Why Cycling in LOS ANGELES sucks...

TODAY I WAS LEFT SPEECHLESS, ENJOY....


Actually this is how Gypsy's fix a flat... really

GREAT SUCCESS...

So after my comment about the Euro's they voted in droves. And I even got a blast in French.

Anonymous said...
Vous êtes un gros porc américain. Vous mangez dans McDonalds journalier et puis comptez monter un vélo. Vous ne savez rien au sujet du mode de vie. Très stupide !

Apparently I am an American Pig... and eat McDonald's, every day. oh ande I know nothing about the way of life... You gotta love the French... I guess I'm lucky they missed Alex (the Romanian) at the end. Otherwise he would have called me a gypsy. Which would have been much more insulting.

I guess my sarcasm was lost across the Atlantic.

Cheers, Alex

BLOW ME...

Well the results are in, and it looks like overwhelmingly people are hating on my reviews. In my attempt drop all the technical BS that is typical in reviews for cycling gear, it seems that I have failed. Instead of using lines like, "the frame demonstrated high caliber vertical compliance," which I think of as lame BS... I would just say that the frame is extremely stiff, compared to the aluminum Specialized Allez. Or I would just say a helmet sucks because of the price... but its super nice if the cost doesn't matter.

Oh well, I hate not having races to write about... but until then I will continue this little cycling online diary. So to those of you that don't like my reviews, blow me... and click over to cycling news for some techy BS review... oh here is a good line,

"Get out of the saddle and throw the bike around for sprints or climbs and there's barely any sideways movement through the frame - the rear triangle doesn't budge off line. The same is true of the fork - it remained steadfast despite our best efforts to coax it into twisting on the hills."

That is far more descriptive... the rear triangle doesn't budge offline? RIGHT. I am in the midst of preparing my ride report for the Palomar part two, so I will bring this to a close.

BTW, the majority of votes were from the Euro's that are always looking for reviews online. So I can't be that annoyed since everyone knows people from Europe are total tools.

Best Regards... Alex (from Romania)

Road Tire Review...

Looks like the economy has been hitting us all pretty hard. It has been a long while since I have bought any new tires... so I have been forced to make old wheels last as long as possible. I won't claim to have tried tons of different tires, but I do ride every other day on the streets of LA. What does this mean? Well in short it means that on a daily basis I throw all there is to throw at a good tire... glass, potholes, crack littered streets, gutter debris, dirt roads, and skid breaking.

With that said I am going to summarize my opinion of the tires I have used in the past and their performance. First up and definitely my favorite set tires I have ever used are the Continental Attack Force combo. I got these guys sometime in '07 and I'm still using the front tire. This is a really tough set and I only got one flat while running these on my rig. This of course is just luck, but I highly recommend this setup to anyone that is looking for good performance and durability... at least in terms of LA Streets. Plus, this is a high end tire that you can grab off Ebay for $65... and that's for the set. Do not be fooled by the retail price from your LBS, at $120. Although I am giving these tires big props, they still get mad cuts. IF YOU RIDE ON SHITTY STREETS YOU WILL GET CUTS IN YOUR TIRES... it is inevitable. However, they are still great performers, and have a good enough casing to really perform on the descents. The tires are front and rear specific giving it some nice added flare and handling. It's a 22 for the front and the classic 23 on the rear. Multi colors available... if you get a set you will not be disappointed and they will last a good while.

I now compare tires simply by how long I can ride on a set with the cuts not causing any flats, and cornering ability. My experience is best with the Continentals. The second is definitely cost. I always recommend going cheap, for your daily commutes and weekend rides.

Next tire up is the Schwable Ultremo. This is by far the best performance tire I have ever ridden. The quality here can be felt for sure. It also inflates round, similar to the shape of a tubular, which gives it the handling performance. On technical descents this tire grabs extremely well and gives you that glued to the ground confidence. I love these tires whole heartedly but sadly, I am barred from there use. Why? Well these tires puncture like balloons that's why. I have read pro reviews and reviews from the company claiming the tire as indestructible and puncture proof. I am here to say that my experience is quite the opposite. This tire is extremely light @195 grams and can be felt in how thin the rubber is. I have yet to ride a better quality clincher, but I had to ditch these after a 5 flats in 2 weeks. It was a pure nightmare, flatting on almost every commute for those couple weeks. I still continued to race on them and take these out for big group rides, the traction is worth it in a race scenario. HOWEVER, if you live in Orange County or any where with buttery smooth roads, then these would be perfect.

Vittoria Rubino's... great tire and super cheap. A set will cost you $30 on Ebay... also check the links to chainreactionscycles.com and the wiggle bike shoppe. British bike shops, with great discounts, especially with the exchange rate in our favor. There is a reason you see these on single speeds all around LA. Actually it is probably related more to color options, but also these tires are pretty damn durable. The quality is so so, but will be just fine for training rides, and even big descents. Just don't expect to ride as far out on the limit. What you gain is a tire that will last you a pretty long time, despite the number of cuts you get. I have sported these on all of my bikes, including my fixie... yes the red ones are cool (I sold out to the trend). There are a couple other tires that are cheap, that I would place in this same category... Vittoria Zaffiro's and Vredestein Fortezza's... all about the same price.

So what have we learned here... honestly, probably not a whole lot except one thing. Everyone has their own preferred tires and what works for one person will not necessarily work for others. So far, this is a small outline of what has worked and has not worked for me. Hopefully in some small way this helps some of you.

Now I will leave you with a couple tips for fixing flats on punctured tires. This may sound sketchy to some of you but has worked wonders for me. First and foremost, always ride with some extra electrical tape on your bike. You can wrap some around the seat post or put on extra around that handle bar tape. Next time you flat and the tire gets punctured, take a few layers of electrical tape and place that like a patch on the inside of the tire. This will make sure the tube does not blow out and will restore the tire good as before. I think it's a great permanent fix on new tires that were prematurely punctured. The same spot flat is only as likely as it is to ride over another piece of sharp debris in that exact spot. It may sound a bit ghetto but it works and can save you a good amount of coin. One of my back wheels has 3 spots with tape in it and works perfectly.

Final Thought

Race on - SCHWABLE ULTREMO

Group/Weekend Ride on - CONTINENTAL ATTACK/FORCE

Daily/Commute on - VITTORIA RUBINO PRO

Mount Wilson - Part Deux

Well after having had such a devastating first encounter with Mount Wilson, I decided to give it another go a week later. This time around the weather was much more forgiving... nice and sunny in the valley, however you could see that Wilson still had some clouds building in the vicinity. I decided that I wouldn't be unprepared this time. I packed a thermal jacket, which left me with a giant bulge in my back pocket. In fact my jersey was so stuffed I think I looked more like a camel riding a bike.

View from the top

The ride was phenomenal... I will skip the details of the route again as you can grab that in the previous post. BUT HERE IS THE RIDE DATA. This time around I was able to shred a lot of time off the ride as I wasn't freezing my butt off on the descent... and also spent a good amount of time trying kill myself on the climb up. Although, I would like to add that descent this time was ridiculous... without the rain and freezing temps it was much easier to bomb down and maintain grip. The ride scored major points this time.

Mountain top, not so pretty

By the time I got home it had become pretty clear something was off. My knee was killing me... With some experimental cleat positioning it put a lot of stress on it. I woke up the next day with my knee totally blown out. It hurt so bad I could hardly walk on it. My advice, don't ignore knee pain... especially after you just changed your cleats around. It took a few days off, some Ibuprofen, ice and I was back on the bike.

This weekend is the big ride however. My token cycling buddy Steve is getting married, so his bachelor party is this weekend. Being cycling junkies, we're swapping the strippers for Milan-Sanremo and a ride up Mount Palomar... which is the our cycling equivalent of a Vegas getaway. As lame as that sounds to some of you, it's true.

So come this Friday it's a weekend of cycling, boozing, and riding.

The Coldest Day Ever...

This one is quite a bit overdue, but I finally thawed out enough to write the post. Last week Steve and I decided that we would bust the ride up to Mount Wilson from my pad. Unfortunately, it was raining the day he decided to come up. We though it was cool at first but we learned our lesson later on in the ride.

The ride starts at my place in Silverlake and follows a route that takes you up Angeles Crest to Mount Wilson road and to the summit... which is more of a road that passes by several radio towers. The ride is about 31 miles to the summit from my house and climbs from and elevation of just 345ft to 5,750ft. Needless to say we had a lot of climbing in store for us this day.

We set up in a light drizzle... the heavy rain had stopped coming down an hour before we took off. However, we didn't really make a plan for heavy rain and cold so we only took some lightweight vests for the decent down from Mount Wilson... THIS WOULD LATER BECOME A BIG MISTAKE. The first 12 miles was a nice and wet gradual ascent to the start of the Angeles Crest climb. Although you are climbing the whole way up to Angeles Crest it is mostly through the city so really is more of a non-issue. When you arrive at the foot of Angeles Crest, you have about 22 miles of climbing at an average grade of about 6.5%.

After the initial slog up through La Canada and past the country club you get in to full blown mountain road. It is absolutely gorgeous, and if you're unemployed and can catch this climb on a nice rainy weekday... it is completely dead quiet. We barely saw any traffic on the way up... then from a far we saw several emergency lights. As we got closer we came up on a few blocked cars. The road way was shut down due to a pretty horrific looking accident. The emergency crew let us continue thorough. We had to be careful though as there was still a lot of glass in the roadway, and they we still trying to rescue someone from their destroyed SUV. On a serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims... I hope they are well.

After we passed the accident site, Steve and I kept climbing until he brought to my attention a very exciting detail. We had a road closure behind us, and a very serious one at that. So there we were on a rainy overcast afternoon and Angeles Crest was completely closed down. It was amazing to have a a mountain road like that all to ourselves... it felt like a break away group in a professional stage race. In fact we had the open road all the way to the junction with Angeles Forest road, where you get a slight decent before you make the final climb up to Mount Wilson road. We took a quick snack break here, and photo opp.

Here is where the climbing started to get steeper, and much much colder. Like super cold. The weather had completely disintegrated by the time we reached Mount Wilson road. The fog was thick enough to reduce visibility to about 25 to 50 yards, and the road side was still holding a couple feet of snow. At this point Steve and I decided to take it at our own pace as we were both very miserable. It had started to rain harder and the temp had dropped significantly. The climb is not all that difficult given good conditions... it is more of a traverse with sections of 7% to 8%. At the top of the climb the road opens up to what is usually a beautiful view of the Los Angeles basin. On this day all that happened is exposure the wind blowing up the mountain. It sent a deep cold into me like no other... of course it didn't help that I was sopping wet and sleet was coming down quite hard. Well... I never quite recovered.

THE DESCENT

I sat at the top for about a couple minutes and decided that Steve wouldn't really care about finishing off the climb. I came down and met up with Steve. As we started the descent down the road was sopping wet. It was the coldest I have ever been on a bike. I tried to stay with Steve but by the time we reached the bottom of Mount Wilson, I couldn't hang anymore. I had gotten so cold that I could no longer keep up with him. He dropped me as I pulled off to the side of the road in an attempt to warm up. I had gotten so cold that I could no longer hold that handle bars with out shaking furiously. I had never been in so much pain from the cold... my hands felt burned, and no matter what I did I could not ride with out shaking uncontrollably. I was going down Angeles Crest solo, descending at a speed of about 15 MPH, instead of the usual 40 MPH. It was quite embarrassing and painful at the same time. In short, it was SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER COLD.

THE ACCIDENT

We reconvened down at the bottom of the Crest... frozen solid... and hungry. We were so wiped that all we could do is think about La Cabanita... an AMAZING Mexican joint on the route home. So we headed straight for grub. All of a sudden... about a mile away from La Cab... a woman in a GIANT FORD F-150 made right, right in front of us and laid us straight out. With no signal at all she up and decided to run right into us. Steve smashed face first into the rear view mirror and went down right in front of me... and I came toppling after. Of course we freaked out on her, screaming at the top of our lungs. We flagged down the cops, as she hit us with a cop driving right in front of her. She claimed that she didn't see us. All she could say was that she was sorry. After we chilled out we apologized for yelling but we can't have her being that reckless... especially with such a large truck. When the police arrived she then stated to them that she did see us and that she hadn't realized we were then next to her. Unlike other vehicles, bicycles remain stationary.. so if you see one behind you then feel free to turn willy nilly, as it is very unlikely the bicycle rider would have moved from where you last saw him.

Luckily we were OK... the bikes we a bit jacked up... Steve's more than mine.

So who is it that hit us??? I do this because I only feel that it is right... this woman blatantly saw us and just crashed into us. Be careful of this big black truck...

Lynn Ann Bershtel

LIC# 8P28432
2008 Ford F150 - Black

Well, after we got outta there with our bikes pretty jacked... we headed straight to La Cabanita, it was still raining. We hit the door and it was completely empty... so perfect. We sucked down 4 cups of coffee instantly and grubbed the best plate they have in the house. ENCHILADAS DE MOLE... they are beyond words good. This place is a must go... definitely worth a drive just for dinner. Great prices and the tortilla chips are fresh baked. It was the perfect recovery meal and made the last 10 miles back to the pad in the rain a lot more bearable.

Final Thoughts...

LONG, HARD, FUN AND 9,500FT OF CLIMBING..

This really is an amazing loop... you really have to train well to make sure you don't pop to early. The views you get on a clear day makes it all worth it... it is a long sustained climb and you get a lot of elevation. This loop is pretty much nothing but climbing, it's a great training ride to get the climbing legs under you, and the plus is a really great descent.

Here is the loop info again - MOUNT WILSON

The Amazing Comeback...

Amazing read and phenominal story... this guy was on the street smoking crack beggin for money for 5 years and came back to cycling... riding along side the world champion. I caught the airing of the intervention last year. Check out the interview from the number one source in cycling news.

Quoted from www.cyclingnews.com/

An interview with Chad Gerlach, March 6, 2009

Chad Gerlach: A new lease on love and life


Addicted to crack and living on the streets just over one year ago, American Chad Gerlach is now making his return to the pro peloton in perhaps the most surprising comeback of the year. Cyclingnews' Laura Weislo spoke to Amore e Vita's newest recruit about his amazing journey.

Few cycling fans outside of the US will have ever heard of Chad Gerlach, and only a small percentage of the fans inside America would remember him. After all, it's been nearly six years since he raced a bike, and his career before then could be described as rocky at best. It's his life in between then and now which makes his story remarkable.

Back in the late 90s, Gerlach was a rider who won races in eight different countries, including two stages of the 1998 Tour de Langkawi. But in just a few years he went from being one of the top domestic riders to being homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol - a life he would lead for over five years.

Gerlach might have been lost forever had a friend not contacted the television show "Intervention", a series on the A&E channel that chose to feature him and which was critical in getting him to leave his life on the streets and enter a rehab program.

Nine months later, he had turned his life around and was hired to the Amore e Vita team thanks to his old friend and former teammate Roberto Gaggioli. Now he's in Italy after having raced the Giro di Grosseto and Giro di Sardegna, where he rode alongside World Champion Alessandro Ballan, Daniele Bennati and Alessandro Petacchi.

Speaking from a 400-year-old Tuscan villa in Lucca, Italy, Gerlach is eager to tell the story of his plunge into "that madness" in hopes that he can inspire others. His outgoing, energetic personality comes across loud and clear over the telephone, and one can easily see why his episode of "Intervention" was one of the most compelling of the season.

"To be honest, I kind of enjoy being back in the spotlight a little. At first it kind of freaked me out, because I don't want to be known for being a drug addict. But it's still a story in progress. It's nice to be back, and I want people to know the real me," Gerlach admitted.

It's hard to believe the episode was recorded just one year ago - his journey into sobriety began on February 16, 2008 - and his turnaround is nothing short of amazing.

The "Intervention" production crew visited Gerlach in Italy to film an update to be aired this summer, and wound up filming the team's training camp and the first race - something his team was excited about because of the publicity. "The first race that I did in Italy [Giro della Provincia di Grosseto] was the one-year anniversary of me going to the rehab. That was really cool that they were here."

But Gerlach has some mixed feelings about the idea of being on television again. "It's going to be a big deal for me, because that first one was really hard for me. Even though I was clean when I saw it, I was in total shock about what I was like. It's weird to get sober and then go back and see yourself when your addiction is raging. I was in shock.

"I don't think I was the same person then as I am now. I lived without any focus. I didn't have any desire. After a couple years of doing that you talk about getting clean, but getting a beer in the morning is more important. And after you have your first 40oz in the morning you're feeling pretty good and it's like, 'whatever'. Time passes pretty quickly when you live your life like that. Not only months but years. After two or three years you're still saying the same thing.

"Last winter I was pretty depressed because five years had passed, and I was just stuck in the life. It seemed like an insurmountable task to get out of it. Even though just saying 'I'm going to go to rehab and change my life' is all it takes, when you're out on the street and in that position it just seems like such a hard thing to do."

Rocky roads

Gerlach turned to bike racing as a teen after his parents divorced and he began having behavioral issues - serious issues like the arson offense which put him in juvenile detention. He took to the sport rapidly, and began winning races. He turned pro with the Montgomery Bell team in 1995 at 21, and rode alongside the likes of Tyler Hamilton, Marty Jemison and Andy Hampsten on the inaugural US Postal Service team the next year.

While his talents on the bike were undeniable, personality conflicts off the bike became the stuff of legend. A spat with Lance Armstrong at the Olympic Training Center when the two were younger is one story that has been, according to Gerlach, blown out of proportion.

"'Intervention' made it sound like I got kicked off of US Postal Service because of Lance and I was like 'wait a sec, that was five years before that' - this was way before US Postal Service..., and people on the 'net sort of ran with it."

As the story goes, Gerlach poked Armstrong in the stomach and called him 'doughboy', but on the Internet, Gerlach became the guy who punched Lance Armstrong'. "Like I punched Lance... that's not what happened! Lance actually had me around the neck. I laugh about it because I wonder if he ever gets asked about it."

"I totally respect Lance. He doesn't know me - he knows of me. He's like everyone else in the sport. I've raced with Greg LeMond, Jeff Pierce, Ron Kiefel, Michael Engleman - it's a small community, we all know each other."

The small world of cycling can also cause problems, however. After getting kicked off of US Postal (for "personality conflicts"), Gerlach skittered from team to team over the next six years as recreational drug use became an increasing problem.

Downward spiral

Gerlach's descent into self-destruction began to pick up speed in 2001 when his girlfriend of seven years walked out, and he began experimenting with street drugs. But he hoped to put his troubles behind him when he signed with the Sierra Nevada team for 2002, and hoped to ride out his career there.

But those aspirations came to a screeching halt when his best friend and teammate Ryan Smith was brutally murdered. He was already tempermental, tired, and impatient with his younger teammates, and the death of Smith sent him over the edge, even if the fall didn't come until almost a year later.

His time with the Sierra Nevada team would be limited, and despite his good results during the season his contract was not renewed. "The fit just wasn't that great, but I was riding really strong. And then Ryan died, and after that it was really tough."

While he got a contract for 2003 on a new team, that squad disintegrated before it even began, and the bottom fell out of Gerlach's life. "We were down in Arizona for a training camp and the guy told us the team was over. And while I was there I got the most sick I've ever been in the last 10 years, and then my bike breaks at Valley of the Sun, and I was just DONE - I didn't touch my bike for two months after that. I was done paying my entry fees, I was done not having money.

"I think I was snorting a lot of cocaine, but once I tried crack it was over. Like they say - for someone who is in need of something to fill a void, drugs work pretty well, but crack works really well. I had to have more of it."

The road back to life

Looking back on his dark days, Gerlach sounds like a man who has slain his demons, but his road to recovery has been fraught with peaks and valleys.

"I just kind of laugh at it now. I know better. I can't drink or use because that obsession will come back - it doesn't matter if I don't have another drink for five months. If I drink today, that thought's going to be there and I'll be planning my next drink. Even if it's three months away, I'll be like, 'I can wait another few months'.

"When I don't drink and use there's no problem - it's gone."

But it was less than six months ago that he got cocky, fell off the wagon and had to make a second attempt at being sober. After his initial detox followed by 90 days of rehab in Florida, he came back to Sacramento to be closer to his girlfriend. After a few months in a halfway house, the reality of how much work his new life was going to take began to sink in.

"It was like, 'Now what? I've got nothing' It was a shock to go completely sober. I wanted to stop smoking cigarettes, but I couldn't because I had taken all the rest of it out of my body. I knew I needed to put some serious work in, but that in and of itself would almost make you want to drink again."

With the economic recession in the US picking up steam, Gerlach could not find a job, and the pressure of being somewhat famous for the television show began to take its toll.

"The show came out on June 16th, and that was really hard for me because, first of all, people recognized me every day. Like five people a day would be like, aren't you that guy on "Intervention"? Then I started drinking once in a while. Then I was using on and off from July and August, and then there was a week in September where I had moved out of the halfway house - that was another huge mistake.

Thinking he could manage his recovery on his own was his first mistake, but perhaps the biggest one was not taking the process seriously enough. After leaving the halfway house he didn't follow through on all the necessary steps and had a major backsliding episode which made it clear to him that he needed to get serious. His second "sobriety date" is September 17, 2008.

"It's different for everybody. Some people never get sober. After that, I really got focused and got motivated to change my life. That combined with Roberto [Gaggioli] giving me a call and saying 'it's not too late to race your bike, I want you on my team' made a difference."

"He saw that if I was just able to race again that it would be motivation to not just be successful in racing but in anything. So I started training, and it just so happened things started going really well."

About the same time, Gerlach found a job selling sunglasses and embarked on a lifestyle he'd never before experienced. He got up early to train before work, putting in two to three hours before his nine-hour shift, and then returning to ride the trainer in the evening. He was motivated to show up to the team's camp with fitness.

"And I did - they thought I was going to come here and be the guy who was racing again just to feel good about himself. Everyone was really surprised that I was fit, and I made the team for the first couple stage races. I'm not the weakest rider on the team either, I think I'm right in the middle."

Back in the saddle again

To take any rider who has only raced domestically and toss them into the mix with the quality of riders which were present in the February races in Italy would be cruel. But for a rider who has only trained for four months after a five and a half year absence the racing was understandably a shock to the system. That Gerlach was able to finish any of the stages is a testament to his natural talent.

"They're brutal, they're really hard. It's just like I remember racing in Northern France in 1996. It's all out even at this time of the year. Races just aren't like this in the US. For me, I'm struggling to hang on. If there are hills in the race, I pretty much get dropped.

"But I think my body's been able to handle it well. I've actually surprised myself. When I do the races I'm not the last guy - I'm actually surprised I'm in groups with 30-40 guys who have been racing and training for years, which makes me feel pretty good."

After a period of rest, Gerlach will be off to France where he hopes the racing will suit his style, or at least have less climbing.

The one good thing about the intensity of the racing is that it leaves little time to worry about just about anything else. "Staying sober is an easy thing because there are a lot of other things I'm worried about like trying to put a life together after cycling.

"Right now, I just want to enjoy this experience. I can't complain about anything because I've been in a whole lot worse places. I appreciate it so much - it's amazing. Isn't that how it always is though? For people who are given a second chance, or come back to something after years away - I'm just in awe of it. I hope people can learn something from me, too."

"I think everyone's just happy I'm out of that madness. I don't know what makes the story so cool - whether it's the cycling standpoint or the drugs. I'm just happy to be back and I'm going to enjoy it while I'm here. Even if there wasn't one news article about it I'd be happy, because I was miserable and lonely and my life was in ruins. I should be dead after everything I've done.

"A lot of people do die - I don't want to forget that. A lot of people don't make it out of addiction, and I need to remember and be grateful, and do something positive."

It's Official... I'm a Website

I HAVE OFFICIALLY PURCHASED

http://www.wannabepro.com/

NO MORE WEIRD ADDRESS TO TYPE IN. I STRIVE FOR SIMPLICITY AMONG MY DEDICATED FANBASE. FANBASE? ANYWAY I AM VERY EXCITED AND THOUGHT I WOULD SEND OUT THE UPDATE.

F*@K YOU PALOMAR

This past Saturday I finally rode the infamous MOUNT PALOMAR. It was quite the climb. Our intention was to ride a portion of the final stage of the Tour of California. But of course we cheated a bit, as many others did that day, and started at the Harrah's Casino... approximately 16.5 miles from the summit of Palomar. Although the distance was short to the summit, the climb would bring us from an elevation of 860ft to over 5,400ft... all in 16 miles. It would be a rugged start. From the moment we left the car it was on. Mile after mile had only more percentage points in store for us.

It was just a small group of 3, that decided to take on this endeavour. Myself, Steve (we can count on each other to take on anything ridiculous via bicycle) and his roommate Drew, who has been training for an Ironman. The only reason I mention this is because I need some validation as to why he dropped me at the top of the climb, but I hate to jump ahead. We started off in a nice group together, chatting and having a good time. Slowly but surely as the road continued to pick up the banter slowly came down. We had been climbing for quite a bit when we finally made the turn on to South Grade Road... which is, unfortunately, the official start of the climb. From the here we had 12 miles left... and I was already starting to feel the burn.

Drew and I kept a fast (in my opinion) pace... Ok lets call it brisk. We kept a brisk pace, keeping the chatting going and enjoying the beautiful views, as we rounded the switch backs. Little did Drew know that I have the ability to carry on conversation even when my heart rate is holding a steady 175BPM. So it was, I believe, a bit of a surprise to Drew when he dropped me toward the top of the climb.

The way it played out was quite interesting and completely exposed my farce of comfort. About a mile plus before the summit we were caught. As this 5 foot 5 inch, 135 pound, midget passed on a carbon frame with deep dish carbon wheels he glanced over and gave us the ultimate cycling f#^k you. In the most nonchlant manner he looked over and said... "hey guys" with out even the slightest hint of effort or even a bead of sweat on his brow. Oh, and not to mention at a break neck pace. Well we weren't gonna stand for that... Drew instantly grabbed his wheel and I did Drew's. It only took until the next switch back to drop me. As the grade pitched up once more this guy stands up and just starts bendin' the cranks. I was a goner... I lost contact with them instantly and Drew not much later. But Drew smashed me on the rest of the climb.

Mentally I was crushed and started to look over my shoulder to make sure no one could see my pathetic pace, or see me crying as I gasped at the ever thinning air. It was pretty brutal, I was bummed to come apart like that right at the top of the climb. Shortly, I came up on Drew standing just off to the left of the faded KOM line. It was a great moment... mostly because we had finished the climb, but also because of the work we did to get there. I picked up a lot of fitness at this mountain, and left a lot of sweat behind.

We refueled at the top with some water and calorie rich drinks. After topping off and regrouping we headed down a nice gradual decent toward Lake Henshaw. Which looks more like a snow melt swamp. We worked the decent well... despite the occasional cross winds that, at one point, nearly took us all down in a powerful gust. Then as the road flattened out we cranked the pace hard for about 25miles non-stop... taking turns to work the front. As we got to the final decision point where we would have to make the call, as to whether we hit the final climb up Col Grade Rd, I was spent. We stopped at Valley Center Rd and took a long look down to the car. Steve and I were totally down to cut it short. I could tell that Johnny Ironman was looking for more... but he was good with calling it a day.

This day was one of my harder days I have had outside of racing on the bike... I worked my ass off and it was clear I had a lot more fitness to pick up. Even before my heart rate monitor started to mess up I was churning at my max. The bottom line is this ride killed me. At the end of our ride we attempted to take some self timer photos, but it didn't quit work out. As you will see on the photo's attached.

FINAL THOUGHTS... This is a great ride, it offers beautiful views, great climbs, and fast descents. All the essentials that a cyclist craves in a good ride. Palomoar itself is quite the beast... it's a long, long climb and will never give you a place to stop and recover. Be prepared for steady grades of 6 to 9% way before you even get to the official climb start. It is a great climb to learn to pace and control your efforts for a sustained period. This isn't a climb for the dedicated crit rider or the Bettini's of the world that can sprint on short climbs. This mountain is for the GC wannabe's or rather the "all-arounder." Palomar will make you better and humble you as well.

RIDE DATA >>> MOUNT PALOMAR

Be on the look out for the next challenge. The ride from my pad to the top of Cloud Burst Summit... just above 7000 ft in elevation.