Rainbow Prelude Permanent: Drizzle route

Drizzly, damp Rainbow welcomes you!

Slight chance of drizzle in the early AM, followed by partly cloudy skies and a high of 70F today. Wouldn't that be nice? Start at 8:00 and miss the wet roads and then dress light for the nice 70 degree weather with sun in the after noon. WRONG!

SOMA time with woolie cap, gloves, wind vest and  long sleeve under-layer to go with the wool rando SS jersey! All set. I was starting this route at the San Marcos Control. Rode over under light drizzle and got a receipt just before 7:00 AM. I figured to put up with the slightly wet roads a bit as I rode northward. Temp was around 57F, so it didn't feel too cold on the long damp downhill on Champagne Blvd. I figured it would be clearing up in a few hours, so not to worry. Water was dripping from my helmet as I turned onto Circle R for the climb into the hills. I don't do Old Castle Road anymore do to the heavy traffic there and spotty minimal bike lanes. It's the only direct road from I-15 to Valley Center in this area and randos get hammered during certain times of the day.

Road construction ahead up the hill. Looks like they are patching holes in the road. Short wait before they let me through along with 6 cars. I was huffing and puffing already and the steeper stuff was still ahead! Drizzle was picking up as I turned onto the winding Lilac Road . Slowed up for the downhill corners as they were laced with a mud glaze. Even worn Gatorskins won't stick to those surfaces! I dropped into the 34T chainring and the 24 cog for the 14% sections up Cooser Canyon. I followed near the center of the double yellow lines to the top under drying out skies! As I zipped up at the top, it started a heavy drizzle again! This continued all the way to Rainbow. Seems I made a good slo time slogging up Rice Canyon. Not one of my favorite roads to climb as I never have got into the "rhythm" on that section.

I bought a $1.29 dark choclate Milky Way bar a the market there. Hit the bathroom and was soon blasting down Old 395 toward Fallbrook under overcast skies and occasional drizzle. All the roads were wet from Fallbrook toward Bonsall. I stopped at McDonalds in Bonsall for a yogurt and a break. I neatly folded my vest, long gloves and woolie cap together and put it on the front of my handlebar bag. Slight headwind on Hwy. 76 over to the SLR Bike Path. One I hit the Bike Path, it started to drizzle again! Almost raining, I stopped under Douglas Street and put my stuff back on again. Doing so, the vest zipper pull came off, so I tied the vest halves together with a ruber strip I always carry. It kept the bottom together, but of course the top ballooned out with the bicycle forward speed. Puddles on the Bike Path as I finally rolled into Oceanside.

All muddy and damp, I motored southward to Magee and refueled with plain water. Out of Carbo Pro at home, so I added a scoop of Sustained Energy instead the morning. It works Ok, but I pass a little gas from the protein content. Roads were drying out along the coast, with a few spots of drizzle. Got into Nytro early afternoon. Picked up a 2# bag of Carbo Pro and some Shot Bloks. Also got a few safety pins to hold my vest together. Packed stuff in a white Nytro bag and strapped it on the top of my handlebar bag. Went over to Swami's for "lunch".

Sat overlooking the ocean and ate my carry-along tuna sandwich. Watching the surfers catch the small waves, I noticed a sudden heat wave roll through. Really weird! I checked the Garmin temp and it had soared to 74 F. Must have been that pineapple express from Hawaii coming through? Drying out now as I proceeded southbound up and around to UCSD. Dried off around here, so I darted through the parking lot route and stopped at the McDonalds by the mall. Still had my pinned vest on and the weather seemed warm enough. Followed the route onto El Camino Real and San Dieguito Road. A few cyclists were out now as the overcast didn't look so threatening. Socks were still wet as I went up Del Dios and over through Harmony Grove. Too bad about the new housing development there to clog that pristine ride through the valley. Picked up 3 cookies to take home from the 7-Eleven finish.

They missed the forecast again. Guess next time I'll pack for the bad stuff and store what I don't need! Just more weight to keep me in shape!

-randorides