Stagecoach 400 Ride-In

Our micro ride down to Start route

The annual Stagecoach 400 bikepacking route starts down in San Diego this year. At the USS
Midway Park under the "Kissing Couple" statue. Interesting place to start. Great for a ride down to check things out.

Several of the local randos/riders were interested, but only John Fry and my buddy, John Mestemacher were serious. Start time for the SC-400 was 0800 down in San Diego by the bay. Needed to start early to allow plenty of time to make it.

Stepped out the door and realized I might need a vest for this morning freshness. Home made reflective vest on, I rolled into the local 7-Eleven before 0400 for a ice fill-up. A little spit of drizzle and I plunged down to meet John Fry at the bottom of R'cho Santa Fe/Melrose Dr. John pulled in a few minutes later, lights blazing. After a short chit-chat about the mini-drizzle, we were off up the climb to meet John Mestemacher near LaCosta Ave.

2019 Stagecoach 400 riders at Start

There he was, rash and all. John had gotten into some poison oak on a recent MTB ride and his arms were rashed-up and itching. Which way do we go? Don't know, just keep riding. John led up Garden View Way and down to Encinitas. We stopped at Swami's Park at the announced time of 0515, enjoyed the waves below and left on time at 0520. Only the three of us southward on quite roads and swooshing waves.

Up over Torrey Pines and down thru Rose Canyon, where work is still going on there. Short stop at Anza Cove for a bathroom break and shower fill the bottles. Soon off into the sunrise onto Pacific Highway into San Diego proper.

Quiet waterfront till we got near the "Kissing Couple" Park. There bike-packers were prepping their rides for the journey ahead. Got a few riders on video, chatted with some I knew and cruised the pits, looking at the different bike set-ups. I should be riding today instead of hanging around in "wantabe" mode.

Real Deal: 2019 Stagecoach 400 Route

At 0800, they promptly left the harbor and started the long ride up to Laguna. We followed them out to the Sweetwater Bike Path and a bit further on the gravel trail. Time to finish our own loop and head toward the ocean.

Bayshore Bikeway was laced with headwind, as usual. John M. did most of the pulling and we rotated on occasion. Nice and sunny as we waited for the next Ferry. John M. bought tickets for us and we relaxed on the short trip to the Convention Center. We rolled thru town, around Anza Cove and made our final stop at the McDonald's near Rose Canyon.

John-John watching riders on Sweetwater Trail

Of course, no regular ice cream, but they did have choc shakes! Go figure. John Fry bought one for us both. Add a pack of GU Gel and I was good for another 2 hours of tempo riding. John had to tell a story of his recent trip up to Oregon and his daughter's "scare the neighbors dog away with gunshots". Interesting to say the least.. Reminded me of stepping out the door of our hi-plains home east of Colorado Springs and lobbing a few rounds at the packs of feral dogs on the loose. Managed to drop a few and had to "return them to nature" like a good guy would.

Chit-chat and relaxing on the Ferry crossing

Nice riding along the coast and soon John F. led us via Falcon and LaCosta Ave to John M's home. A few good-bys (not much hand shaking, due to oak rash) and we were off downhill where John Fry peeled off for home. Long day for him. He's riding good after his foot surgery. I wobbled up the hill and thru San Marcos town into a final 7-Eleven stop. Greeted there by owner Najib Azzam and a free ice cream for my efforts. Thirty minutes later, I was home and eating everything in sight.

Interesting ride of 116 miles/187km with John-John. John M. later reported new rash on his back! Trip to the dermatologist tomorrow for sure. Managed to throw together a video of some of our ride today.


2019 Stagecoach 400 Ride-In Video


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Najib's New Ride

Najib's new carbon ride.

Najib Azzam is a friend who sort-of wants to get into cycling more. He has two 7-Eleven stores in San Marcos that keeps him busy. Several years ago, I hooked him up with Joe Morgan @ Nytro for a order-in on a new SCOTT Scale 710+ MTB. That's the 3" tire, 27.5 MTB hard-tail that weighs in at 27#.

Najib was having back problems, so his new FELT road bike didn't get much use. He decided to get a more "comfortable" road/bike path bike. Thus, he followed Joe up to The Bike Shop in Temecula and ordered in a new 2019 Specialized Diverge Expert X1 carbon ride. For a week, we planned on a short ride to check out his new bike.

Rando John Fry (recovering from foot surgery) would join up on this easy route, along with Sam Thomas, driving down from Sun City. Sam needed the training miles, since he has been lax with cycling over the last few months. Easy ride for him. Also Keith Olsen, groin pull, sounded interested in this too, since he was looking for something easy, not to aggravate the pull any more.

I needed to get in some "rando" mileage, so I rolled over to Escondido early. Picked up a few donut holes for the guys at Peterson Donuts on Escondido Blvd. Met Sam as I was leaving. He had the same idea as me. I gave him my donut bag and headed over to the San Marcos start at Najib's Mulberry 7-Eleven.

Sam rolled in last, and with some hoopla, Najib, John Fry, Sam Thomas and I rolled out around 11:30 to bright, sunny skies. light winds and coolish temps.

Sam ate all the donuts!

Easy route over to Escondido via Country Club and then up old Hwy 395. Najib was already
struggling on the small hills, even though we were soft peddling. We turned onto Camino del Rey, where Najib stopped to answer a cell call. Some job emergency. Then another stop.. etc. I mentioned to him the need to take time in your life to leave the job at home and enjoy the ride!

We had some chit-chat at Bonsall AM/PM, before deciding to ride toward O'side via the Bike Path. Normal easy route for us, not for Najib. Stopped at Mance Buchannon Park and decided to continue on to the ocean. By that time Najib has a sore butt from sitting. We needed another option to get him home.

Ahhh. The Sprinter Train. The group split up and I prompted Najib onto the next train eastward. It was a little crowded in the bike area after a few stops, but we finally made it to San Marcos. After the short ride to 7-Eleven, I parted ways and continue on with my mileage ride. Sam's car was still in the 7-Eleven lot, so I left a card on his side window.

This VIDEO somewhat depicts what happened.

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Round Wind Trip = No Mirror

2 modes of Bike Peddler Mirrors. I needed the long one.

During last weeks Rainbow Brevet ride down, my trusty Bike Peddler Mirror disappeared. I had just used one dollop of Superglue to test fit it to the new helmet visor. It was long gone somewhere in road-trash land. I'll just get another one and glue the crap out of it.

REI has them. $18 with some credit back at the end of the year. Too much. $12-14 online, with added shipping. NOT. I'll check with my buddy Joe Morgan at The Bike Shop in Temecula. Yes, he has them in stock. Time for a rando ride up to pick one up and check on the Gravel Summit next Saturday (Feb. 2, 2019).

A little cool for me as I checked out at 0700 from 7-Eleven and headed north. Sun was nice, shade was cool. Got into Temecula a little early, so it's a donut shop stop for me. Yunez and R'cho CA road shop. Buttermilk and a added choc/choc cake donut. I was hungry and needed the kick. Rolled over to Stagecoach Park and sat in the sun for awhile. Popped a Tylenol for the displaced Scapula and peddled over to The Bike Shop.

Bumped into some rider guy at the door. Him and wife recently got new TREKs and he needed full clothing kit. Joe was there to help him out. After some chat with bikepacker Randy, Joe brought the mirror over. WRONG. Shorty version (compact). Joe didn't know they had 2 models. Hopefully, he'll get the real version soon. After checking over some new Specialized Sawtooth gravel tires (look good to me. I'll try them on my next 700x42 tire change) and chatting with the boys about the Summit next Saturday, I'm off to warmer temps sans arm warmers and jacket. I also stuffed some SHOT BLOKS into my bag for ballast

Wind was blowing real good now. NE. I was flying back. Decided to cut over to Bonsall via smooth Hwy. 76. Big tail wind into Bonsall McDonald's. 59 minutes from Joe's Shop to a sit down! New record for me... and on the gravel WTB 650b tires too. Finished up the ride with a jog over to Vista via N. Santa Fe and back home to San Marcos again. Checked into the TwinOaks 7-Eleven and gulped a Advil for the shoulder inflammation.

2-tab day for me and with the ride yesterday, turned out OK. But, NO MIRROR.

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Backwater Blues Revival Ride

Ride to fundraiser on gloomy day

Often times I'll "mix it up" and do odd things as part of the normal rando route. The livens things up and makes one a little more diversified vs the normal cue route (sometimes the "reverse version" of a route makes it more interesting). Several times I've rolled into Biggs Harley-Davidson/San Marcos after a ride and see what's going on and listen to the live bands there. Usually the riders will have a "pancake" breakfast before 0900 and the group rolls out for a purposeful ride, returning before 1 PM to more food and live music. I did this last in September, where the rookie group performing was "Graveyard Witch". About time for another go at it.

Weather was crappy today (for SoCal). On the cool side with low overcast and almost drizzle. Rain in the forecast for today thru tonight. I checked out of 7-Eleven start early light and made good time on the Diverge gravel bike, looping around and ending up at the coast. Stopped for a few video shots of surfers waiting for the non-wave to come in and the busy dreary overcast beach volleyball action at Ponto Beach.

I was under-dressed and getting colder by the minute as I headed back inland and into drizzle/mist. Been a good day to pack a jacket, but nada for me this trip. Finally picked up some more gravel and finished up the route in San Marcos. Now time to ride over to Biggs and check out the reputable Backwater Blues Band.

Overcast and drizzle was the mantra for the afternoon. I managed to catch the National Anthem and a few songs by the band, before shivering myself back home to dry warmth. Band was good, but the rider attendance was lacking due to the weather.

Might try another Band ride on the 26th, when Black Market III performs. One of the better blues/rock bands in San Diego area.

 Backwater Blues Band Ride Video

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Year End With December BANG Finale

Another good year for rando rides in SoCal...2018.

A small glitch starting December, as RUSA wouldn't wouldn't accept any Permanent results (Dec.
1-7) until they had a new insurance company on board for Permanent Routes. My rides for this week were for non-rando credit, but OK-fun just the same. Seems the accident/death during an event in Texas started the lawsuit/waiver/liability issue of riding RUSA events.

With new RUSA Permanent insurance active on Dec. 8, it was looking to be a busy time for riding again to finish out the year. Ahhhh, I thought so... but you can't count on anything for sure and of course early this Saturday morning on the way to a Permanent start, I was taken out by a homeless/transient dude with a kick to my handlebar as I was riding in the bike lane!

Left Scapula Fractures

Not to go into detail (ongoing case on file with Sheriffs Dept.), but FIVE (5) is the non-magic number here. The number of fractures I sustained. Scapula & ribs. Short ambulance trip over to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, normal ER stuff, X-Rays, CAT-SCAN and lying around with a neck brace and a bunch of bandages.

Finally, enough tests done, I hobbled home. Nothing to do about the fractures but let them heal best they can. No need for a cast, slings or ACE wraps this time.

Legs were OK (few cuts, abrasions), so I managed to set up the stationary trainer in the garage. Step-stool and all in place, it was off to the races going nowhere. Crank-er up time. After a few days of this, it was back to easy road riding again... (Dr. said wait 11 weeks for riding again) Ya, OK..something like that.

Doesn't look like the year will end with what I had planned, but often times we must just "motor-on".

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Long Ride - OFR Ferry Meet-Up

OFR route from Orange back to Oceanside

OFR (Thursday Ride Group) was scheduled to Metro train up to Orange Station and ride back to O'side. They'll be leaving O'side on the 7:39 Metro and starting their ride from Orange at 8:44 over to the SART (Sana Ana River Trail) and down the coast. Sounds like a good chance for another infamous "kelly meet-up" ride. Perhaps I could plug-in the "Crusin' The OC route or the other route that goes thru Corona to SART?

Left dark-early and headed up to Temecula via old Hwy. 395. I was riding the Specialized Diverge gravel bike with the 650b wheelset/47mm tires. ( I was adding 1 oz of sealant to each 700mm tire on my other wheel-set.. the front went smooth, the rear never seated, so I pulled the tire, cleaned up and put in new Gorilla Tape/sealant - thus the change over to 650b wheel-set). Just over 40F and downhills felt more like 30F. Top was toastie with the wind/reflective vest over double layers. Bare legs were done froze. Never did the sun look so warm as it finally bridged the hills to the east and started to warm things up. I managed a donut stop around 0800 to take off the woolie cap and arm warmers.

OFR group photo near Laguna (arrow = me)

Hit SART outside of Corona and spent some time riding around the newish Anaheim Station. Some dude in the parking lot with a flat tire hit me up for some help. I offered my little Lenzyne pump, but I think he wanted some $$ instead.. Sorry dude, I'll pass the word along. That I did a bit later, when I met the local Transit Security big-guy. He said that guy is always there with his flat tire black van.. just forget him. OK, after wasting some time I did a little gravel work while cruising along SART waiting for the OFR gruppo to show up. Hope I didn't miss them. About 9:10 they came rolling by.

Balboa Ferry. Bike costs $1.25 for short ride.

Nice group including rando Jim Robinson. We had a chance to catch up on riding stuff, including what happened to John Fry? Reported after foot surgery, he is swimming and hopes to get back on the bike next year. LOL. Chatted with others as we made our way to Coast Hwy. Group of 16 riders made the back way along the coast, with several stop at bathrooms. Finally boarded the little Balboa Ferry for the 5 minute cruise to the "mainland". Cost is still $1.25 per bike. Eric Rix didn't take my offer up to pay for all. He was having issues with his new Pinerallo shifting.

Finally made it to Laguna, where their route went inland a bit. There a few stopped off at the local bike shop. Ten of us continued up and down the back street rollers on to Dana Point, where they were stopping for lunch at their normal Harbor restaurant. Not to be deterred, I said my "adios" and hit the road, hoping to finish up before dark. Several of them may have jumped the Metro at San Clemente back to O'side.

DUH: SUV rolls off Balboa Ferry!

I stopped at 7-Eleven for a refill and a $1 Ice Cream Sandwich (special) before riding thru San Clemente and on to San Onofre Campground. Slight headwind as I made good time and jumped the I-5 route southward. Nice and warm now as I appreciated the temp difference from earlier today. More light headwind on to San Marcos. Made it home around 3:00 PM. Another weird route and useful day on the road. In two weeks, OFR will do the annual "PIE Ride" around to Julian. Mmmm, looks like a good time for Rando's "Camels to Yaqui Pass"? OH YAH !

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Windy Champagne For Veterans Day

Champagne Double Route

Annual Vets Day ride was the newish Champagne Double. A short route from San Marcos, up the Hwy. 395 hill to Circle K in Fallbrook (actually Hwy. 395 @ Hwy. 76), over to Oceanside and back via Bike Path to Bonsall and up Champagne climb to San Marcos.

Had a small flag.. didn't like that fit, so I dug out some road trash flag I picked up years ago. The kind you clip on your side window. Cut off the "clip" and rolled out early on a windy Monday morning. That didn't last long as I soon returned home and cut off the more of the clip as it was rubbing the back of my thigh on the down-stroke.

Riding over to the start at Mulberry Drive 7-Eleven, more rubbing on the leg. After getting a receipt, I found a piece of concrete and "filed down" the sharp edge of the flag mast. Away I went into a 20mph headwind from the east. Not to be deterred, the winds eased as I rode northward on Old Hwy. 395. Up the Daylilly climb and down the empty road to the Circle K control. Outside bathrooms were a plugged up stinky mess.

Vet Day set-up on Diverge Gravel bike

Ahhhh, tailwind as I cruised westward on Hwy. 76. Not as much as I hoped for, but much better than a headwind. The flag was strapped securely to my seat bag and kept flapping up around itself. Give me something to do as I peddled along. Short stop at Bonsall Donut and McD's for ice. and I was off again to the Mance Buchanan Park near the Bike Path. Not much going on there. After some neck PT, it was cruise control and hi-speed riding to the coast.

Return trip wasn't so easy, as the wind had subsided somewhat, but still the eastbound bike lane was void of riders today... except me, of course. After a short re-ice in Bonsall, I was off to the headwinds along Camino del Rey. Same with the Champagne climb. Winds and all, I was soon back to the 7-Eleven finish with a final tailwind back home. Nice ride today, with minimal traffic and not a lot of riders out either. Go Figure.

Champagne Double Video

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