Since I had a brief hiatus from racing for the remainder of February I have been keeping myself occupied with work, long rides, and the occasional group ride. Last year, while training in Tucson, THE group ride was the Shootout. As with the majority of different cycling towns there is THE group ride to participate in. Here in San Diego that ride is the Swami’s Saturday ride.
The majority of my Saturday mornings involves waking up at what seems to be an un-Godly hour. Still dark, I brew up a French press and mix up an oatmeal concoction mainly incorporating a combination of fruits and nuts. Occasionally, the breakfast will involve a stop at the nearby donut shop where I have been known to indulge in a couple of the double chocolate sprinkled donuts or apple fritter. Just a bit of simple carbs and sugars to top off the tank before the upcoming five and a half hour hammerfest.
After stuffing the face a bit we make our way to the park and ride down by the coastline, unload the bikes, and make our 30 minute jaunt down the historic 101 to the Nytro bike shop located in Encinitas. Conveniently situated across the street from Starbucks I treat myself to a doppio while others choose to mingle over the free bagels and coffee provided by the shop. Once the cow bell rings, promptly at 8:10 AM, we roll out and begin THE group ride.
The first twenty or thirty minutes of the ride are a casual roll through Encinitas and Leucadia until we turn East and make our way through the neighborhoods, lights, stop signs, and hills to Elfin Forest. By this time the pace has picked up and groups, depending on ability, have been selected. Rolling and winding through the forest the front group strings out with flurries of small attacks and strong pulls to our first destination and sprint located at a small church on the outskirts of Escondido. After sprinting to the stop ahead sign and re-grouping at the church parking lot, the pack has an option to either tack on another couple hours of riding or to make their way back to the coastline.
Depending on my ride plan for the day I take either the short route (descending Del Dios Highway, rolling through the wealthy downtown of Rancho Santa Fe, and back on the 101 through Solano Beach and Del Mar) or the long route (continues to climb up Lake Wohlford eventually ending up in Oceanside and back on the 101). Each route has it occasional sprint or hard pull as each rider tests the legs of the person next to them or on their wheel.
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| Some of the nice cars lining the downtown streets of Rancho Santa Fe |
It’s always a good time meeting new people, testing the fitness, and pushing others on THE ride when there isn’t a race to keep you occupied over the weekend. However, the month of March will consist of more race weekends than the group ride. Stay tuned as I will make another visit to Merced this year for the four day Merco Cycling Classic.
