Training in the San Diego sun...Installment 1

I had the privilege of training in San Diego for a few weeks with a friend of mine from Mt. Horeb, Will Smith. Initially we were going to go to Boulder to get out of the Wisconsin winter because we had a place to stay for free but when a similar opportunity presented itself we ditched the Boulder idea. The tickets out there ended up being pretty cheap which made for a fairly inexpensive trip.

This was my second time in San Diego, the first being last year for work and it was just like I remembered- sunny, and warm. The day we got there I was dressed like a person who just came from subzero temps in WI and soon after landing I had to strip off most of what I was wearing to stop the pleasant lather I was working up.

At the airport we experienced the common, odd stares from the majority of onlookers as we wheeled our bike cases through away from baggage claim. It never ceases to amaze me how few people have seen, or know 'what could possibly be in those big boxes?' I am going to start telling people that it is a chemistry set or telescope for looking at other universes because the following conversation would be much easier than explaining how a bike could fit in something 'so small.' I digress.

We did run into a fellow cyclist who offered to abandon his wife and rent a bike to come riding with us. This gentlemen was also kind enough to puff up his chest and tell us all about the days when he used to race against Dave Scott, Scott Tinley, and the boys. He was ranked 15th back then and time trialing was his specialty. He puffed his chest up further when he told us how he liked to try to 'tear the cranks off the bike every time he rode it.' As you can imagine we were both floored by his impressive accolades and quickly bid he and his amber tinted glasses farewell before we could no longer hold back the laughter.

The riding in San Diego county is some of the best I have seen. If you want to ride the flats it is as easy as staying on the coast and bobble-heading your way from beach to beach. If you want hills just head inland and if you want mountains they have those too. The weather there is unreal, enough said about that (it was 13 degrees here today.) The traffic may concern some people and the amount of bicycle related deaths is also a concern but when you put that many people on the road I wouldnt expect there to be any less (I am not trying to be insensitive just logical.)

The first few days were spent off the coast riding up and down the smaller 1 to 3 mile climbs enjoying the warm spell that hit Southern Cali. I would say I enjoyed it too but developed a few pretty bad saddle sores after the first 90 mile day and suffered with it the whole way through. The first Saturday we were there we set out with a local cycling club called Celo (like the instrument) for about 35 miles before turing off and heading to Mt. Palomar. The group ride was more of a social event than a ride. During the first 2:30 hrs we only covered 33 miles. My undercarriage has never hurt so much in my life. It was like sitting on tacks- OUCH! After the hard section of that ride, which amounted to a 300 M climb that all the people who had been sitting in the whole ride tried to come to the front for, we turned off and headed to Palomar. Finally I started actually pedaling my bike so all the pressure wasnt directly on the two nagging pains I was riding with. We stopped for a drink refill and a quick snack at this Indian Reservation gas station and WHEW! did it smell like bleach. I think there must have been a gallon of it on the floor just fuming up the whole place. My eyes began to water and I headed for the door- MONSTER in hand, of course. We downed our drinks and mounted our bikes with the mountain in plain view. It was a daunting formation of scarce trees and naked rock covering the entire horizon. We finally started the acsent and it was anything but easy. My legs were fresh because most of the riding I had done was coasting in a group of chatty Cathy's. Twenty some switchbacks later and I found myself at the top of what seemed like the world, in So Cal at least. It was amazing being on top of a mountain and looking at the entire Pacific Ocean. I had never seen the ocean from a perspective like that before and it was something I will never forget. The ride was just over 120 miles that day and I wasnt ready for it, but it was still fun.

More San Diego stories to come...