Mark B
Zen MBB Master
I got the longest ride to date on the Silvio, a distance of just over 80 miles. It was a pretty good group going out and despite having a mixture of abilities, we maintained a strong pace with frequent regroups for the slower riders. There were a few hills mixed in and I am happy to say my climbing is getting better all the time. Mostly because my fitness is improving. We rode out to an old favorite called Tom's Farm. It's a destination for bicyclists, motorcyclists and people just looking for something fun to do. They have a couple restaurants out there, a store, a few rides for the kids and an outdoor seating area that lets you soak in the color and scenery.
The ride out takes you through familiar territory we ride a lot; out through Loma Linda, climbing up into Grand Terrace, then trough HighGrove, Riverside and across Victoria through Riverside. The road turns upwards and climbs up past Lake Matthews in Rural Riverside, then drops steeply down into south Corona. From there, the route parralels the 15 FWY, eventually passing under just as we arrive. We ate a leisurely lunch and visited awhile before heading back. The return trip varies. You can go back exactly the way you came, which involves a huge climb up out of there. The saner cyclists go north through Corona, which is what most of us did. Our group splintered up into four groups; the masochists that went back over the hill and then three (maybe four) splinters of our group that went back through Corona. The first group of two had to be back and they were more than I could hang with at that juncture of the ride. Myself and another rider stuck together and the other four or five dropped way off the back. Along the way, I noticed my computer was not reading accurate. One second it would say I was doing 22, then 13, then 9, then 3, then 17..... I figured the battery was shot. Later, when we made a water stop, I discovered my front wheel skewer to have it's quick release released and the nut completely loose! I'm not real sure what happened with that. I'm guessing somebody tried to pull a trick, or something. I was not amused. I started fading pretty fast at about 60 miles, I'm not going to lie. When we hit Hospital Hill in Loma Linda, I was not a happy camper. I resolved to just gear down and get up it best I could. From there, it was all just river grade home. I was sure glad to see my house. Even my butt was a little tired.
Sunday, we just did our usual breakfast ride and I admit I took it a little easier than usual. It was a nice recovery ride, though. I'm always pleased when I can turn in a 100 mile weekend. I feel reasonably sure I could ride a century right now if I paced myself and didn't try to do too much climbing in it. Something like a Queen Mary century would be about right.
Mark
The ride out takes you through familiar territory we ride a lot; out through Loma Linda, climbing up into Grand Terrace, then trough HighGrove, Riverside and across Victoria through Riverside. The road turns upwards and climbs up past Lake Matthews in Rural Riverside, then drops steeply down into south Corona. From there, the route parralels the 15 FWY, eventually passing under just as we arrive. We ate a leisurely lunch and visited awhile before heading back. The return trip varies. You can go back exactly the way you came, which involves a huge climb up out of there. The saner cyclists go north through Corona, which is what most of us did. Our group splintered up into four groups; the masochists that went back over the hill and then three (maybe four) splinters of our group that went back through Corona. The first group of two had to be back and they were more than I could hang with at that juncture of the ride. Myself and another rider stuck together and the other four or five dropped way off the back. Along the way, I noticed my computer was not reading accurate. One second it would say I was doing 22, then 13, then 9, then 3, then 17..... I figured the battery was shot. Later, when we made a water stop, I discovered my front wheel skewer to have it's quick release released and the nut completely loose! I'm not real sure what happened with that. I'm guessing somebody tried to pull a trick, or something. I was not amused. I started fading pretty fast at about 60 miles, I'm not going to lie. When we hit Hospital Hill in Loma Linda, I was not a happy camper. I resolved to just gear down and get up it best I could. From there, it was all just river grade home. I was sure glad to see my house. Even my butt was a little tired.
Sunday, we just did our usual breakfast ride and I admit I took it a little easier than usual. It was a nice recovery ride, though. I'm always pleased when I can turn in a 100 mile weekend. I feel reasonably sure I could ride a century right now if I paced myself and didn't try to do too much climbing in it. Something like a Queen Mary century would be about right.
Mark
