Rainbow Prelude Permanent - PLUS

Partly Cloudy
Hi: 84F
Lo: 52F

Original Rainbow Prelude Route: Lots of extra miles today!

Time for a early start and some night riding. If I time it right, I'll hook up with the OFR Gruppo leaving Carlsbad Magee Park at 8:30. Put the Shimano Dyno wheel on the SOMA, added the Planet Bike Blinkie and off I went at 3:30 AM. Started the ride from the Prelude regular control stop in San Marcos. So at 04:00, I was on the route and heading for some climbing. Wore my RWB RUSA Jersey/ long sleeve layer under with a woolie cap over the ears and long fingered glove liners under my regular washed out fingerless gloves. Seemed to be just the clothing set up for today!

I don't ride up Old Castle Road anymore after a close brush a while back or I did Circle R instead. No traffic there this early, so riding was nice and quiet! I did sing a little as I listened to the early birds chirping away. Sure didn't set any records on the climbing and went to the 28T cog on the 14% Couser section. A nice downhill followed with the Supernova blazing ahead. Starting to get a little light around 5:00 now, so riding up Rice Canyon was just right. Rainbow Market wasn't open so I cruised past and headed down Hwy. 395. Crossed over I-15 and decided to follow 395 southward instead of the usual jog toward Fallbrook and the fast downhill on Green Canyon Road.

Nice downhill to Hwy. 76, where I turned off the Dyno hub at the stop light. Didn't feel too bad slogging up the long climb to Day Lilly Hill. I did my usual stop at the Shaun Harrison Memorial at Lilac Road. Decided to take Lilac over to Bonsall. Been a long while since I went this way. Stopped at MacDonalds for some Parfait Yogurt. NADA this early. Bummer for me. OK, I'll try some ice cream instead. NOPE! Got 3 CC cookies instead and sat down a bit. Exchanged by woolie for a do-rag and took off my liner gloves.

Nice riding on 76 with a slight tailwind. The ride on the SLR was nice, as only met 4 riders and didn't pass anyone. Benet street underpass was open to cyclists over to Oceanside. Got a receipt at the Circle K... cheapest thing they had were choclate Easter Eggs for 35 cents! Before 0800, so I decided to ride eastward to Bussey's Auto and check out Dan Phillips. I saved him a fresh CC cookie and we chatted a little as he opened up for business. Lots of cars on the road waiting for repair today. Several Camp Pendleton Security vehicles too. I left at 8:00 AM and headed down Coast Highway to Magee park in Carlsbad.

Shimano Dyno hub with Supernove E3 light

Hit the bathroom and ate a banana too! Dee Wells, Alan and Joe were waiting around by the little house, so we chatted and headed southward on Coast Highway at 8:30. Crazy Doug Levy joined up as we left Carlsbad. Met up with several other riders at Poinsettia Lane: Bruce Tipton, Dr. Dan Marks and Troy Buss. Nice little group for the ride to Swami's regroup. Three ladies and around 8 guys joined up there. I refueled as they decided where they were riding today. The Swami's bathrooms were closed up for repair, seems part of the roof fell down on the water fountain! Nice. The group had planned to ride south and around Qualcomm Stadium to the Bike Path northbound. Nice group of about 20 riders headed south around 9:30.

When we got to Solana Beach, Bruce had a flat and several riders waited around for him. I went back to chat as the others went on up Torrey Pines climb for a regroup. I saw that there were 6 riders "helping" Bruce change his flat, so I rode solo through Del Mar. Picked up a Torrey "repeat" rider on a Pinarello and rode with him up Torrey, passing the OFR Gruppo on the way up. Stopped at the water fountain and potty at the top, as the Pinarello rider headed down for another repeat climb! Whew!

Waited around a long time at the top, and chatted away with the gruppo, as they arrived at different times. Finally Bruce and helpers arrived and we were off. Gruppo stopped at Mission Bay for a bathroom break. Ladies room was closed, but the Mens was open! Did the Mission Bay Drive through traffic and hit Sea World Dr. before turning on Friars road. I mentioned to the riders not to use the nice looking bikeway along Friar's road. Several didn't take the hint and soon they were moaning and groaning on how rough it was and full of trash! Go figure.

Troy was ride leader and said he wanted to do the Bike Path through Mission Valley. I cut on the sidewalk and waited at the Bike Path. The rode in the street and never made the turn? I followed the Bike Path behind the busy mall and had to cross 2 streets to continue on the Path. Bummer for a nice bike path ride. I waited for the group and we turned onto Ward Road. Seems I was the only one who made the correct turn to Qualcomm and the bike path northward. Soon the other turned around and joined in for the ride along the fuel storage tanks.

Hard to find 28mm fold-able Hardshell G'skins

Nice path that leads to a road past Fry's and other businesses. Some young green shirted stud rider
passed us all before Aero Drive. I waived "adios" to the group, as they stopped for lunch at one of the shops... I kept going onto Murphy Canyon Road, past the Charger Training Field. ( OH, yes, I remembered that today was the NFL draft too!). I soon caught up to the green shirt rider and the race was on up the rollers! He followed me a while, but on a steep climb he dropped off real quick. I was pushing hard and started to feel it too! I don't know where he went, but I cut over to Kearny Villa Road and on to Black Mtn. Road. I was looking for a Carl's Jr.( for coupon use on deals) but didn't find one. I turned and stopped at an Arby's instead. Time for a shake and a stretch in the shade.

I proceeded up Black Mtn. Road to the SR-56 Bike Path. I cut over to the coast and went up to Nytro to see if my Brooks Cambium was there yet. Another NO on that. The local rep had one and was supposed to have dropped it by a week ago. So much for that. Picked up the route again on Del Dios Highway and looped over to Harmony Grove and up San Elijo Road. Nice downhill with traffic as I stopped at the Twin Oaks 7-Eleven for a piece of pizza to take home for Zaharah. All they had was one small, dried up little piece. I got a 3 pack of CC Cookies instead. So much for that. Cruised home and felt OK. After some recovery whey in Soy Milk and a nice lunch, I was dead tired. Took a shower and felt zonked out! Seems like my thighs are sore, maybe from the seat height or something. Another long day on the road... in fact, I set a new PR for this route today! How slow can you go?

-randorides