Coronado Express Permanent

Ferry at Coronado landing

Nice gruppo for the Express ride yesterday.

I ran into Dan, Bill and Keith at the little coffee shop on Cleveland St., just before the start. We were talkin' 29'er stuff and Bill's recent return from 3 weeks of real riding in the Alps! We got our receipts early for the 07:00 start.

Route owner John pulled in just as we were riding around the fenced off Pacific St. near the O'side pier! Good show! Lots of chit chat on the way down the coast. Bill said the Brevet he rode in Swiss-land had only 2100 riders starting! Huh! Sounds like they know how to do a brevet right over there!

Missed Troy at the Poinsettia Lane junction, so we rode on to Swami's where we stopped and Phil joined in.. all rested up. Bill and Dan set the tempo up Torrey Pines, after the round-about detour for bridge construction. Keith and Sam both had a nice climb and we all arrive at the top in good order. Some friend of Bill's was supposed to meet up at Garnett Street turn, but Bill got a cell-phone message saying his fridge broke and he couldn't make it. Dan said: " You have 2 choices for a broken fridge; 1. Do the ride and go home and replace the fridge. 2. Miss the ride, stay home and replace the fridge! Good advice.

We checked out the side trails riding down Rose Canyon. Next trip out from Boston, Sam says he'll have a trail bike and "get some of that". Ya right? Keith can hardly wait to fire off his Salsa Spearfish and put the hurt on Sam's legs then! John is still thinking about it. Dan has been looking at MTB options. Phil is looking at bigger tires for his LHTrucker! Bill doesn't want to get his socks dirty. Troy has his new TREK MTB.

The gruppo ran into a much welcomed trail cleaners along the Rose Creek Bike Path. Guess they are cleaning up after the "bush dwellers" who frequent there. City had said they are cleaning up that blighted Bike Path. Guess Mayor Bobby didn't cut that from the budget before he made a deal to leave!

We all cranked it up a bit through Old Town and down to the reconstructed Broadway Pier area. The ticket shack was moved further south in front of the Midway now. We made it with one minute to spare. I had initially thought about taking the 5th street ferry across instead. No need now. Another day.

Bathroom break for us as Phil cleared out the stalls for the tourists! A double flush will do it every time!

Nice sunny ride around the Coronado Bay to the Bayshore Bikeway. Some traffic along there and a tri-racer boy was itchin' to pass us. He waited till we exited onto the frontage road and he let rip. Dan & I sucked his wheel. By the look of his calves, he didn't have much left after the Anita St. turn. He actually thanked us as we backed off for re-group! Good stuff.

John lit the fire on Cleveland Street, as Sam kept smelling the burgers ahead. John and I hit the AM/PM while Keith and gruppo loaded up at JIB. Sam chomped the greasy stuff while dumping his large drink on the floor to keep the JOB worker busy. Nice union guy. John & I lay in the sun, warming our tired old bones, reflecting on the Lazy Lizard Brevet next month. Nice route if you all can make it. Maybe Troy can make that one too?

 We took the alt. route through the Barrio. Resurfaced roads made it a smooth ride into the headwind. Lite traffic downtown as Bill showed us what he learned on the Euro trip about running red lights! Dan learned quick and they blasted through several as we soon lost sight of them. Re-group to Old Town as Sam was telling a story of how yesterday (Friday) he missed the Coaster from downtown, so he walked up to Old Town to catch the next Coaster northward! HUH? Added to that, he walked from the LA central train station to the airport. HUH? Good thing it wasn't night time!

Sam was fading fast after yesterday's events. We didn't want to follow Phil through a red light after the Rose Creek Bike Path, so Keith, Sam and I slugged up Rose Canyon. Sam said he wanted to ride his own pace... (translation: I is done, I'm cooked, call the wagon, where's my wife?) I would have none of that and we worked together up to UCSD. I mentioned to Keith to "carry on". I got Sam squared away on NCTD 101 in due order and headed northward. Keith and John were waiting for me at the top of Torrey Pines. Dan was checking out the big fish in the Lagoon near the detour. Phil and Bill went on ahead. Bill had to check bar-end caps at the cycle shop.

Phil pulled off at Swami's, where he started from. Bill joined up at Leucadia Blvd. by the duck pond. Quick pace up to the LaCosta turn, where John was heading east toward home. He rode in earlier, so got the full 100 +miler in already. Always good to see John on a ride, even with skinny tires!

It was lights out up the coast from there. Dan said he was going to do the last little climb up to Palomar Airport Rd. at 25mph. It happened! I tried to pass Dan on the left near the top. He swerved left to block. Bill was out of the saddle to pass on the right. Dan jogged to the right. Keith was checking some chicks back down the road. We regrouped in due order.

Sams favorite Boston food!

Due to the hi-speed and excess road friction, Bill's front G'skin blew and Dan stayed with him for support and apology's. Keith and I continued on to O'side. Dan and Bill cut off at Cassidy St. for home. The bands were crankin' at the Pier and a whole lotta people on the roads. We rode to Circle K for final receipts and called it a good day.

The weather forecast was wrong for the right reason! Nice weather for a ferry trip and better company. Seems like we all had a good time and finished up the ride too!

Sam says he'll get in better shape this Boston winter between pizza and Cocoa Puffs. Next Spring we will see a new climber Sam! (Mmmmm... that's what he said last year.)

Thanks to all the riders for this memorable ride.

see you next trip,
kellyjay