RR: Daley Ranch

So today had my first ride at Daley Ranch, in Escondido, CA. I had heard about that trail several times, and had been really looking forward to riding it. I had been told, however, that it involved a lot of climbing. As I've mentioned, this is not my strength. However at the urging of others, I decided to give it a try.

Turned out to be a mistake.

Now I should say this: the views (when I could lift my head enough to see them) were beautiful. Also, it's pretty close to home, and very close to work. It wasn't too crowded, even at mid-morning on a Saturday. And the people I did see were unusually friendly. It was a beautiful day. However, and I can not stress this enough, I'm just not in the cardiovascular shape to handle a ride with the kind of climbs that are at Daley.

I've mentioned that I want to get in better shape. I've mentioned that the reason I want to get in better shape isn't my overall health, but because I know I'll have more fun biking. Today was a prefect example of what I meant by that. It was a beautiful trail, but I couldn't enjoy it because the climbs absolutely slaughtered me. They started virtually from the parking lot, and meandered for more than two miles, climbing more than 1,000 feet over that span.

What bothered me most was that the others in my group seemed to have little problem with the climbs. I'm happy for them, but humbled and a little embarrassed that I couldn't hang. I also felt like an anchor, and that's never a fun feeling. So for all of those reasons, Adam and I bailed out about a third of the way through, at the Daley Ranch House.

The best part of the ride was that when we got back to the car, we drowned our sorrows in Pibbs in cans. And when we got home, Adam gave me two 12 packs he brought back from Sac this weekend. So that eased the pain somewhat...

(Adam, by the way, did really well at Daley. He's in good shape because of the Academy, and rode really well on my Iron Horse. I was impressed. I hope he'll try another ride with us that doesn't involve as much climbing.)

Anyway, my failure has been eating at me all day. I know it shouldn't: that biking is a hobby, and should be fun, and I can't take it that seriously. I just hate having the physical limitations that I do, and they gnaw at me. I'm even praying it doesn't rain tonight, so that I can get a ride in somewhere else to get the bad Daley taste out of my mouth.

So I'm not crossing Daley off my 2008 ride list yet. I feel like I haven't earned it. Which disappoints me that much more, because I was really looking forward to crossing one of the rides off my list. But it is what it is.

Perhaps fortunately, I brought my camera but forgot the memory stick at home, so I don't have any pictures of this ride. That's probably for the best, since this is not a memory I want to stick with me for very long.

Here are the stats:

Total Distance: 4.75 miles
Total Time: 108:19
Ascent: 1013 feet
Average Speed: 4.2 mph (ouch)
Top Speed: 24.5 (down paved road to parking lot)
Route Map: Click here for Google Map
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro