Hammerheads, Flat Tires & Pickup Trucks

200K Brevet Report for the North County Cycle Club
January 20, 2007

Put in a lot of miles on this Bianchi Axis rando bike.

I was bundled up quite well as I headed south from San Marcos, thinking it was a good thing I had 2 of every layer on and how NCCC members riding the Stagecoach last week were met with frigid 7:00 AM start. The early morning temps had risen all week and today it was 38F when I left. that seemed warm compared to the 20's I rode in earlier in the week. Had the ol Bianchi Axis cross bike I rebuilt up with different parts after getting the basic bike from a eBay guy in Texas for $300. Big front bar bag held my stuff for the day. Quite a load!

Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. It's non-competitive in nature , and self-sufficiency is paramount. It has a long Euro tradition and friendly camaraderie, not competition is its hallmark. That sounded alot like cycle-touring to me. Riders are issued

cards at the start and get them signed at checkpoints along the way. There is also a defined route to follow and a time limit to finish in . That made it sound interesting, so I signed up for this first official one, which was 200K(130 miles). Helf for the first time in 204, the San Diego Brevet Series of rides is sanctioned by the Randonneurs USA (RUSA) organization. For the 2007 season, the SD Series will be sponsored by the San Diego Century Riders Club and will include seven rides.

I arrived at the start point in Doyle Park, UTC area around 6:30 AM as planned, signed in, got my Brevet Card and prepped up. There were quite a few riders milling around and I was starting to cool off. After a short rider meeting we were free to start whenever we wanted to! No pressure there. As I anticipated, many riders blasted off. Last year there were 85 riders and this year I counted close to 50 at the start.

Even though I was familiar with this Brevet route, I had a modified route slip on my bar bag, just in case. NCCC rides have covered almost all the 200K route and today the regular ride was also going up Old Castle Road. We rode through Sorrento valley and turned onto El Camino Real as I noticed the riders were stringing out. I chatted with Curtis Morgan, the big fellow from Lanchaster, riding a classic Schwinn. As we started the first long climb up Del Dios by Lake Hodges, I could see some of the early hammerheads coming back. I tried to keep a nice easy, steady speed and kept thinking ahead to the climb up Old Castle to Rainbow. The sun was in our faces and things were heating up fast!

Approaching San Marcos, I noticed 2 NCCC riders at Woodland Pkwy and Barham Road. Looks like a tire change. A little further up  the road I pulled over and chatted with members Jeff and Dave. Must have been a mini regroup. Part way up twin Oaks Road, I pulled over and stripped off 1 layer of each and laid them on the white fence for the wife to pick up. That felt real good as I followed a group of 7 riders up Deer Springs. I knew the mini bike lane ahead littered with glass awaited, so I went around them and into the first Control stop at the AM/PM on Mesa Rock Road. Card signed, 2 Fig-Newtons and away I went. The Newtons didn't tast that good to me.

Going down Champagne Blvd., I waved at Lisa and another NCCC rider going up. My 44x12 max gearing never fare well on the power downhills, but maybe I could make up some time on the climbs ahead. Old Castle Road climb was busy. At the turn onto Lilac Rd., NCCC had regrouped, so I slowed and chatted a bit with climbers Tony and English Doug as we rode together for a mile. As the club turned left onto W. Lilac Road, I noticed a RUSA rider turning around and following them! He yelled at me that I missed the turn! YA, Right. Never saw him again that day. Good think I rode these roads many times with the club.

I saw no riders untile I turned and started up Couser Canyon Road. I did see someone over by the fence taking off some layers and followed him to the top. I stopped on the downhill to ask another rider if he needed anything to fix his flat. He had been riding with his buddy. Later down the road at the bridge, I met his buddy and said his friend was pumping air and would be along shortly. Going up Rice Canyon Rd., I rode a short distance with Robert Mauhar from Coronado riding a pristine Raleigh with balloon tires. He had recently injured his hip and had difficulty on the up hills. Tough guy recovery ride.

In Rainbow the route called for a left turn on 5th Street by the fire station. Three riders just kept going straight despite my best efforts yelling at them. I guess they were going over to Temecula for lunch! Down Old 395, across I-15 and onto Reche Road heading toward Fallbrook. Along this section of Reche Road the lane narrows to almost nothing. This is where Bobbi Fisher from Burbank was struck by a pickup truck. The truck driver told here that he had just come around a corner, was going 15 mph and his dog jumped in his lap so he couldn't see her. Strange, because she was at the top of the straight climb and there were no corners! Bobbi does have 4 fractured vertebrae and says the wort part are the torn ligaments in her back. She will be in a back brace for about 3 months. Until she heals up, Bobbi says she will be helping out at local Randonneur events.

Joseph Mauer from Mountain View, CA

The next Control stop was at Dominick's shop in Fallbrook. Several riders were there eating sandwiches and resting. I did a stop, sign and go from there as I knew it was mostly downhill/level to the coast but would be an onshore winds blowing in our faces too! I was feeling good and rolling along as I turned onto N. River Road. It was there that my rear tire started to collect staples. I pulled into a firewood yard, talked to the workers there as I pulled my wheel and patched my tube. I was getting ready to roll out when I noticed the tire now looked a little low again! This time I put in a new tube, thanked the firewood guy witha energy bar and headed west on river Road and the bike trail.

There was a slight headwind as Joseph and I worked our way toward the coast. Joseph is from up in Mountain View and of course he works for Apple Computer. He also has a special bike built up for these long rides and just ot back from doing a 600K ride in Sussieland! As I headed downt eh coast on 101, I grouped up with 3 riders and we rode several miles till they made a quick stop  in carlsbad. I figured it was now or never, so I cranked it up and rode alone till the Torrey Pines hill, where Jim Kehr from Laguna Beach was suffering a birt from cramps. I shared some flavored Tums with him and we rod to the finish in Doyle Park. I got my Brevet Card signed, chatted with a few riders, mounted up my lights and headed back along the coast to San Marcos. What a day!

After riding this classic route, unchanged from previous years, I could only ...know thyself. There are the "pros" who start off at 20 mph and maintain the entire day. There are others who start out slowly but speed up later as they are feeling good. I'm sort of in the middle group, who take a moderate pace all day long. It was a 191 mile day with 9400 feet of climbing, several unplanned events and meeting lots of nice riders along the way. I would say it was a great day. Next month a ride report from the "Land Of The Wind Turbines".

...see you on the road,
kellyjay