Firestone to Work to Home Point to Point Ride

Today was one of those days where you plan everything out, and it actually ends up working out just like you hope. I love those days.

With vacation prep in full swing and a list of errands to do only partially complete, I wanted to find a way to combine some of my chores with a road ride. I was way overdue for an oil change in the Tahoe, and also had to pick something up at work in Escondido before we left town, so I started thinking about dropping the bike off at Firestone and riding the road bike to work.

I got on mapmyride.com, put together a route, and uploaded it to my Edge. The area near North County Fair in south Escondido was a bit of a mystery to me, but I found a neat site online that provided great instructions and an excellent map, so I figured I'd be fine.

I dropped the truck off at Firestone and headed north. I crossed the relatively new Hodges pedestrian/cycling bridge for the first time on a road bike, and successfully navigated the North County Fair connector thanks to the map. That area behind the mall was a short but beautiful section to ride, and I enjoyed it very much.

Time and miles passed quickly from that point, and I made it to work in just over a half hour. I grabbed what I needed to get and was back on my way two minutes later. Instead of doubling back, I headed west. After a brief stop for a Jamba Juice in Escondido, I headed down Del Dios Highway toward Rancho Santa Fe.

I had plotted out a course on mapmyride using google maps, but it became clear as I began climbing up Del Dios that the turn I had plotted on the map wasn't there. Still, I soon saw a sign for the entrance to The Lakes community, which I knew was part of my route, and headed down the road to the guard gate.

I had initially thought that there would be a pedestrian gate that I could just go through without issue, but that proved to be incorrect. After negotiating for several minutes with the guard, I was granted a day pass to go "check out the model homes" and was back on route! (I am extremely grateful that the guard hooked me up, because the alternative involved riding through all of Rancho Santa Fe back to San Dieguito Road. That would have meant time I didn't have and miles I wasn't prepared for.)

I cruised through The Lakes, which is a beautiful development, and soon found myself back on Camino del Norte headed home.

It was an extremely fun and interesting ride. Uploading the route to the GPS worked pretty well for route finding, but I still would really like an Edge 705 with street mapping capability to help when I get lost or miss a turn. Now that I know the route from RB to Escondido, I can consider commuting to work from home sometime, which would be nice. I am also amazed at how much more ground I cover in less time on the road bike as opposed to the mountainbike.

Here's the report:

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Firestone to Work to Home Point to Point

Road RR: Modified Trek San Diego Monthly Ride Route

For my first longish road ride I elected to try a modified version of the Trek San Diego Monthly Road Ride.

The route passes fairly close to my house, so I elected to ride it from home instead of starting in Carmel Valley. I downloaded the mapmyride.com GPS route to my Edge 305 and headed out. It was my first time riding the 56 bike path, and I enjoyed it. There were a ton of people out, but there was plenty of room to pass and enjoy the mostly downhill from Black Mountain toward the coast.

After a few missed turns and route finding issues (even with the GPS), I made it through Carmel Valley and to the coast. The ride through Del Mar was a little sketchy with all of the traffic, but I joined up with a couple of other cyclists during that section and found safety in numbers. This route didn't have many opportunities to see the ocean during the ride itself, and I didn't stop or detour to go down to the water. Maybe next time.

After riding along the coast I passed the Del Mar Fairgrounds and headed back into Rancho Santa Fe. Before long I was in familiar territory and made my way up San Dieguito Road to Camino del Norte and was home.

I felt great at the end, and wasn't really even tired. I wasn't going for speed per se, but I didn't take any breaks and maintained a pretty consistent pace for the entire ride. I'd like to explore some route options that I can spin off of this ride to make it a little longer but still enjoyable.

Because I didn't start the GPS route guidance from home, and had some GPS problems right before the end of the ride, the stats are a little off. But here they are anyway:

Total Distance: 29.70 miles
Total Time: 2:03:09
Ascent: 536 feet
Average Speed: 14.9 mph
Top Speed: 33.0 mph
Bike: Specialized Roubaix Comp

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Modified Trek San Diego Route Part 2

Road RR: 4S Ranch to RSF

I did my second road ride today. After finally getting my new Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals from Bonktown and an 8mm allen wrench from my dad to install them, the new bike was ready to go.

I did a slightly longer loop than the one I had done the week before and was surprised at how much better I felt. I'm still adjusting to the shifting and braking that is unique to the road bike, but I'm feeling much more in control and stable than I did on my first ride.

While riding through Rancho Santa Fe, I spotted an American Express Gold Card sitting face up in the bike lane. I stopped and picked it up, and it looked like I hadn't been there long. I cut it up when I got home, and couldn't help but laugh about finding a Gold card laying in the road in one of the county's most prestigious neighborhoods.

This route made for a decent local loop, with enough distance and climbing to feel like I got an actual ride in, but quick enough to bang out in just over an hour.

Stats and map here: Garmin Connect - Activity Details for 4S Ranch to RSF Road Ride