Coffee At Peet's Populaire

Garmin Stats from today's Coffee At Peet's route

Left well after 0600 on this last-minute Saturday shortie ride. After looking outside, decided to add the Planet Bike headlight and also the helmet light. SOMA has two rear stationary blinkies. Fog was socked in around San Marcos this morning! Also added arm warmers, as the Twin Oaks weather station said it was 60F out. (That means it's a few degrees cooler.)

Spotty heavy fog leaving the 7-Eleven, and up past the old Escondido Country Club. Cleared up by the time I topped out at Deer Springs Road. I could see the fog bank in the distant valleys from there. Did meet one lonely riders coming up Champagne Blvd. He was too busy to wave back. Noticed the Garmin temp has dropped to 57F. Won't be long before early starts will be cold again. Bummer! Nice 19 mph pace along Camino del Rey through some light fog. No riders there today. Stopped at Bonsall AM/PM for a 30 cent receipt. With one clerk, had to wait in a long line just for that. Iced the bottles and headed out.

Saw 2 riders ahead of me as I entered Hwy. 76 WB. Those boys were rolling fast, but I figured I might catch them before the SLR Bike Path. Kept a steady 22 mph with the help of some downhills and finally caught them just as they turned right on Old River Road! They must have been doing a loop back? SLR has no headwind today as I pulled a racer guy for 2 miles before he passed. Feelin' it a bit as I averaged 19 mph to Oceanside with no buddy help. I was trying to manage it so I wouldn't run out of gas later on the rollers.

Cheap buy for rando "proof of passage"

Stopped at Circle R on Coast Hwy. for a cheapo receipt. Clerk found me one mini-Snicker bar for 33 cents! Took the main drag through town and stopped at Magee Park bathrooms for relief and a bottle refill. Had to ride the grass out of there as the yoga gals were all over the sidewalks. One said the grass was too wet for them!

I finally hooked up with 2 areo-bar guys blasting southward on Coast Hwy. 21-mph pace till we hit a little roller, where the boys died. Switched groups to a threesome with one lady. Seems they were going inland on SR-56 Bike Path same as me, then over to Del Dios and San Elijo. Gal said it was 52 mile loop. Also mentioned one rider came down from Alpine this morning. He was riding up front and only later did I realize it might have been Drew Peterson on his red bike? Our nice group split up at Del Mar, as they took the "neighborhood" loop. I rode through town as always and stopped to check the aero-bar guys alongside the road. Seems one had some rear hub problems. Probably too much power broke something? Didn't see the nice threesome again as I turned onto Carmel Valley Road.

Regular action on the SR-56 Bike Path today. Finally passed 2 like riders wearing Italian jerseys with the Bianchi cycling caps! Guy said it was a "long day". I know what he means. Picked up a banana at the Bikeanywhererepair.com stand as I turned to Circle R on Camino del Sur. Got something for a receipt, iced up the bottles (no cola this trip), chomped a banana and rolled out. I had been feeling good till now with no signs of leg fatigue being 4 hours into the route. 

SR-56 Bike Path was busy today!

This changed as I climbed the rollers to Rancho Bernardo. I was chasing 2 riders up Camino del Sur, till they turned onto Artisian Rd. Moderated the pace through RB, took the Martinal Road shortcut past the Elementary School and a extra climb in there. Not too long and I was slogging the Pedestrian Bridge over Lake Hodges. Not many riders around today. Thought about the Citracado Road turn we took a while back, which leads to the tough climb up Gamble Lane for a longcut. Not today, as I took the Inland Rail Trail back to San Marcos.

Started out slow and picked up the pace all the way to Camino del Sur stop. Legs seem to tire out some on the rollers after that. Didn't break the 5 hour mark riding the SOMA this trip. This was a good workout with the group speed work in the middle. Maybe 2 days off before a Palomar trip?

Fog early AM, clear later
Hi: 96   Lo: 55 (Garmin temps)
82 miles


-randorides