An Incomplete Story

Sometimes the ride doesn't turn out like it's supposed to.  Last week we endured a firestorm here called the Powerhouse Fire, which destroyed 24 homes and burned some 30,000 acres.  Last weekend, before the height of the fire, I rode through the smoke plume and into the upwind side, out past the Poppy Reserve.  At the time I could see that the fire was approaching and only a few hours after I passed through the fire scorched the area.  I have kept tabs on the fire because I have friends who were affected and because the upcoming Tour of Two Forests Double Century was scheduled to pass through the stricken area this past weekend.

I had scouted the area and reported to the ToTF organizer through the past week, and the ToTF was eventually postponed due to the road closures and proximity to the fire.  I could not ride the new ToTF date and knew full well that I could ride a detour route just fine so I decided to ride on the original scheduled date last Saturday, June 8th.  So when I arrived at the designated starting point at the Hampton Inn in Santa Clarita I found a couple of other riders looking a bit puzzled.  So I met Henry and Andrea and learned that they had not received the "memo" about the postponement.  So I sat down with them and outlined my planned detour, gave them my home phone number, and we began our ride.  We did not ride together but only a few minutes apart through the first stop of the day at Ojai, where we found each other at the Chevron station.  We began the long climb up Pine Mtn / Hwy 33 into the mounting heat of the morning.

I realized that I was not feeling well and at the 3,000 ft elevation marker I decided that for me it was not to be.  I turned around and limped back to my car for a total of 131 miles.  Although I felt depressed at not continuing the ride the ToTF is one of those where you are committed and can easily get into trouble without any support.  That evening, when I got back home, I listened for the phone and assumed that Henry and Andrea had made it past the detour safely.  So... Sunday I'm working out on the pool and the phone rings at about 10:00 in the morning (this is 24 hours since seeing them in Ojai).  Henry and Andrea are still on the road and somewhat lost and ready to be rescued.  No problem I say and jump into the Forester to locate them at 180th St West and Ave D (Hwy 138).  They are so relieved to see me and I am just as happy to redeem my mis-adventure by helping them out of theirs!

We load up the bikes and drive back to the Start in Santa Clarita; I take the ToTF route so they can see what was in store for them.  As I drive I hear their story was one of endurance, as they had ridden the first 120 tough mountainous miles of the course and decided to rest over-night at the truck stop Motel 6 at the I-5 freeway. Then Sunday morning, refreshed but obviously over the DC time limit, they continued onward, but earned some tough bonus miles by missing the Pine Cyn turn from the Old Ridge Route and continued along some very tough miles until the closure gate before returning to the missed turn!  After finding the route and continuing along Pine Cyn Rd they found the expected fire road block at Three Points and turned onto the detour I had outlined for them.  Unfortunately they missed a turn onto Lancaster Rd and wound up where I found them, at the WeeVille store, some miles off track and really ready to be done.

So none of us finished but at the same time we all found some new friends.  And I am sure that when I see Henry and Andrea at some future ride we will all be happy to see each other again.

In the past few months I have been mostly occupied with work, in the preparation of making the X-56 first flight happen.  The X-56 is a 500lb, twin jet-powered UAV that we will use for flutter control research up at NASA Dryden Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA.  Like all new airplanes we have spent a lot of time getting to this point and are now poised for flight. Look for it in the news.

I did take some time off to watch the Tour of California stage three come by my house and wind its way through the hills from Palmdale to Santa Clarita.  Stages four and five were equally exciting and close to home.  The stage five finish was in from of my cousin's home in Avila Beach and also passed by Danny's work, having passed through my home town of Santa Maria along the way.  I must say that I felt a great deal of pride that "my" roads were chosen.  I ride along those roads so often, know the terrain and the wind, that it was like being there the whole three days.

Last weekend was the Cayucos Central Coast 600k brevet, which I rode in 36 hrs and 10 minutes.  All the way up the coast to Carmel, then up Carmel Valley and across the windy Salinas River Valley to San Juan Bautista, before returning along the sparse but beautiful Hwy 25 to Paso Robles before climbing back over to the coast.  Ann went with me and spent the weekend wine tasting in Cambria and at the Paso Robles Wine Festival, also visiting with Bill, Judy, and Danny.  So we all had a good time.

So next month is the Gold Rush Randonnee, 1200k, from Davis to t he Oregon border and back.  I am signed-up and ready.  I'm really looking forward to it.

So the season progresses to longer rides. The Flèche is a fun event because the focus is on teamwork and riding a full over-night, rather than on speed. Several teams (groups of 3 to 5 riders) start and ride simultaneously from different points, all heading for the same finish point at a designated time 24 hours later. So when teams all arrive they all have stories to share. The pace is relaxed, the Randonnee minimum 15 KPH, so that the actual distance covered is in the 360 km range. So planning, navigation, and team spirit make a successful ride. We rode as the "Hobos" team because we had all planned to arrive at the starting location in San Luis Obispo using public transportation, since no one (except Vickie, our team captain) expected to return to the start point. I rode the Metrolink from Palmdale and caught the Amtrak Surfliner from Glendale on Friday, then rode around SLO and Avila Beach in the afternoon before the 8:00 AM Saturday start.

I enjoyed the Flèche thanks to Kerin's support as the brevet coordinator and host, Vickie's planning as captain of the Hobos team, and Greg for opening his home at midnight as our rest stop. On Friday, on the Amtrak I enjoyed talking to Ryan and Marcus as we all headed towards our respective start points. I took a little time in the sunny afternoon and rode out to Avila Beach. Saturday was beautiful and we four Hobos (Vickie, Mark, Rick, and I) simply sailed along through the verdant spring countryside of San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, and into Lompoc. Mark got dual blowouts on the descent of Harris Grade but fortunately came to a safe stop and all was quickly repaired. A quick stop in the Lompoc bike shop to re-supply and we were on our way, enjoying tailwinds along the San Julian grade on Hwy 1 and down the coast. It was great talking to Mark and Rick about their upcoming trips abroad - what a schedule!

After an obligatory stop at In-and-Out Burger in Goleta we continued down through our regular PCH route until Santa Paula, where Vickie had planned a little treat for us - a climb over Grimes Cyn into Moorpark and a layover at Greg's house. Greg had hot food waiting for us (thanks again for the chicken noodle soup!) and we had a power nap before heading out through Simi Valley and Santa Susana Pass. The forecasted high winds finally materialized at the summit of the grade and we had to fight for a time on Rinaldi into some high gusts. We barely made our 2200 hour stop at Denny's in Tujunga but with that done we breezed down through the canyons to the waiting breakfast party with Kerin and the other arriving teams.

The last task of being a Hobo was to get myself back to Quartz Hill, where I had planned to take the Metrolink. But the rail line was closed for maintenance between Burbank and Sun Valley. So I took the Metro Gold Line from Sierra Madre to Highland Park and rode my bike from there to Glendale, and (after a three hour wait) took the Metrolink up to Burbank and then a bus from there to Sun Valley to re-board the Metrolink up to Palmdale. During the ride I began to notice a "hitch" in the power train, like a loosening bottom bracket or pedal, but I couldn't find a source during the ride. While riding the train home I was looking at my bike and realized that the crank arm bolt on the left side was gone. So I felt discretion was in order and called Ann to come pick me up at the Palmdale station, so I failed to complete the journey as the Hobo I claimed to be. I laid the bike across the floor of my Subaru Forester like I often do, with chain side up, for the ride home. And when I unloaded my bike at home, there was the left side crank arm, fallen on the floor, having parted company from the bike.

Fart Bikes

I completed my triple double with the Death Valley Spring Double.  It was a nice weekend out at Furnace Creek, with warm nights and mild breezes.  I met my friend Greg at the start and we rode at a pace of nearly 20 MPH (according to my Garmin) to Ashford Mill before stopping long enough for a water refill before tackling the wonderful Jubilee-Salsbury passes to Shoshone.  Greg had wanted to do 13 hours - I was looking for more like 14 so we parted company and he began to ride away.  Back to the Salsbury climb I caught up again with Greg and we rode together again to Ashford Mill.  I had to take a nature break so Greg was again on his own through Badwater and the evening run out to the Stovepipe Wells turn-around.  We passed again on opposite sides of the road not far from the turn-around, so I was not doing too bad.  Finished at Furnace Creek with a time of 13:35 so I was pleased.

I love the Death Valley rides because of the fresh air and minimal traffic.  For the ride we were treated to a group of motorcyclists on big V-twins, riding in a column between stops like they were part of the double century.  Now I have no room to complain, since I own a loud, nasty polluting muscle car as a hobby, but these flatulent V-twin bikes just rattle my brain when they pass. Which they did way too often.  Is there any regulation on the emissions on these bikes?  Man, they stink up the place, even passing by on the open road at speed.  On the return visit at the Badwater stop, there they were, forming up their column next to the bike stop.  Their idling engines were putting out such a putrid cloud that all our fellow riders were holding their noses and fanning the air with their hands.  Share the road, not your stank!

I was so sorry to hear today that our good friend, Lee Mitchell, known to us as "Fuzzy" was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and will begin treatment.  Our California Triple Crown community has Fuzzy's fan club here http://caltriplecrown.blogspot.com/2013/02/lee-mitchells-fan-club-page.html. 

I met Fuzzy in the same way that many of you have, by being saved by him, his music, and his red van.  I didn't finish the 2010 Davis Double, my first double attempt, but I learned a lot riding with Fuzzy back from Resurrection.  Like how he uses his music to let the riders know he's there if they need him.  And how he can bark at a rider who's forgotten to turn on his taillight or has a battery running low.  But mostly, how many riders know and love him and all he does for them.  Since that day I have met Lee here and there at the double century venues and at the 508, and have read his various guides on how to prepare for and ride long distance cycling events.  I wish Fuzzy wellness in his battle with cancer.

Triple Double

I'm two thirds the way through a three week span of 200 mile weekends after completing the SLO 300k this past Saturday.  At the pre-dawn start from Vickie's home we all talked about our plans for the year.  Not long into the ride I could tell that I felt well enough to find the pace at the front comfortable, and after the first info control made the short climb up from Avila Beach in the lead of the bunch.  We quickly found that Steve, Wade, myself, and two others that I had not met before, were willing to press on into the dawn at the front group.  We rode at a good pace, forming and reforming after the hills would break us up, until the flat section between the Nipomo Mesa, Guadalupe, and Los Alamos, where we formed a very efficient pace line.  I was very pleased to "run with the big boys" and use those pace line skills without the "bump and jostle" of most rando pace line groups.

After our stop at the Chevron in Los Alamos, Steve, Wade, and I made our ascent of my beloved Drum Canyon.  I took the point and gapped Steve by a few yards but he caught and passed me a few hundred yards before the top.  I picked up my pace, came up behind him, and we both passed over the cattle grate at the top side by side.  I think we were both pleased to have another rider to challenge.  I began the tough descent on the bumpy switchbacks; at one point running wide into the dirt, to which Steve exclaimed "whoa!" But as I reached the smoother straighter bottom section Steve was missing.  Sure enough, he had a water bottle shake loose and had to go back to retrieve it.

Steve and I had both discussed slowing our pace somewhat but I think Steve was really in his own realm, and I began to loose his wheel in the headwind along Purisima  Rd.  I caught him at the light at Harris Grade and we rode into the next stop at the Circle K.  Wade rode in a couple of minutes later and we quickly formed up to continue.  Just as we were leaving the next two riders were just arriving at the Circle K.  I was really thinking of slowing down my pace, and after riding up Hwy 1 and turning onto Santa Rosa Rd I drifted off the back.  I could also Steve was pulling away from Wade.

So I enjoyed my solo run along Santa Rosa Rd, through Buellton and Solvang (in the tailwind mostly) and stopped at Alamo Pintado.  Just saw Wade leaving and he said Steve was out ahead, so I was resigned to a solo run up Foxen Canyon - which was mighty windy.  I had remembered that the Sisquoc general store was closed so I made a stop in Los Olivos to get water - the place was over-run with tourists.  Into the Santa Maria valley, up Bull Canyon, and onward to the Nipomo McDonalds.  By this time I was pretty low on energy and the stop did me much good.  Jeff, Donado, and a third rider also caught me there but I was ready to go on.  I pressed ahead, much revived, up through Arroyo Grande and Corbett Canyon where I realized my headlight was not going to make it.  I called Vickie and she dispatched Bobbie with a headlight!  What a save!  So I was able to complete the ride, checking in about an hour behind Steve and Wade.  I am happy with that, feel great, and am ready for next weekend's Death Valley DC.  -  Oh, and BTW, I did ride both ways from my hotel to the start of the 300k so I do count that as 200 mi total. 

Overfed Leaping Gnome's photostream

Overfed Leaping Gnome's photostream on Flickr.

Waddya know, technology to do something for you!

Last Saturday I rode the Camino Real Double Century, my first double of 2013.  It was a beautiful day and the scene of it is taken from the top Newport Coast Dr at just about first light as I descend to Pacific Coast Highway.  There's just enough glimmer off the Pacific to see far-off Catalina Island in the crystal clear air.  Just later, at Dana Point, I stop at the top of Cove Rd to enjoy the broadening dawn as I am the first arrival at the mini-stop.  I only stop long enough for a hello and to shift off my windbreaker and viz vest and I plunge ahead just as the next group arrives.  Through the chill of Laguna Canyon and the winding neighborhood of San Clemente and onto the San Onofre Beach I paused, momentarily lost by the transition to the Old PCH rd, I unfortunately turn through 90 degrees and my Garmin instantly switches over to the return route, where I return through this same point.  Damn!  Now I have to stop the navigation, cycle the Garmin by re-loading the route, and re-starting from that point to put the Garmin back on-track.  So ends the dream-like ease of the ride.

I still lead into the first "official" checkpoint and gather a 4 of hearts card for my poker hand and a quick water refill, and I'm off again.  I am joined on the San Luis Rey River bike trail by a rider and we talk for a bit.  We make the transition from N. River Rd to Hwy 76 I see that the section of construction is complete, fantastic!  We ride together to the lunch stop, where we are passed along Camino Del Rey by the first of the "quick" group of later starters.  I make a quick work of lunch and head up Circle R Dr, giving Ann a quick call to let her know my progress.

Now my plan was to back off after turning onto Lilac Rd because I can't hold this pace and also can't finish before 14 hours.  So I sit up somewhat and get passed by the next "fast" group on the downhill towards the Maxwell memorial bridge, that beautiful span across I-5.  I labor somewhat along the climbs past Fallbrook because I am out of clean bottled water and have only the terrible "hose water" from the lunch stop, blech!  So I stop at the quick mart at Bonsall for fresh water and G-2, which I gulp down.  Much refreshed (but passed by several riders during the stop) I continue onward and catch some of those riders on the return trip down the bike path.  But at this point I am beginning to get a return of the asthma symptoms I remember from two years ago.

So through the mini-stop at Benet Rd, Oceanside, and the return trip up the I-5 to the CP3 stop (where I am still working on a hand of three hearts flush) I am limping somewhat on about half lung capacity.  The car exhaust will not let up over the next 30 miles as I make my way up to Trabuco Cyn.  I finally stop for half an hour at the Subway at the top of the hill after the aptly named "Hillcrest" and take a serious breather and lemonade!  This was very refreshing and I feel better as I make my way down Trabuco Cyn at sundown for the stop at CP3 and a nice cup of noodles!

So much refreshed I plunge into the dark, passing one rider and being passed by at least two, along Live Oak Cyn, Cooks Corner, and Santiago Cyn in the approaching starlight and city glow.  I really fell myself again and ride relaxed and easy into the finish with an elapsed time of 14 hrs:22 mins.  But I admit to Debra at the finish that I probably won't do the Camino Real again - it's just too urban.