I'm bored....

I need motivation to keep my trail riding up Sadly, three of my prior riding partners moved and I solo a lot now.

If you:

(1) Ever wanted a guide to Whiting Ranch or
(2) Ever wanted to explore the Cleveland National Forest trails or
(3) Ever wanted to summit Santiago Peak or
(4) Ever wanted to go bikepacking on Catalina...

I'm your man! I'm 52 so not the speed demon that I used to be, but I'm tenacious.

BTW I'll be riding Harding Truck Trail on Sunday morning early if anyone is interested...

 

I'm JUST bored....



As you can tell.

 

I'll be at cooks tomorrow 8am, luge whiting run. You are welcome to join.
There are 2-3 of us, and we are all over 50 too.

 

Define early....to me that means about 5 am.

 

Early like 6:00 or 6:30? Supposed to be hot Sunday...

Last time I was on Harding at 5:00 AM we were doing a crazy Trabuco Canyon / Harding / Santiago Peak / Holy Jim loop. 35 miles of CNF goodness. I need some prep time to get ready for THAT ride tho...

 

Can't do tomorrow, sadly. Thanks for the invite!

 

If you're into riding for the long haul, you're going to have periods like that. The good news is that this is likely to be similar to the weather in Texas; if you don't like it, stick around because it's gonna change.

 

That's why we all need at least two sports. I'm gonna take advantage of the warm water and pull out a surfboard this morning. Wish me luck. I've surfed three times in the past year. My ribcage hurts just thinking about it.


For you non surfers - laying on your board for an hour or two after a long period of not surfing is the equivalent of the feeling you get in your nether regions when you go back on the saddle after a long layover.

 

I used to run a lot more than I do. Now I can really only run once per week before my knees start to bother me. So I have a standard Friday 6 miler that I do each week with a friend, plus some random 10Ks thrown in for fun...

The rest of the time I bike. If I don't have constant goals set up - fun rides, etc - I find I get lazy and don't go out as much. A ride partner always causes you to ride more

 

By the way, last week on Harding some guy CRUISED past me while I was climbing. If you are that person, I don't want to ride with you He rode Harding to 4 Corners and back to Turner Wildlife Sanctuary in 1:45...

 

I just checked... We were 2:35:00 up and down...

Are you still thinking of doing Harding tomorrow morning?

 

Bonzai, just so you know, Faust and mtbJ are that guy.

 

But I was thinking of doing Blackstar first, and then riding over to Harding...

I'm charging the lights now!

 

My BEST time is 2:25 on a cool day in April. I'd probably be good for 2:40 or so...

 

I saw your route created on Strava. I know you are up to no good hehe

 

I will DEFINITELY be going tomorrow. Leaving Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary at 6:30. I'll send you my cell number in a PM. If you feel like joining me shoot me a text. Going to dinner in La Jolla tonight so may not be back till late - but I will definitely be riding.

 

Sounds good... I will be there! I am on a dark blue Salsa hardtail with orange bars.

 

After the Maples Spring closure lifts, I'm looking at starting from the tree lot, out through the canyon and Santiago Oaks, through Santa Ana Canyon, up Skyline, down Black Star, up Maple Spring, down Harding, back to point of origin. I like to think big.

 

Looks like good VQ training...

Roll at 4:30?

 

3:00......come on slackers.

 

That's a good one....about 85 miles.

Think I'll do that one from the house, though. If you are gonna go big....go BIG!!

 

Not tomorrow!

 

In case you're checking... I'll see you there. Late night in La Jolla, LOL!

 

Steve was a gracious host who put up with my less-than-perfect conditioning. It was a lot hotter up there than last week, that's for sure! Looking forward to some cold weather...

 

BonsaiNut- it was nice to meet you, and it was a good ride!

The heat definitely was a factor today... It got to me after we parted ways. As soon as I rehydrate and fuel, I'll write up a quick report.

 

I don't know how some of you can handle this heat...im a bit of a wimp I suppose!

 

We left Tucker at 6:30, so it wasn't too hot. By the time we got up above Laurel Spring, the elevation had brought the temp down to 68, so it was nice biking for a bit. Interestingly, as we made the final turn toward the "point of no return" (the point right before the long descent towards 4 corners) the temp jumped 8 degrees in like 5 minutes... plus we popped out into the sun

 

Once the sun comes up...Harding is pretty exposed all the way. I bet you could really feel it on the way down.

 

I had to give this ride a thought when I popped up at 5am today. Alas, had other things planned. Sounds like it was a good time.

Bonsai..."sadly" going solo? I'd call it reason to celebrate and go big! Digression... I hope we can hit some dirt. I'm all about the Santa Anas, long rides, perilous descents, dawn patrol and suffering. Let's do some Old Guys Rule rides...these forty-something doods are getting my heart rate up. Keep throwing out the possibilities. I will too. Hope to meet ya at the dirt. Cheers, hammer it.