BWR Trainer #4 - Just a Bunch of Miles Taper Ride

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/46551106

Since next week is the Belgium Waffle Ride, the hills were no longer on the training agenda so the only thing we were interested in doing was getting in a lot of miles.  The original plan was to ride down to the McDonald's in Camp Pendleton from the Irvine BJs, which would have been ~108 miles OAB, but our plans were foiled by the Half Ironman that took place in Oceanside ultimately closing the road to Trestles.  We still got in about 94 miles (some more based on riding from home) after deciding to head up to Warner in Huntingon Beach and then back through Back Bay and the bike trail.   Good enough.

I arrived first in the parking lot and Shannon came in after and parked behind me.  I wondered if anyone else was going to come (other than Noah and Kevin who were going to ride in), and when I didn't see any other cars I recognized I figured it would just be the four of us.  Then I had looked at my rear view mirror and saw Shannon was talking to someone.  When I looked at my other rear view, I was surprised to see that Eddie made it out.  Although he sported BRCM black (everyone else wore white...even Noah), it was great he could make it out.  I guess IM training is on again.

Once we got going, I noticed how the temperatures seemed pretty ideal.  It was one of those days where it wasn't freezing at the start and never really got too warm during any part of the ride.  Winds were present through certain parts of the ride, but nothing too crazy.  I can only hope that next week's race will have comparable weather.  We'll see.

Starting the ride, the pace was pretty moderate where everyone seemed to respect the idea that we were going long and not racing for segments...my favorite type of ride.  Everyone was taking turns up front, including Eddie who pushed up a couple times despite not having ridden with us for a while.  Of course, my definition of moderate may differ from others on the road, but the fact that we pretty  much stayed together the whole time speaks volumes.   While there were surges on occasion, especially when called for (more on this later), this was actually a group ride that stayed as a group.  Amazing.

Eddie opted to turn around after getting 20 miles in since he had to get back, and 40 for the day was good enough.  The rest of us continued on toward San Clemente even after we realized that we probably wouldn't be able to go beyond Cristianitos.  We were going to figure things out when we got there.  We took a quick pit stop at Dana Point, but kept going after maintaining a strong steady pace incident free all the way.

As we got on Avenida del Presidente, we happen to see Brad (Noah's other buddy) heading the opposite way, so he turned around and joined us.  Brad's a trooper too, so having an extra person to work the rotation was great.

We opted to go over the freeway onto El Camino Real and decided at that point that Huntington Beach via PCH would be how we would get more miles.  We thought about going up Antonio, but the weather was great so the coast seemed like it would be optimal.

Just after going under the 5 freeway, an older guy in a Velosport kit opted to join the ranks.  He seemed content to be in the draft, but as we neared the protected bike path, that changed where he seemingly tried to break away.  After I reeled him back in, Shannon launched an attack and I followed hoping to keep the gap.  Kevin, however, seemed to have broken one of the crit rules of pulling someone back into the breakaway, and the next thing you know, he and Mr. VS were behind us again.  We all rotated once again after they caught up, but when Mr. VS took the front I thought it would be fun to just open it up again and drop him on the stretch.  BAM!  He opted to cross the street there, where the rest of us went through the parking lot and headed toward the harbor.

Then, someone got it in their head that it might be good to go up Cove on the way back.  I was definitely not looking forward to it since the last time I went up with Todd, we both felt pretty cooked after it despite not having been riding too hard beforehand.  Plus, I had a standard crank today and the last time was on my compact.  I hung back and actually chatted with someone who had rolled up and asked where we were going, but as we got closer to Cove, I dropped to my small chainring right away already and was just going to charge it off the seat to get momentum and hopefully make it up at a good pace.  I ended up passing the other guys early and Noah commented how I was going to do that because I'm an "angry rider" (or something to that effect), but the truth is I was more of a fearful rider just wanting to finish the hill.  Surprisingly, I did make it all the way up off the seat, so maybe I was angry.  HA HA  Too bad the segment is marked hazardous now.

On PCH, we were rotating and working together as a group all the way to Laguna Beach, where we opted to take another break at the gas station on the corner of the 133.  After refilling bottles, getting something to eat, etc., we continued on.   Everyone was still putting in work up front, and we were in CDM in no time.

It was sometime after Newport or possibly as we entered Huntington Beach that we ended up picking up some passengers.  There were actually a few guys riding with us, and some getting in our line but not really pushing up to the front right away.  If/when they did push up to the front, it seemed for the most part that they were trying to break off.  One guy even tried to do so rolling through a light, but we were able to reel him back in pretty easily.

As we passed one rider where Bike Religion shorts but a Velosport jersey, I  was actually behind another rider up front where the guy we passed tried to push his way onto the wheel of the rider in front of me.  After calling out "left" twice, he responded with "chill pro rider" and relegated to getting in the line behind me somewhere.  I was annoyed, but I did remember how I was in a BRCM kit and just bit my lip.  As we hit the next light, I did turn around to look and see where he was in case he had more to say, but I didn't really see him. 

As we pushed on to the long stretch, we decided to amp up the pace with some really strong pulls into the wind.  This ended up dropping a bunch of the straggler, but VS rider #2 and a younger kid we passed who was on a BMC managed to stay in the draft (by having us rotate in front of them).  After my last pull, I was finally relegated to the back of the pack and we were still moving at a pretty good clip with Shannon at the helm.  Then, I saw VS2 pull out, stand up and begin sprinting.  I hesitated waiting to see if anyone would respond when the kid on the BMC also decided to do the same thing.  I took off from the back and managed to latch onto the kid who had broken away, I ended up passing and trying to chase VS2 down but all the work we did beforehand just made it impossible.  Needless to say, I was a little annoyed.  Noah pointed out that he probably rounded the corner at Werner and celebrated on his own mental podium for what he did, but personally I think he rounded Werner because he probably thought we'd go straight and show his punk ass what's up.  Boy, I guess I am an angry rider.  HA HA

We turn around at Warner and started heading back where Brad had gone off on his own to go home.  I guess I was still pretty amped from what happened, so I took the front and held it for a while keeping a pretty decent pace.  Shannon's efforts earlier got to him and he started cramping where he ended up slowing down a bit to recover.  We regrouped at one of the light, and Shannon being the team workhorse, STILL kept pushing up to the front and even bringing the pace up because that's just what he does.  How can you not love this guy?  HA HA

He did end up pulling a disappearing act as we got to Bayside where we wondered where he was.  After not seeing him, Noah, Kevin and I opted to keep going believing that Shannon probably got ahead of us.  Sure enough, as we neared the entrance to Back Bay, there he was.  He jumped back in the rotation and once again still kept pushing up front as did the other guys making for a good pace through Back Bay and the following bike trails.  After some rotations, which Noah skipped a couple, Noah decided to pull a VS2 and break for the top of Back Bay.  Nice.  HAHA

On Harvard, I knew we were close and Noah mentioned earlier that we should just blow it out at the end.  I stepped it up and brought the pace up just to leave it all out there based on this.  Everyone stayed with me, but as we got closer to the bike trail opening Shannon indicated he was just going to spin the rest back so we pressed on.  Rather than going onto the bike trail, Noah indicated it would be safer to keep going straight and jump on the bike trail ahead.  Great idea!  We pushed on and Noah and I were just working together all the way to where I exited to Bryan.  Kevin was not far behind us, and I figured I'd see Shannon soon after I arrive at my car.   However, despite still pushing it on Bryan, it was just as I entered the parking lot from a cross street there that Shannon was once again right there beside me where he obviously didn't drop off much at all.  He's a feisty one, that Irishman.

Great group ride today, gents, and perfect way to get some good long miles in preparation for next week.  20.1 average on Strava (20.5 moving on GC), so obviously we were moving out there.  Now it's just a matter of getting that ride next week done.  I'm hoping we'll all be able to stay together as we did today, mostly so we can finish and start drinking all together.  Looking forward to it!  Thanks!

Lunch Ride - Blowout Central

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/45959874

Attendees:  Shannon, Vince, Vin, Jeremy, Mitchell, Todd, Paul B and Hiroshi

Highlights:

• Paul B. came out mounted on a new sexy Eddy Merckx bike with some prime components that had an effect on Mitchell comparable to taking a Viagra.  
• Within the first 3 minutes of the ride, Todd had probably the worst (and the loudest) tire blowout I've ever witnessed.  His sidewall was literally split for a good portion of the tire, his inner tube was wrapped around his cog, and he claimed to have been slapped on the ass by the inner tube.  He doesn't need to know that it was really me taking the opportunity to cop a feel.  He told us to go on as that was the end of the ride for him. 
• Jeremy led us out after and everyone was taking their turn as we made our way to Culver/Bonita Canyon. Paul B. opted to turn right on Bonita Canyon, and I'm thinking "now that's a smart man...."
• I took over at Culver and led everyone to Campus where Vince passed and got a little gap initially but we were all able to regroup at the light on Turtle Rock. 
• I took the opportunity to get some off the seat climbing in on Turtle Rock and doing so allowed me to gap the others.  They were just off the back the whole time with Shannon leading the chase, but I was able to keep ahead to the top of Starcrest.  Shannon was just behind me and Vince not far behind him.  The rest were also not too far behind, but Mitchell had gotten a flat here as well.  Amateur!  He told everyone to go ahead...so we did.  Glad we saw him at the locker room after where he made it back safely.
• We rolled off together again, and as we were descending after Turtle Rock, Vin launched an attack (he'll deny it but Vince saw it).  Vince and I didn't respond right away, but when Jeremy when to chase him down, I latched on as did the others behind me.  Vince took the front eventually and launched into punisher mode while we hung on behind him.  
• Vince and I were a little ahead on the bike trail initially looking for a possible breakaway, but got caught at the next light.  
• Shannon started us off on the other side of the light and then everyone rotated subsequently.  
• When we got over the bridge, I amped the pace up a little bit as we made our way to Jamboree, but had inadvertently (wink wink) broke off from the others only to be caught at the first light. 
• Shannon took the front and being the workhorse that he is, led us all the way to the bike trail entrance that leads back to University.  The others were a little off the back for a bit, but they caught Shannon and I eventually and jumped back into the rotation.
• Good rotations on the bike trail up through Harvard, but once we got over the bridge and down the way some, attrition occurred to where it was just Vince, Shannon and me.  
• The pace was pretty hot, but Shannon never wavered when taking a turn up front.  He turned up the screws as we were heading toward CA despite the winds where I may not have relieved him soon enough and passed probably too fast when I did finally take the front (sorry, bud).
• To my surprise, Vin had gotten back in the line with Vince after we passed CA and even took turns as we made our way to Jamboree.
• On Jamboree, more off-the-seat climbing training for me where eventually it was just Vin and Vince with me.  
• The three of us made our way to San Joaquin and eventually BB working together and each taking a turn pushing up the front.  
• As we got closer to the last couple bends before the top, I came out of Vince's leadout and opted to breakaway at this point all the way to CA.  Let's just say I have a lot of anxiety to blow off.
• Vince disclaimed that we should cool down on CA, so we opted to have Vin lead us up.  :)   Nice work, bud. 

Good workout, gents!  Hope to see you all Thursday as well.  

Team BRCM - BWR Trainer 3 - Glendora to Mt Baldy Ski Lifts

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/45571571

I wasn't sure this training ride was going to happen for me given my soccer dad obligations, but as with life, where there's a will there's a way.  I ended up carpooling with Shannon from Irvine (thanks!), and we met Todd and Vince at the Starbucks near Glendora high school.  Even though Vince isn't doing the BWR, he's a stud nonetheless and opted to get some vertical training with us last minute...always glad to have him.

It was a little chillier than what the weather forecast predicted, and I think it never made it over 50 degrees all the way up to the top.  Most of the climb up seemed to be in the shade, so I was glad I had on full arm and leg covering.  Shannon dressed similarly, but Todd and Vince opted to wear arm warmers only.  The cool air always makes it a little challenging to expand the lungs and take deep breaths, but it wasn't too harsh.  It did warm up some on our way back but an average temperature of 54 degrees as Strava indicated sounds about right.

When we started the ride, we let Todd have the honors of leading us out to GMR.  He was obviously cold at the start, so he wasted no time picking up the pace early.  In his haste, however, he did make a wrong turn and had us climb up a hill only to realize it wasn't the right road.   Given the contrast of climbing up Mt. Baldy though, no one really cared or complained. 

When we finally got on GMR, Todd still led us up with all of us lined up tightly behind him.  After we hit the first bend, we could see 4 riders ahead of us who we were reeling in rather quickly.  The 4 had splintered into two sets of riders where we passed the first two without any response.  When we passed the 2nd two, however, the guy and girl decided to join us.  I hate when this happens!  HA HA.

The guy who joined us eventually started to break away for a bit while the girl joined our line and in my opinion, broke our rhythm on some instances.  Shannon eventually pushed past us to give chase to the breakaway rider, but I think as he saw Shannon approaching opted to turn around and come back to his friend who he left behind in our line up.  The girl was a good rider, even pushing up to the front once, but her randomness was enough to have Todd pick it up and break away with Vince while I ended up passing her and her friend and riding on my own for the rest of GMR.  Todd and Vince weren't too far ahead at first, but as we made our way around some bends, began to pull further and further away. 

At this point, I was set to pretty much ride the rest of the way on my own.  Passing the fork to the 39 and seeing that no one was there, I had settled into a pace on GRR that was probably just enough to keep me moving forward...ha ha.  To my surprise, I saw an awaiting Shannon around a bend and I was glad to have someone to ride with again.  When we rode off, I was definitely more motivated to pick up the pace more than when I was on my own.  It came with the price of hurting more than I would have liked, but that's what we were up there for anyway so....

When we got to the top of GRR just before the drop down to the Village, we saw Vince there taking a break and preparing to head down on his own since he opted to skip the climb to the ski lifts...smart man.  We chatted for a little bit and he told us how Todd went ahead given his plan for a double switchback climb,  but Shannon and I were off and heading down toward the village soon after. 

Climbing up after the village was just like I remembered...4 miles of absolute misery.  I was trying to stay with Shannon as long as I could (I believe there is a BAM rule that suggests otherwise), and did manage to keep him in my sights for the most part.  As he got to the short descent before making his way past the bar to the right, he did increase the gap significantly but never to the point that I lost sight of him.  He looped and waited for me at the dead end and we made our way up to the ski lift parking lot together.  We did see Todd heading back down just before we started up the final pitch to the dead end, and did not envy him at all knowing he was heading back down to the village only to do it again.  Nutty.

We took a fairly short break at the top not even getting any additional fluids or anything, and just stopped long enough to get a little food.  Shannon changed in preparation for the cold descent, and just as we were leaving I ended up seeing a couple guys I knew from Orange County.  Small world.

Shannon and I worked together as we made our way back through GRR and GMR.  Since I had a schedule to follow, we never stopped and just exchanged pulls never really leaving one another as we descended back to Glendora.  There were some gaps that formed, but we always managed to find our way back to one another.  Good team work!

We got back pretty much on schedule and even with some time to spare...time for a couple cold ones anyway.  After changing and hanging out, we started to head out and saw Todd just making his way in as we were leaving.  Glad he made it back on his own safely and without any problems.  Despite the pain it caused from the seemingly never-ending climb, it was a great training day up that mountain.  Thanks for coming out, gents!

Lunch Ride - Los Trancos, Shady Ridgeline Turtle Rock Bonita

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/45317702

Attendees:  Vince, Jeremy, Vin, Adrian and Jaffe

Highlights:

• Opted to go up Los Trancos today.  Figured we should populate that segment.  Preliminary result is 5th for me, but I'm sure that will change given all of us were together during the climb. 
• Good pace on the bike trail with Adrian breaking away for a little bit before the gate.  
• Adrian and Vince were ahead on the first bridge where I expected I may be able to pass, but they charged that thing like champs.  
• I took the front and led some of us to the top of Shady where Vince got ahead of me on the descent.  He broke away for a bit, but with Jeremy, Vin and Jaffe, we reeled him back in by the 405. 
• No sprints to the bridge.
• The Ridgeline climb was interesting.  Vin led Vince, Jaffe and Jeremy up a little bit but I was caught sleeping at the light and was off the back for a little bit.  I was just able to latch on just before it pitched up when Jeremy stood up and started to break away from us.  I was able to make my way up to him (with great difficulty) and passed on the final pitch, but he was just behind me at Turtle Rock.  
• On the climb after, we rolled together for a bit but I managed to get to Hillcrest just ahead of him.  On the descent down, however, Vince passed me with Vince and Jeremy also right there.  I think Jaffe too.
• On the climb back up Turtle Rock, Vince saw to it to teach Jeremy a lesson for soft pedaling earlier to breakaway at Ridge.  After I rolled out and Jeremy took the front, Vince took the front and broke away with Vin and Jaffe in tow.  I was collateral damage when this occurred and couldn't handle their breakaway speed...although I tried.  
• Once I realized I couldn't sprint up to catch them and have anything left once I did, I went into TT mode and just kept my head down until I just barely managed to catch them at the top of the Shady rise before they descended.  I knew if I didn't by then, I wouldn't until the stop light.  
• Jaffe was in the lead when I took the front and tried to bring the pace up to prevent a challenge to bike trail sprint, but not enough since Vince took off and passed me for the win.  Nice work! 
• There were five of us when we made the left to Bonita Canyon, and everyone seemed good to take their turn at this point. 
• Jaffe and Vince took the front on Ford, and I soft-pedaled this section some in preparation for the condo.  
• Vince had a good jump on the condo, but I found my rhythm and tried to see if I had enough to medal in that segment.  Failed. 
• For the Bison sprint, Jeremy and Vin were up front originally, but then due to the lights, Vin ended up being behind me while Jeremy and Vince led us over the bridge.  Vince had offered me a lead out, which I accepted, and when we took off, Vin launched and started to pass us both.  I had to check up as he passed as I would have hit his rear wheel, but I was able to get in his draft after and pass him for the win.  Jeremy commented in the parking lot how he just saw three Asian dudes take off, and Vince responded by saying something to the effect that it's because he's a white dude.  I thought it was funny, but maybe you had to be there.

Nice work out there, gents!  Thanks for coming out!

Team BRCM - BWR Hill Trainer 2 - Santiago and his 7 Ugly Sisters

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/44711790

If I were to try and describe climbing prowess, it would definitely include the names of the guys who attended this ride.  Shannon, Noah, Galen and Todd epitomize our team's hill blazers today, so WTF am I doing going out on a ride like today's with them?  This question plagued me from the beginning of the ride to the end.

We met at BJ's in Irvine and Noah's friends Brad and Kevin joined us since they too were suckered into doing the BWR.  Noah, please have Kevin bring a doctor's note on our next training ride...his cough sounds horrible!  It was a rather cool start (temperature-wise) as we made our way to the canyon, and once we started going up dump, fog set in and it was rather soupy as we made our way through the canyons.  The fog, along with a quick flat repair for Galen, slowed us up a bit as we tried to make our way to Highland hoping to meet Vince, but it began to clear up once we got to the top of the hill just before Cook's.  By the way, it was nice climbing the hill before Cook's in the fog...I never even knew we were climbing it until we got to the top.

Once we got to the top, Shannon gave the order to pick up the pace as we made our way down El Toro towards Marguerite.  Galen and Todd were all over it, and the three of them led us through Marguerite, Los Alisos, and ultimately on Alicia to the first and probably least intimidating sister...Highlands.

Todd started up the hill and gapped the rest of us early, but we rolled up on him and as a pack made our way to the top in a pretty tight group.  When we rolled down toward Pacific Island, Todd once again took the front and started us off.  This, however, is where I think I was responsible for changing the rest of the ride.  Let me explain....

Having taken it somewhat easy through the canyon (as well as skipping my cardio yesterday and actually eating lunch instead...wha?), I had a bit of anxiety that I wanted to work through so I opted to up the pace some on this hill.  I found a good rhythm and felt pretty good on my R5, so I ended up in front and gapping the rest of the guys.  Based on my first paragraph above, I never believed it would hold and/or if it did, it would be by the graces of those who allowed me to do so.  I made it to the top alone and the plan was to drop down the other side and come back up.  Without stopping, I went ahead and descended.  After making the u-turn, I started climbing and saw the rest of the guys coming down not too far behind me.  I figured on this climb, they would catch me.  I looked back a few times just to see if someone was coming, and it was only near the top that I saw a person (I didn't know who) making his way up to me.  Fortunately, it was close enough to the top where I was able to spin up to keep him off and after stopping at the top by the sidewalk, I realized it was Shannon since he waited at the cul-de-sac hoping to re-group.  When Todd and Galen came up behind him, I heard them say to go on, so I started to roll off.  Todd caught me on the descent, and seemingly was on a mission from that point on. Shannon and Galen also came up behind us, and when we got down to Alicia, they just kept on going.  Umm...what about Noah, Kevin and Brad?  Heck, I don't think they even slowed down to see where I was.  HA HA.  At this point, I guess the team ride part of the training was over.  :)

I figured I better start pedaling and try to catch up to the guys ahead of me mostly because they were wearing the same kit I was.  It would look cooler.  I was fortunate that they got caught at a light at the base of Pacific Island as this was where I was able to regroup with them.  It was nice to know I'd be going up Nyes with some people just in case I fell over on the first part of that hill.

Todd led us over to Nyes and despite it being the most intimidating hill for me, they were rolling towards it at a pace that would probably make lesser riders drop.  Once we started climbing it, Todd led us on it and this time had a take-no-prisoners attitude pulling away from the rest of us early on and for the rest of the hill.  Galen followed slightly behind while Shannon and I made our way up it together for the most part not too far behind.

Todd opted to break at the top as did Galen, and I waited while Shannon went ahead to descend down Summit to turn around and make his way back.  Todd, Galen and I contemplated on which way to descent and ultimately decided to head down Nyes.  This was after Noah had arrived just behind us.  Noah opted to wait for Brad (Kevin went home and rightfully so), so off we went.  We did see Brad on the way down, and this was pretty much a recurring pattern for the remaining sisters.

Todd, Galen and I went up Bluebird then Summit and Todd asserted his dominance on this hill as well.  When we got up to the neighborhood, Galen, who was behind Todd, lost sight of him and he and I both weren't sure which direction to head from there.  We opted to turn left and headed toward the road the led to the Nyes park again and luckily, this was where we met Shannon.

The three of us headed toward Thalia and waved at Noah and Brad on the Summit descent.  Once we got on Thalia, we settled into a pace Shannon set and climbed the hill together.  Galen opted to break rank and broke off while Shannon and I stayed together for the whole way up.  Man, these hills are long!  We did see Todd near the top, and the four of us were able to start the last ugly sister together...Park.

Todd and Galen got a jump on the hill and after having had a gel, I felt pretty good where I started to climb past Shannon to see if I could make my way toward the other guys.  Well, that good feeling I had went away pretty quick and Park just seemed to go on forever where eventually, Shannon made his way past me and I was just hoping to survive the rest of the hill.  I was able to see them as they made the left turn toward the park at the top, so I don't think I was too far back from the rest of them.  Noah rolled up not too long after I did, so he definitely was making good time on the hills.

Noah took off on the descent ahead of us since he figured we'd catch him on the descent.  Ironically, it wasn't until the 133 that Todd and Galen saw him, so I'm starting to think he's not as slow on the descents as he claims to be.  Shannon and I got caught behind a couple riders and then a minivan on the descent, so we were not able catch up to Todd and Galen when they descended just ahead of us.  We did opt to take that steep hill down as a shortcut to the 133, so we got ahead of Todd and Galen temporarily.

Shannon caught  a light and was ahead of the three of us, but had pulled over to wait and regroup only to have Todd and Galen pass him at a pace that was probably a little too hot for Shannon to jump on.  With Todd and Galen seemingly willing to work together to make their way back, I opted to do the same and waited for Shannon who jumped on and then started taking turns with me.  We caught a few lights on the 133 making it impossible to catch up to the other guys, but we did work together making our way past other riders on the 133.  When we got to the light to turn left on Laguna Canyon, some of the riders we passed rolled up behind us where one said "oh no wonder you guys are so fast, you're from Broadcom."  Chalk that up as a cool compliment for the day.

Shannon and I continued to work together through the bike trail and we still had a pretty good pace heading back despite all the hills we did.  I almost cramped on Harvard, but a stop light and a Shot Blok helped to keep us together where we both made it back safely to the BJ's parking lot.  Todd and Galen were there already, and Noah had sent me a text to confirm that he, too, made it back to his house safely as well.

It's been a while hanging out after a ride with the guys, so today was extra special since we all went into BJ's for some post-ride festivities.  Shannon got it started early though and handed me an ice cold beer in the parking lot since we parked close together, and that was followed by some Pirahanas and Red inside.  Noah even came over to join us, and Sarah eventually joined us as well...nice!  It didn't take long before the "I love you guys" started spilling out...okay, so it was me, but what can I say...it's the truth.  I still think we're all going to come as close to death as possible on the BWR, but I couldn't think of a better set of guys to do it with than the guys on this team.  Plus, if we make it (note I use the word "if" and not "when"), just imagine what the post-ride festivities will be like for that ride.  I can't wait!

Thanks for the training, gents!

P.S.  We never did see Vince on today's ride, but it seems like he had other things on his mind for his ride today:   http://app.strava.com/activities/44640678.   Click on it. 

Great Park Time Trial - Setting the 2013 Baseline

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/44454205

Originally I wasn't sure if I was going to do this race, but Todd talked me into it by saying it would be a great way to set a baseline for the rest of the season now that they plan to hold Time Trials regularly through the year.  That seemed like a good enough reason, but admittedly I was worried about not having put in a lot of TT time since our race back in January.  I did get all of one ride in last Monday on the bike, so....

I arrived early, or so I thought, so I can get in some warm-up and sighting laps just to practice making the turns while staying on the aeros.  After signing in, I got ready and jumped in my speedsuit only to have to strip it back off since one of the pins holding my number on popped off.  I also forgot to put on my heart rate monitor.  I guess I need to work on my pre-race routine too.  HA HA.  Anyway, after I got my act together, I managed to get in only 2 warm-up laps.  Better than nothing I guess.  The noticeable difference being on the course on my TT bike vs. the road bike was that for my warm-up laps, my average speed was 23.6 mph!  And that was after coasting in the last stretch too.  Man these bikes are fast!

When I rolled up to the start line at the end of my 2nd lap, they asked me if I wanted to go already so I said "sure."  Never having started on a TT before, it was pretty cool that Jeff (the previous owner of Ladera Ranch Cyclery and one of the race organizers) holds your bike up while you sit on it waiting to go.  When the guy at the table counted down to 0, Jeff let go and I started pedaling down the course.  I probably could have loaded the pedal more because I thought he may push me off, but now I know better for the next race.

So I started off and kept thinking about PV's motto to take chances and Noah's suggestion for my last half marathon to race as if it was my last one...both offering great inspiration and amping me up wanting good results.  I think I took off a little faster than I wanted to, and with my battery on my PT dead, I had no real idea what the hell I was doing power-wise.   I just ended up going with the flow and telling myself, at least be faster than your warm up laps!

On the back side of the course, I was easily hitting 30-31 mph speeds and it felt pretty good.  The bottom of the course, however, was the equalizer where speeds dropped more due to the wind and seemingly a slight incline.  As I approach the finish line, the question of "how many laps am I suppose to do on this thing anyway?"  popped up.  Oops...I forgot to ask.  I guess when I cross the finish and they tell me I'm done, I'll stop.  Otherwise, I'll just keep going.  No one said anything, so off I went.

My 2nd lap wasn't as strong as my first lap, but I may have also pulled back a little simply because I didn't know how many laps I was supposed to do.  Idiot!  When the 2nd lap didn't look like I should finish, I kept going almost believing for sure the 3rd lap would be it.  I even picked it up slightly at the tail end of the 3rd lap as well as crossing the finish beside the table (which is what you're supposed to do on your final lap), but when they didn't say anything yet again, I kept going.

To end the suspense for you, the actual number of laps is 4.  After my 3rd lap, I checked up a little just to see if someone was going to call out and tell me to stop, but by the top of the track, I realized nope...keep going!  I'll give what I have for the 4th lap and just roll off after, so that if it is more laps, screw it...I'll do them next time.  Lucky for me, the 4th lap was the final.  Yippee!  At the end, my official time was 24:11 with an average speed of 25.68 (25.7 on Strava).

Todd arrived there after I did, so I didn't get a chance to speak to him much and actually didn't even see him until he came in on his last lap.  He had donned his BRCM skinsuit too, so it was cool we were able to represent.  He had also donned shoe covers and had a disc wheel, so he was truly in full aero mode.   Sick!  He bested me in his time with an average in the 26's and with a time in the 23's.  I think his power average was 365 if I remember correctly as well.  Monster!  No one expected less, right?

Now to our surprise, guess who else we saw on the course representing BRCM.  Nope...guess again.  Nope.  Nope.  And nope.  Let me give you a little hint:  He was an original BRCM lunch rider.  It was none other than Mr. Andy Naylor himself!  He was back on his P2C TT bike and in good form.  Further, he was wearing the original white BRCM jersey!  Sweet!  Welcome back, bud!   We all spoke after, and hopefully he'll be joining us for our lunch rides soon. 

I'm definitely doing more of these down the road.  I'll still consider hitting the crits if there are enough people coming out to do so, but it felt safer and less manic to do the TT yet still provide a great workout.  My legs are toast for sure.  I encourage others to give this a try as well.  Good stuff!

Pictures courtesy of DKT:

He's back!!!

Lunch Ride - Puke Route

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/44160325

Attendees:  Galen, Vince, Todd, Vin, Jaffe, Jeremy, Hiroshi, Adrian and Peter


Damn...whose dumbass idea was it to do to the puke route today?  Oh wait...that would be mine.  I guess the thought of doing the BWR has me nervous where I figure it would be better to embrace the hills rather than run from them.  It's not going to be any easier otherwise.  Yeah, whatever.  This route sucks!

Good sized crew came out today and nice to see Galen again on a lunch ride.  Todd came to the gym a little late, but we were all fine waiting for him as we figured we'd hold him out on the hills as much as we could until he broke away.  He doesn't mind anyway.

When we started off, Todd was hanging toward the back with Galen so I figured I would too.  Galen eventually pushed up toward the front to help get us to Bonita Canyon, but I stayed with Todd just because that's always the smart thing to do on a route like this.

Everyone managed to stay together up to NPC, but once we started climbing and Todd took the front, we all lined up behind him.  He led us up at a good pace, but probably too good as by the time we got to San Joaquin, it had thinned out to just Galen, me, Vince and Hiroshi.  Galen did take a pull near the top, but I no one else including me was brave enough given the next hill being Ridge Park.

We had to wait to make the left to Ridge Park, which gave the rest of the guys time to catch up.  Once we crossed, Todd originally took the front but Mr. Safety (Jaffe, who by the way almost got hit from when we left at the corner...haha) took off ahead of everyone in a pretty convincing fashion.  This didn't seem to raise any concern though from my vantage point, and I guess rightfully so.  Todd led us past him some time after.

As we made our way past Jaffe, Galen and I were doing our best to keep Todd's pace.  We both were just slightly behind Todd with Vince not too far behind us by the time we hit the stop sign.  I had thought Galen was going to get some extra credit action, which may have helped me reel Todd in by the cul-de-sac, but as we got to the intersection, Galen says "I don't have it today" and makes the right turn.  Damn!  I could hear Vince saying something to him, but I was on the verge of losing consciousness so I'm not sure what.  In any case, both of them ended up turning and I went to try and see if I can get lucky and catch Todd in the extra credit section.  Can you say "wishful thinking?"

I wasn't too far behind, and I could see him on the climb before going on Vista, but by the time I made the left turn, he was gone...and pretty much everyone else too.  Bummer.

I did manage to see Jeremy on NPC and when I made the right turn to Pelican, I think I saw Todd ahead of me again, but by the time we got to the final climb, he was pulling away.  I saw him pass Adrian on that climb, but I was way too far behind to do the same.  I almost caught Adrian at NPC, but he had gotten a light that turned red before i could make it across.

As I made the right turn to go up Vista, it looked like Adrian was just soft pedaling so I started to make my way toward him.  Once I got to him, he says "Oh there you are" and then started to pick up the pace again to pull away and make it to the false flat before me.  I didn't really make up any ground on that section, but I stood up to pass him on the final climb.  However, he wasn't done yet and started pushing too.  He passed me again and pulled away a little bit, but I made my way back up to him for another pass.  He dug deep before the crest and just made it past me before the top and then got on the descent on Ridge Park ahead of me.

He stayed ahead of me all the way down NPC, but I rolled up on him at the bottom to make the left turn together on Bonita Canyon.  Now when we started rolling, I took the front and convinced myself he would ride the draft the whole way back.  To my surprise, he started taking turns up front too.  Wha?  Now we did see some guys up ahead who went across onto Ford, but at first I didn't think they were our guys.  However, as we reached that intersection, Adrian confirmed that they were.  We were going to wait to go across and chase them, but we spent enough time out there already and opted to just head back.

I knew Adrian would want to try and get some sprint action on Bison, so I led him lead us out to see if he'd have enough to break me off.  I won't go into any detail or anything in fear of seemingly bragging, but let's just say he got set the F up.  HAHAHAHA!

Good ride today, gents!  Too bad we all got strung out eventually, but that's to be expected on this route.  Thanks for coming out!