Coronado Express Permanent

Warmish coastal Coronado Express Rando Route today.

Bill Williamson to join Sam and I for the jaunt southward from Oceanside. We'll hook up with the OFR Gruppo at Magee Park in Carlsbad and a further pickup in Encinitas at Swami's before riding south to the Coronado Ferry. Sounds like a plan to me!

Now what really happened:
Wiped down the Fuji carbon chain, added a drop of WD-40 Dry Lube to each link and it's good to go. Got the 0614 Sprinter Train to Oceanside. Small chit-chat with cyclists on the train. Taking a later train meant getting your bike stacked up like cordwood for the trip over. Arrived early and cruised around Oceanside over to Circle K for a early start receipt. Hit the bathroom and made my way over to the Pier. Bill was there, pecking away on his cellphone. With 1 minute to go, Sam showed up! He rode the bike path over from College Ave, where he is staying with his buddy Daryl and family. Sam wanted to get in some extra miles for his "500 mile goal". We were off at 0730, on schedule.

Stopped by Magee Park, where Bill took a belated BR break. No other riders showed, so we're off before the scheduled 0800 leave time. Chit-chat down the coast and a stop at Poinsettia Lane, where we picked up several more OFR riders. They were waiting for Bruce Tipton, so I rode solo at a comfortable pace southward while Sam stayed back at the group telling his stories. I decided to stop at the Encinitas 7-Eleven for a break and to ice up the bottles for the coastal warm day in the saddle. I sat outside and didn't see the riders come past. I headed over to Swami's for the meet-up. No one there! Guess they already left, well before 0845? I hit the refurbished bathroom and cruised south. Not to worry.

OFR'ers: Tom, Sam and pirate Jim on the Coronado Ferry today.

Finally caught sight of the OFR gruppo near Del Mar. They turned off for the neighborhood route, while I continuedstraight through town. Did the big ring/21T up the Torrey climb for the regroup at the top. All sweaty and nice, we all finally got together. Several riders turned around there. Nice group of 12 continued on to the 1100 ferry. Most of the group stopped at a Mission Bay bathroom, while Jim and I rode slowly on. Nice tailwind to help us as I cut over on Hawthorn St. and along the strand to get to the ticket booth. We arrive at 1045, got the tickets and boarded the Coronado Ferry. No sign of the others yet! They must have really hammered hard to get there just as the ferry was leaving.

Down below it was hot and reeked of diesel fuel. We went up top for some cooler air. Ate my banana and cashew butter crackers while enjoying the view. The group was discussing where to eat lunch on Coronado. Nice relaxing cruise over. De-boarding the ferry, we hit the bathrooms and said "adios" to the others. Jim, Bill, Sam and myself were heading over to JIB in National City for our Control stop.

Jim & I set a faster pace around the Bayside Bikeway. Bill rode with Sam and took a few pics along the route. We regrouped in the shade on the Frontage Road. Sam was already cooked and now to get him back to Oceanside. Finally arrived at the JIB, where the guys loaded up on burger and fries, while I had my first choc shake in months! No coupon either, but the "senior discount" made it 30 cents cheaper! After 30 minutes, Sam was almost ready. We proceeded the back way on Roosevelt St. over through Barrio Logan. Nice and not so nice headwind. We plodded along, with Sam always trying to stick with our slow group. We decided to ride through the UCSD Campus this trip. Empty. Guess classes start next week? Pulled Sam up to Del Mar, where he was looking dead tired. So much for his "500 miles in a week" thing. "It's not about the miles, but more on the quality of the miles, Sam"! He was done.

San Diego skyline from the Coronado Ferry today.

Jim pulled off in Solana Beach, where he was stopping for a brew-ski on his way home. We made an extra stop at the 7-Eleven on Vulcan & Leucadia Blvd. I shared a Vitamin Water deal with Bill. Sam was loading up on water, cola and anything else that would help. His Zipp-Fizz stuff sure didn't work this trip. We finally left for the final section northward. Bill said he was riding ahead to the bathroom. Soon, this hot-dog racer went by with bare back and a backpak. I took off after him, for sure. He had a sour attitude so I dropped him on the shortie Palomar Road climb. Bill and I regrouped at the bathroom while waiting for Sam. All back together again, we plodded back to the Oceanside Pier. Sam said his good-byes as he took the SLR east. Bill went with me over to Circle K, before riding to Dan Phillips shop for a buddy ride home with Dan. I rode back through town, where I spotted the bare back racer at a local pub! Caught the next Sprinter back to San Marcos. A very long day, indeed!

Felt OK all day in the coastal heat, especially toward the finish. Had a good training ride with periods of speed and quality climbing up Torrey. Nice fast pace around the SD Bay at times. 4/5. Sam was tired all day and dragging his butt after a recovery day on Wednesday. He'll be dead meat on the Palomar Mtn. Sampler on Saturday, even after a day off. Maybe me too?

Clear skies all day
Hi: 96     Lo: 71
102 miles

-randorides