Ursa Minor Meet Up With OFR

Bailed out cyclists:Traded a good tube for 2 flat tubes and $2

46 degrees in the valley as I rolled out today. Sent Bill Stevenson a email a couple of days ago about this ride. He likes this route. (He later emailed and said he didn't check his email until this morning!) Had a "foil-type vest" under my jersey for added warmth. Official start was from the Mulberry 7-Eleven at 0610. I could hear the "crinkling" sound with each move I made on the bike. Riding the carbon stealth today, as it has the best tires.

Quite pleasant as I found my way over to Harmony Grove and on to Del Dios Hwy. The normal heavy traffic behind as I passed the dam with a high-speed pace. ViaSat  rider passed me as I was entering Rancho Santa Fe town. Figured I would catch him on the rollers to Solana Beach. Yep, gaining ground at a nice pace when he turned off on a side road. Wonder if he is commuting to their office in Carlsbad and knows a short cut?

No stop at the Solana Donuts per cue. As I was turning onto Coast Highway northward, joined new rando Dave Danovski on his commute to work. Riding his Fuji racer, the speed was 19 mph. Chatted about the upcoming Rainbow 200 next week. He was asking me all kinds of tips. I gave the usual advice saying: "If you ride this pace, you won't make Rainbow!" Dave turned off near Poinsettia Lane.

Arriving in Carlsbad early, I stopped at the local 7-Eleven for a bottle refill and also iced it up. Rode over to Magee and hit the bathrooms, where I stripped off the "crinkle vest" and woolie cap. Chatted with the guys in the parking lot before starting out. New guy John Fry III was there. (Said he was interested in rando rides last week, so I handed him a card with the appropriate info on it. Also invited him to the Thursday OFR ride.) Group left late as usual. Rode past the pier, where Dee Wells was getting ready. Group waited a bit and had a regroup at Pendleton Main Gate. Jimbo Wiesner & I rode ahead at a leisurely pace. Soon Bruce and John caught up. Had a little hammer action over to the regroup at Las Pulgas.

I did a slo-pace ahead toward the Campgroud #1 bathroom. Caught 3 riders from the OCCRG and rode with them. One rider just turned 80 years old. The rest were 70! Had a nice chat before stopping at #1. Added water and powder before the OFR turned up. 5 minutes and we were blasting northward. Bruce and Troy were interested in another way through San Clemente, so we went down to the Beach Path. Lots of hard-bodies today. And dog walkers. This is a good way to go solo or with a buddy, not a group. Group split up as some opted for an illegal "cross the double yellow" to catch the Protected Bikeway north to Doheny State Beach. Said adios to Troy as I turned off on the San Juan River Trail to San Juan Capistrano control.

Due to construction at the trail bridge & traffic getting to Carl's Jr, I U-Turned and took the River Trail back to Dana Point. Stopped by the trailside Carl's Jr. Got a IC Sandwich and topped it off with GU vanilla gel. Ate my sandwich, filled my bottles and was soon back on the trail. At trail end, saw a old guy trying to fix a flat tire. Said his spare tubes were no good. I gave him a good one, aired it up and advised him to put air in them before inserting into the tire. I checked his "bad tubes" and they both had "pinch flats", most likely caused by his tire levers!

Lots of water line construction along Stuart Mesa Road

Looks like I missed my OFR southbound hook-up. Took the "neighborhood" route through San Clemente . Hooked up with a girl/guy racer team and rode with them through the San Onofre Campground. He had a flat, so I stopped at the bathroom for a refill. They later caught me thru Pendleton. Construction along Stuart Mesa Road there, with installation of a 2" thick, 2' water conveyance pipeline. We rode out together.

Stopped at Oceanside Transit Station to renew my Compass Card. Hit the trail east over to Bonsall with a tailwind and finally made it up Champagne with no rider hook-ups for drafting. Weather was a little cooler today with the clouds, but short sleeves worked good. Longish day on the road with several wait-around stops.

High clouds/partly cloudy
Hi: 78     Lo: 46
127 miles


-randorides