Temecula 600 Pre-Ride: Racing the street sweeper!

SOMA Rando bike ready for some night work.

Prep: Well here we go again. After lung clearing for 3 days with a few local rides, I'm back for more. Weather in the desert has eased a bit by mid-week and it seems I can breath better now, so why not?

Changed the SOMA over to dyno-hub with Supernova front light, added the new Gatorskin Hardshell 28mm tires and strapped on the frame pump under the top tube. Also added rear blinkie to make a total of 3 this trip. Needed extra lights for the night time foray down to Barret Junction! Clothing worked out just right for this route: Woolie cap, sleeveless under-layer, jersey, arm warmers and long fingered liners under my regular fingerless riding gloves. PI jacket and leg warmers packed onto my front handlebar bag. No Garmin plot of this ride. Using it only for a clock and occasional temp check. Two large Camelbak bottles and a 16oz frozen bottle in the outside HB Bag pocket. Plenty of liquid for the high temps later.

I left San Marcos at 4 AM. John Mestemacher always thought the very early starts for some rides throws off your whole body because it breaks up your normal sleep cycle (unless you normally get up at 3 AM and go to work). The ride up was quiet and serene. I didn't huff and puff up the 1940 feet of climbing like last Saturday. Did the usual stop at Shawn Harrison Memorial at the top of Day Lilly Hill to pay my respects. Still need to put some permanent flowers at the cross.

Stopped at the Summit Store

Temecula: Started the ride after 0600, securing the proof of start from a Chevron on Rancho California Road
. Weather was nice with a light tailwind as I headed eastward up the rollers through vineyard country. A few steeper climbs after the turn on Mesa Road and then Benton over to Sage Road. No cones there for the INFO control question. Sage Rd. southbound is a whole lot easier than the other way we rode in the 400K in March. The few miles on Hwy. 79 over to Hwy. 371 was real dicey as usual. Never did like that stretch. Nice climbing with light tailwind through the hills, Oak Grove and up to Sunshine Summit at 3400 ft. Stopped at the store there and got some blue Gatorade to drink with my tuna sandwich I brought along. G'ade is too sweet for me, but that's all they had. Got a receipt there and took off the woolie cap, arm warmers and long gloves liners. Sat a few minutes on the table in the shade. Wind was blowing good by now and got a little chilly there, so I hit the head and rolled out to warmer temps in the sunny skies.

Desert: Great riding downhill to Warner Springs with a tailwind and light traffic. No receipt stop in Warner Springs anymore (not counting the golf club there) so I buzzed through and over to S2. Still nice riding here with the wind behind my back as I raced a street sweeper toward Teofulio Summit. That dude saw me coming and gassed it! Never did catch it on the San Felipe climbs, but the long fast downhill to Scissor Crossing sure was fun. Strong headwind section on Hwy. 78 before the quick turn on S-2 southward toward Ocotillo. I stopped at the Stagecoach Store. Got a Pepsi and ate my banana and last tuna sandwich. Chatted with the girl there and stretched out my legs on the picnic table. The have a big ice machine there and I got a few cupfuls of ice to fill my bottles. No charge.

Sweeney Pass view toward Butterfield Store

Stronger winds now as the desert heats up. Nice push southbound with the temps in the low 90's. Crawled up the Box Canyon climb before blasting down to the Butterfield Store. Strong side-winds blew me around in the corners and had to hit the brakes a few times for control. Went around back and rinsed my do-rag and wiped down my face. Told the store manager that a group would be riding through on Saturday! He said "great, need the business" How many? "Around 15 riders". (Never happened, they changed the route today to miss the "high temps and wind". Too bad, this is a great route.) Seems my lips were swollen up a bit from something I ate. Maybe that old Lemon-Lime Zyme electrolyte tab I put in my bottle a while back? Put on some Chapstick from my now empty tube.

Nice fast 20 mph riding down to Sweeney Pass, where I did OK on that climb. Knee was acting up so I added a shot of "Chinese Medicine: White Flower" and paced down to the Border Patrol Checkpoint. From there the road turns to crap. I've always ridden on the other side of the road here as it's a lot smoother! Through the Wind Farm, watching the direction the turbines are facing. All toward In-Ko-Pah Pass!. But I have a tailwind here? I'll take it. Finally, I get to the super rough road through Ocotillo. Stopped at the Chevron Station for a blow. I was feeling good at this point, having been riding at "touring pace" and saving up for what was ahead. Ahhh, the memories.

Ocotillo: The awful Texaco bathrooms here have been replaced by the Chevron 3 green porta-potties! Sitting in the shade by the side of Chevron, I watched the people and drank cool bottled water, pomegranate drink while chomping on whole wheat crackers with almond butter I brought along. The wind was howling over the fence and papers blowing around. Finally got up and dropped a load in the green building. Quite clean in there! Added some Chamois Creme to my butt and was ready to get hammered now.

Desert Tower at In-Koh-Pass. First sighting is 4 miles away.

In-Ko-Pah Pass: Continued on Imperial Hwy. over to Hwy. 98 with a strong side-wind. Turned right into the brunt of it and crept uphill onto the overpass to the I-8. Blunt force Oh-Rama here. Dropped a few gears as the climbing starts into the full headwind. About a mile up the climb saw a van with the hood up and a lady with 2 girls off sitting in the sand. Stopped and checked her out. Seems her car died and help was coming soon. Dropped another cog as the wind strengthened. Another car off the side with tire problem. Dude couldn't get the spare on. I gave him a hand, anything to stretch the legs. Wind died as it was blocked by some small hill along the road ahead. After the curve, really got hammered. I finally figured out a system: stop at each call box for 1 minute and stretch out, take a drink and out of the saddle when I started. Seemed to work OK. Another thing that came into effect was the 6:00 AM start. Shadows were creeping onto the roadway and I was riding into each one! Finally, I could see the rock tower up ahead at the pass! Ahhh, only 4 more miles to go! I was down to my 27 cog by then. In-Ko-Pah Road never looked so good! Stopped under the bridge in the shade to take a drink. A driver was also pulled over taking a nap! Lucky him.

CAT Excavator led the paceline!

Paceline To Jacumba: Old Highway 80 to Jacumba should be banned to cyclists. Rough-OH-Rama here. After
some climbing, it's all downhill to the market. NOT. Down the road was a full STOP for a 1 mile road construction. I talked to the flag guy and he said he was waiting for the 2 guys I just passed up the road to come back and drive the pilot truck!
10 minute wait...
Kelly:  "Are you kidding me? Give me a break, I'm the only person using the road for 10 miles!"
Flag Man: "I'll radio the 2 guys who drive the pilot truck"
Kelly: "Shit, they're a 1/2 mile up the road walking back."

Flag Man: "Where are you going?"
Kelly: "San Diego, then Newport Beach to Corona & Temecula"
Flag Man:"On that bike?"
Kelly:" Well, I sure the hell ain't walkin'. I need some help here."

Flag Man:"I call the boss again... this guy is logging some miles... Ahhh, OK, I can drive the pilot truck now"
Kelly:"Thanks man." I'm feeling better now that we are moving again."

So I follow the Flag Man in the 3 ton pilot truck filled with spilled fuel, tools, power tamper and lots of junk. But wait... A smoking water truck stuck in granny gear pulls in ahead to follow a giant CAT tracked excavator. We're  now rolling westward toward Jacumba at 4 mph: CAT Excavator, smoking water truck, diesel pilot truck and Soma! LET'S PARTY! After 5 minutes of riding the brakes I start to get a headache from all the smoke. I'm really drafting this polluted pace-line to Jacumba? Metal trench plates all over the road. I pulled off to the left side just to get some air. Fortunately, we only went a mile to Carrizo Gorge Road. Jacumba Mountain Sage Market never looked so good!

Welcome stop after the long, hot, windy climb.

Jacumba: Filled my water bottles with ice, grabbed a bottled drink, ice cream bar and sat outside in the sunny wind to clear my head. Two Border Patrol Officers were inside making up deli sandwiches. Legs up for circulation as a lady was screaming at her kids! After a shortie, hit the road for the windfest climb up to Terra del Sol Summit. I was really grinding by now and the un-rideable section near Boulevard had me way over in the roadway. Good thing for rear view mirrors!  Stopped at the summit to put on the rear blinkies, woolie cap and arm warmers. I also added the strong Dorcy helmet light John conjured up a while back. Real fast downhill under the trestle RR bridge and around the curves to the Campo Circle K.

Campo: Largest Circle K in San Diego. Counter guy there was from Ohio, now living in Tecate with his wife and newborn. Commutes every day. I sat inside eating a egg sandwich with hot chocolate. Dude said he wanted to take his Tecate wife back to Ohio. She'll like the winters there. Probably sat around too long putting on my leg warmers, jacket and other stuff. Most motorists were getting gas and a cup of "Joe". Rubbed my legs with some handy muscle rub mix. Just dark enough for the dyno light as I left quietly, the 3 rear blinkies reflecting off the street signs far behind.

I remembered this next section for previous rides. A few small climbs, curves, Potrero and  the massive downhill to Barrett Junction. We used to stop at the Potrero church for outside water before it was burned out. Thankful for the strong Supernova dyno light as I was blasting down the grades among passing cars. After the Tecate turnoff, traffic leased somewhat. I stopped near the Barrett Jct. restaurant to suck a gel and take a blow before the last real climb of the night... There is a small waterfall on the right as you are climbing up this hill. Most don't notice in the daytime either! The road then winds down through Dezura and the INS Checkpoint. The officer there said he had passed me earlier in the evening  over by Campo. Rear lights were super visible for a long way off! Nice to get to Otay Lakes Road and some easier riding with nil traffic.

Pio Pico Store. Good stop. My jacket zipper bailed on me here.

San Diego: Usual stop at the Pio Pico RV Store for some water. Nice stop here as the water fountain, benches, cola machines and overhead lights offer a small relief on the long rides. Jacket zipper came unhinged, so I fussed with that a while. Finally used my reflective belt to hold it together. Wasn't that cool anyway as I headed off at a zombie pace. Kept looking for the right turn to continue on Otay Lakes Road. Found it and soon turned off onto the Sweetwater Bike Path. Homeless abound there as several carts blocked the path. Familiar turn onto 2nd Ave past a closed Carl's Jr. Nothing much open along National City Blvd., so I turn onto Civic Center Dr. to a detour. I was tired of messing around and finally just went over to the Jack In The Box/AM/PM off 8th Ave. instead. This is our usual stop on the Coronado Express Permanent.

Got a hot chocolate and sat along side the building for a bit. Got a box cutter from the clerk and cut the top of the jacket zipper so I could re-insert the pull! Worked good and my jacket was back in working order. Seemed I took a nap too! Avoided Harbor Drive altogether by taking Roosevelt over to Main Street and the back way through Barrio Logan. It comes out near the bridge to downtown San Diego. I rode up and down Pacific Street looking for a Denny's. I thought for sure there was one along there somewhere in a old pink stucco retro building. Guess I was fuzzy headed, so I stopped at a downtown 7-Eleven for a egg sandwich on whole wheat and 2 bananas for a buck. Stretched my legs for a bit and napped on a bench before heading northward.

Coast Highway: It's nice to know the roads when you ride at night. Zero traffic in the early hours up through Mission Bay and Rose Canyon. You're always waiting for something to jump out from the bushes, especially when riding with lack of sleep. Paced slowed on the way up the coast, but the weather was nice with no fog this trip. Starting to get light out as I saw several commute riders through Encinitas. Daylight is by best friend and I was feeling more awake in Oceanside as I prepped for the ride up I-5.

Felt a little better riding along the I-5 traffic this trip. I often come this way on Permanents and then take the "inland" route through the camp back. A few more cyclists now as I proceeded up the bike route from Las Pulgas Road. Fire damage on both sides of the road as I neared bathroom #1 in San Onofre Campground. Looks like the wildfire jumped the tracks and raced to the ocean there. Stopped at the usual Carls Jr. in San Clemente for a drink. Managed a banana, but didn't feel like much else now. Nice leisurely pace up Hwy. 1. Traffic wasn't too bad for mid-week either. Made the final sit down stop at McDonalds in Newport Beach. My usual stopping place for Brevets and Permanents in lieu of Starbucks down the street. Got some yogurt and a pastry. Sat around a while, filled my bottles and headed for SART. Probably should have stopped for some lip balm from the same store we stopped at in 2011. Chris Hanson got some Chapstick at the Trading Post while riding with Joseph Mauer and I on the ill-fated Temecula 600 that year. We rode in shock after seeing the accident scene in Encinitas.

SART detour at Tustin Ave. Just follow signs.

SART: What a welcome relief from road riding. Nice push from the onshore winds all the way to Corona. I've ridden this enough to know the turns and didn't have to think much where I was going or push too hard. Rode with a few different cyclists as we watched the westbound riders fight the wind. Big detour at Tustin Ave. Followed the signs onto local streets and finally back on SART. From the park up to Green River Road was a mess with another long stop and construction delay. Some water truck was spraying the bike path and mud was running everywhere. I finally convinced the flag man to let me through, as a rider was already coming from the other way. Slog up to the Shell Station at the top. Got a Pomegranate Vitamin Water and Belvita Biscuts instead of the usual Chocolate Shake next door at JIB. Last water stop of the Brevet.

Corona: I really didn't want to ride through downtown Corona via the route, so I decided to follow the SB-400 route through (in reverse of course). That takes you straight on Green River Road instead of turning on Serfas Club Dr., etc. The Santa Rosa Plateau Permanent goes this way too. Great idea, huh? One climb after another. After turning onto Ontario Ave, it's one long climb. Here was a racer guy that kept passing me. He would just wait up ahead till I passed, then fly by me uphill. Nice guy! Normal heavy traffic under I-15 through the business areas. Traffic lessened on Temescal Canyon Road. Easy riding through here with a tailwind. Lake Street was real busy as the road narrows in spots. Those 2 climbs didn't seem so long this trip. Finally arrived at Lake Elsinore.

Finish: Long stretch on my least favorite road... Grand Ave. It's busy, sandy, rough and ill-marked. I thought I would never get to Clinton Keith (no turn for me on McVicar St.) Still a tailwind push along Washington St., through Murrieta and on to Temecula via Jefferson St. Average day traffic as I continued through Old Town, past the finish hotel and over to Hwy. 79 and a final stop at Carl's Jr. Since I was riding home, might as well just make one stop to finish the route and get something to eat. Big flag at Shell Station was straight out from the west.

First bite was great, downhill from there!

Post: After a non-tasty "Cod Sandwich" (too dry & too expensive), I headed out for the long ride home. Never did like this part too much. You concentrate on finishing the Brevet, and then if you hang around too long after, you're legs are cooked! I plodded up Rainbow Canyon climb, then still pedaled downhill as the  wind had shifted to the southwest now. Nice easy ride down Hwy. 395 by Nessy Burger @ 76. No way I was climbing up Day Lilly Hill, so I turned right and rode with traffic through Bonsall over to Vista Way, where I turned and followed the road through Vista and over to San Marcos. My butt hurt, lips were dried out but my legs felt OK as I pulled up to the garage. Was in my normal "zombie mode". Quite a couple of days. Now for some real sleep!

Partly cloudy to full sun
HI: 97
LO: 51
373 miles (route)
+61 miles (Ride-In & back)


-randorides