcrest on Turtle Rock, Jeremy and I closed the gap some but the damage from the effort to mitigate the effects of the earlier breakaway was done.   I tried to hang with Jeremy on the climb and help reel in Vince, who had dropped a little behind Shannon, but I just didn't have anything left.  All I could do was watch as the three guys pulled away.  When I got to Summit Court and didn't see them, I was somewhat elated only because that meant I wouldn't have to struggle anymore.  Then I saw Shannon, Vince and Jeremy sitting by the curb just before the turn to Ridgeline.  Damn!

We regrouped with Vin at that corner, and after not seeing Hiroshi coming up behind him, we rolled out. 

Normally, I wouldn't fret the rest of the route given it was mostly flat.  I did what I could to help keep the pace up when I could as did others.  When I had the front as we got on Jeffrey to make our way back to the bike trail that lead back to University, Shannon launched an attack that was just downright wicked.  It caught the rest of us off guard for sure, but I tried to respond and give chase hoping to at the very least to just latch us all back on.  In doing so, I felt my right calf go first but I tried to ignore it hoping I could recover later once we catch Shannon.

Jeremy and Vince helped to work their way back to Shannon with Vin in tow, but it took a ways after going through the tunnel to do so.  Before they did,  I did the unthinkable...I threw in the towel.  My quads started to cramp, so I just lost all interest in riding anymore.  HA HA.  I told the guys to go ahead, and I was just going to try and hobble back to work on my own.   It was bittersweet watching them roll away together and pull away from me.  Bitter because I wished I was with them, but sweet because I'm glad it was over.

Riding solo on the way back was rough.  The headwind was ridiculous, so I was actually content to hold a pace of ~18-20 mph.  It took me a long time just to reel another rider ahead of me who was wearing an OC Gran Fondo jersey.  I was certain he'd latch on only because I passed him so slowly...but he didn't.

I was chugging along when I saw Jeremy stopped and waiting ahead of me.  He indicated he felt bad that I dropped off, so he waited to help tow me back.  What a guy!  He was towing us at a respectable 24 mph against the headwind, so I wasn't even sure I could hang on.  I took probably one pull after but just didn't have anything left.  Given that he had come back for me though, I pushed us past CA to do the whole route, so that we do the complete route at the very least.  When we got to Jamboree, we could see Vin up ahead so I told Jeremy to go ahead while I tried to figure out how to get to the top.

When Jeremy and I got on Bison, we actually saw the three guys ahead of us waiting for the light at McArthur.  We hoped we could catch them but got stopped at the light just before the intersection.  That was pretty much it as far as those guys go, and Jeremy kindly towed me in all the way back to work.  Thanks again!

Looking at the ride stats on Strava, the turning point was definitely on Shady where Shannon acquired a couple KOMs for that section.  It's those vicious attacks, aided by Vince's participation, that set the tone for the rest of the ride.   And that tone goes by the name of PAIN.  Nice work, gents!  Thanks for reminding me what cramping profusely was like.  HA HA.

BRCM Lunch - TT Training with Todd and Jeremy = FAST

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/72990897

The triple BB route seems to be the most ideal for TT training.  It's fairly flat, there's not too many stops and traffic (including pedestrian, cars, and other cyclists) doesn't seem to impede too much.  While training solo on this route is fun, it's even more fun when you get to train with others on TT bikes.  Can you say FAST?

Todd and Jeremy made it out with me today, with Jeremy on his new Focus TT bike, so I knew we definitely had the potential to break records together.  However, Todd wanted to get his solo TT training in, so who were we to refuse him of this training?  Rather than taking turns, we opted to let Todd lead us out and planned for a pass at some point in the ride to give Todd even more incentive to go faster...his chase instincts are ridiculous. 

Jeremy was caught a little off guard when we took off on California since Todd pegs it from the get go.  There ain't no warm-ups on this route.  He was still able to keep up despite and we made it all down to the bottom together.  

Once on the bike trail, we lined up behind Todd as he fought his way through the wind.  I could tell it was windy on the occasion I would ride just outside of Todd's draft, so there was no way I was going to break away on the way out...especially if I had any hope of making it stick.  Despite the winds, Todd still managed to get us out to PCH and Bayside with a 24.4 mph average at that point.  Yowza!

He continued to lead the both of us through the trailer park trail and finally back to Back Bay drive.  The last time we did this ride, I waited until our last pass through Back Bay to give Todd someone to chase, but today I thought I'd take off sooner just to see if we can get him to push faster sooner.  Just after we passed San Joaquin, I took off. 

Now at this point, I wasn't sure if Jeremy was up for it or not but to my welcomed surprise, it wasn't long before he relieved me and took the front as we worked together to extend the breakaway.  I took another turn to relieve him, and he did the final pull as he led us up to the hill leading to the top of Back Bay.  Nice work!

The fear in me kept me charging up the hill knowing that I didn't want to lose too much ground before I hit Jamboree.  I looked back at the top to see if Jeremy was coming with, but he indicated to go on and keep giving Todd someone to chase.  So I did....

Going up Jamboree, I'm always worried that this would be a good place for Todd to make up ground.  Thus, I worked the whole hill and just expected to catch my breath during the following descent.  The stars must have aligned here because I was able to time the lights such that I didn't really have to stop...just slow down.  This pretty much sealed the deal as far as being able to keep the breakaway since Todd and Jeremy were not able to make the same lights. 

I never looked back, mostly because it's not efficient to do so with my TT helmet on - haha, so I just kept my head down and pedaled always anticipating that I may get caught/passed.  I had a good run on the last pass back and continued on when I got up on the University bike trail.  Hell, even the light to cross University to go up California turned green upon my arrival, so I kept going. 

The lack of stopping definitely helped to allow me to get my best time for this route...that and hiding behind Todd early on and working with Jeremy on the 2nd pass.  I was actually at 24.7 mph average at the base of California, but dropped to 24.3 by time I got to Bison.  While not stopping was ideal, it also meant no time for rest either.  I was worked. 

Todd, never having drafted, matched my average moving speed, so that's hella impressive as well.  And considering Jeremy just started riding his TT bike and already doing a 23.9 mph, I'm thinking he'll only get faster and faster with more seat time.  Ultimately, I don't think it'll be long before we hit the 25s as an average speed, especially if we're willing to work together the whole time.  Todd indicated last time we would do it, but the guy likes to train in the wind.  He's now indicating again how we should try it next time, but I won't hold my breath.   He's a champ for a reason.

Thanks for the training, gents!

BRCM Lunch - Shady Ridgeline Loop Training with the Beast

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/72451869

After a weekend of blissfully neglecting my diet AND training, I was really looking forward to getting some good solo miles on my TT bike today.  I even missed my morning training (user error with the alarm clock), so I had every intention to try and burn off all the bad food and drinks I had.  When I saw Shannon in the locker room, he confirmed he was riding as well but on his road bike.  At first, we were going to go our own separate ways, but it's always intense training with Shannon.  Thus, I'm glad he allowed me to ride with him rather than me doing my typical triple BB.  We ended up doing the bike trail > Laguna Canyon > Quail Hill > Ridgeline > Culver > McArthur loop instead.

Despite being on my TT bike, Shannon was still rather monstrous on his BMC.  As we headed down toward the bridge near Harvard, the pace was fast throughout.  Shannon was definitely able to negotiate the turns better, and if it weren't for the fact I was on my TT (with an aero helmet AND a skinsuit), I probably would have been waving at him as he pulled away from me.  As he would pull away on the turns, I had to tuck in just so I can catch up and work with him again.  It was madness!

When we did cross over the bridge, I thought we could slow it down some but Shannon started to pull away again after he got back on the trail.  It took a lot to just catch back up to him, which speaks volumes given I was on a cheater bike. 

We definitely set some good speed on the trails, followed with the ride over to Quail Hill and back on the 405 bike trail.  I tried going for the segment to the bridge, but the wind was rough so I was only able to eek out a 2nd place to my best time on that section.  Not too shabby given the headwind.

On Ridgeline and down toward Campus via Turtle Rock, I had gotten a little ahead of Shannon but he caught me at the light on Culver.  I did my best to try and lead us up, but Shannon had to finish the rest of the hill at the top as I started to fade pretty good.

I was able to recover somewhat on Bonita Canyon and took the lead, but Shannon jumped to the front from the light just before McArthur and hauled some serious ass all the way to Bison and ultimately to CA.  I was thinking I would be able to push past after the 73, but Shannon lit it up at that point so all I could do was watch.  Nice sprint!

It was good to ride with Shannon again, and as expected never a dull moment.  He had trained in Orchard Hills yesterday, so that along with me being on my TT bike was probably why I didn't end up on my death bed out there.  Thanks for the push, Shannon!

Lunch Ride - Shannon the NPC Punisher

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/71479742

Having solicited today's ride a day in advanced, I was quite relieved that a few of the strong climbers were not going to be able to make it out for one reason or another.  Maybe it won't be so painful.  Maybe it won't be so cut-throat.  Maybe it may actually be fun.  Then as I was getting ready in the locker room beforehand, Shannon walked in.  So much for all those maybes.  At that point, I awoke from my earlier dream state and prepared myself for the inevitable...it was time to work (i.e. McGee time).

Vin and Jaffe made it out today as well making for a total of only four of us out there, but everyone represented BRCM white as planned.  Nice.  If anything, we'll at least look good out there.  HA HA.

Seeing as no one else was joining us, we took off where I took the initial lead out down CA.  On the bike trail, Shannon jumped to the front early on and everyone started to rotate to the front accordingly.  Vin and Jaffe were doing great to help keep the pace up, but I think Shannon bore the brunt of the work with me offering relief when and as long as I could. 

This continued on when we got to PCH, and I did try to do what I could to relieve Shannon as he would do for me. 

Through Ocean and the neighborhood, there wasn't much action there so we stayed together throughout.  It was when we got to PCH after Poppy that Shannon began to drop the hammer.  I was doing what I could to help but it's not easy passing the big guy.  Essentially, I would only pass when he wanted me to...never when he didn't.  The latter being due to the fact that it's ridiculous trying.  There were a couple of attempts to push up to the front to help, but he snuffed them. 

Vin and Jaffe were also doing what they could to help,  but Vin asked me at one point "Hey, Rich, are you tired?"  Not being able to breathe, I couldn't answer him and just went on.   Where does he come up with such great questions though?

It was after we turned around that Shannon decided he was going to make him breakaway.  Vin, Jaffe and I just watched as he pulled away at one intersection where it really didn't make sense to try and catch him.  I did try to close the gap some as it would have been nice to climb up NPC with him.  By the time we got on NPC, however, there was definitely no catching him then. 

I stood up and at times would think I was making a little ground on him, but I think it was dementia more than anything else.  We pulled away from Jaffe and Vin before the first Pelican light, and that was pretty much the last time we saw the two.  I could see Shannon at a distance passing another guy near the 2nd Pelican light, and I thought I had a chance when they caught the red there.  However, after I made my way past the intersection and eventually to the crest, I looked ahead and they were just gone.  BAM!

My legs were not doing so hot at that point and my calves were starting to hint that they were ready to cramp.   The lesson for today, boys and girls, is don't forget your bottle on a BRCM ride.  I pretty much had to back it down for the descent as a result, but I was pleasantly surprised to run into Shannon at the bottom getting ready to turn left on Bonita Canyon.

As we made our way back, I was doing all I could to keep a good pace at the front, but Shannon saw these as opportunities to go into what I call "Beast" mode.  He'd hammer by, somewhat sinister like even, but I realized he was just showing me how fast we could be going vs. me settling into a somewhat comfortable pace.  He did it a couple more times, and by the time we got back to work, I was like a turkey baking with the deepest part of the breast meat reaching 165 degrees:  i.e. Done!

Outstanding effort today, especially through some of the windy sections.  I guess I'll wait for the next ride when Shannon confirms he's not able to make it to start thinking about those maybes again.  Then again, with the strength of the guys on this team, "maybe nots" are more likely.  Thanks, guys!