Random Thoughts V

It is a new year, and here are some random thoughts. 

Today, back in 1925, John Zachary DeLorean was born.  He would have turned 86 today.  I am wearing a DeLorean shirt in celebration and drove the car in most of the week.  It had been about a month since I had driven, it still runs great...good enough.

Speaking of DeLorean...I am going to be a guest speaker at the DeLorean Car Show in Orlando, Florida in June.  I will be talking about how I got the DeLorean into the Hot Wheels line, and small bit of trivia about the history of the DeLorean in relation to Hot Wheels.  I just started working on the presentation this week, I got  about six months to work it out.  Hopefully, I can pull it off.

Going into my third year of ownership.  No big plans for any upgrades on the car.  Just going to enjoy the car and try not to spend any money on the car, other than fueling up.  I had some major work done on it last year including lowering the front end and major tune up.  I guess most of that money will be spent on the DeLorean Car Show.

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Since I had a minor set back at the end of 2010, I did not get to ride my bike much. So, the plan is to get out there this year and put some miles on that bike.  Of course, I have to chose between riding the bike to work or driving the car to work.  I want to get back into shape.  Been kinda slacking off in the exercise department.

Hockey season for me should start back up in a few weeks.  Those first few games are going to be painful.  I hope to be up there amongst the team leaders in scoring.  In fact, I am thinking of buying a new hockey stick in hope that it will help my game.  I still kinda suck, but at least I will have a hockey stick made in this century.

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When I went to visit my parents, I totally raided the Hot Wheels bin at the store and scored over 50 cars.  As usually, I only buy the cars that I 'designed'.  So, I got a good amount of the cars I did for the 2011 Line.  Lots of Time Machines, Batmobiles, and A-Team Vans.  I even found my first Treasure Hunt.

There will be three vehicles that I 'designed' in the 2012 line.  Two will be in the Basic/Mainline, while the other will be in one of the Collector lines.  More information as release dates get closer.

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Did you see Mission Impossible:  Ghost Protocol yet?  You know I love Tom Cruise and  how I love (most of) his movies...Ghost Protocol is AWESOME!  And, I am not just saying that because Tom Cruise is in it.  It is really a good movie...not great, but very good.  If you like to see Tom Cruise running, there is a lot of  him running in this movie.  See, I need to get in shape so I can run around like Ethan Hunt.

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In other news, I am totally addicted to Angry Birds.  I have to say that is it the best one dollar you can spend...other than a Hot Wheels car.  That one dollar has lasted me a few months now.

Found this little Back to the Future reference on level 14-5.  Notice what is clearly the Time Machine, with the flux bands and reactor vents.  You can see a representation of the clock tower.  They even kinda added the gargoyles from the clock.

Back to the Future level on Angry Birds

That is all I have for now.  Stay tuned for the usual crap that goes on here.

I Killed A Bird

While riding this morning, I killed a bird. There was a group of us and we were just picking up speed, going down a hill. I noticed a bird, looked like a hawk, bombing down. It was coming in from my left. The bird looked like it would just land short of my line. But, it just kept gliding. Either the bird did not see that there was an obstruction or just could no change course, it just wanted to land right then and there.

For a second, I thought it would make it under my bike. That would have been one heck of a landing. I felt a bump. Not a 'hard bump', but a 'soft bump'. Unfortunately, I hit him with my back tire and I guess a bit with my left crank arm. In the picture above, you can see feathers on one of my spokes, on the crank arm, and a little on the chainstay.

The rider behind me saw my tire hit the bird and said that it was laid out. I did not get a chance to look back as I was going kinda fast and picking up speed. Poor bird, I think it committed suicide.

Titanium Bike

Frame: Lynskey House Blend R320 Titanium Road Frame

Fork: Alpha Q GS-10

Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium SL Superlight Premium

Tires: Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX 320TPI Road Tire, 700 x 23c

Pedals: Shimano Ultegra SL PD-6620

Crank: Shimano Ultegra SL, 39/53 FC-6601-G (172.5)

Chain: Shimano Ultegra SL CN-6600

Cassette: Shimano Ultegra SL10s, 11-25 CS-6600

Bottom Bracket: Shimano Ultegra SL

Front Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra SL FD-6600-GB

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra SL RD-6600G-S

Shifters/Brakelevers: Shimano Ultegra SL STL Dual Control ST-6600-G

Brakeset: Shimano Ultegra SL BR-6600-G

Handlebars: Easton EA-70

Stem: Hi-Light Titanium

Headset: Chris King (Pewter)

Saddle: Selle Italia Trans Am

Seat Post: Lynskey Titanium

Bar Tape: Deda

Computer: Garmin Edge 305 with HRM & Cadence Monitor

Lynskey House Blend R320 Road Frame Geometry (Small)

Seat Tube Center Top: 48cm

Actual Top Tube: 49.2cm

Effective Top Tube: 52.5cm

Seat Tube Angle: 74

Head Tube Angle: 72.5

Head Tube Length: 13cm

Chainstay Length: 40.8cm

Wheel Base: 96.5cm

Fork Rake: 4.4cm

Top Tube Slope: 10.3cm

Bottom Bracket Height: 26.7cm

Standover Height: 74.9cm

Front Center: 56.8cm

Frame Weight: 2.4lbs (1089 grams)

Total ride weight: 17.2 pounds (as you see it, without bottles)

Got A New Bike...It Folds

Just got this folding bike. Actually, it is a Chinese knock off version. But, all the same and about 25% of the price. It makes me so much cooler, now.

It's Alive!

As promised, picture of the Frankenstein track bike that Jun helped my put together. Yeah, it has pink bar tape. Feels great, but it is like learning to ride all over again. I finally got the trackstand down...only on one side. Next, I got to learn how to slow down and stop. Here are the specs if you are interested:

- Frame and fork: Bicanch Pista 53cm, Gang Green - bought from SwarmLA
- Headset: Cane Creek - bought from SwarmLA
- Handel bar: Hack-sawed-and-flipped Sakae Custom road bar - gift from SwarmLA
- Stem: Kalloy Uno - bought from SwarmLA
- Crankset: Andle Track/Fixed Gear 46T - bought on eBay
- Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN54 - bought on eBay
- Wheels: Weinmann Dp 18 Areo - bought on eBay
- Chain - Sram PC-1
- Chain tensioners: MKS Chain Adjuster
- Sprocket: 16T - gift from SwarmLA
- Seatpost: Laprade - gift from SwarmLA
- Saddle: WTB Speed V
- Pedals: Shimano 600 with custom caps - gift from SwarmLA
- Bar tape: Deda pink with custom end caps
- Tube and tires: Cheap Performance stock

Thanks Jun!

Track Bike, Almost Complete

Frankenstein is almost alive. All I need is one more part, rear cog, and my new bike will be complete. I will take a picture of it as soon as it is fully operational. Thanks again to Jun for the hook ups. Looks like I owe him a few more cars.

New Bike, Coming Soon...

Thanks to SwarmLA, I will soon have a new bike. The Bianchi is a track frame....which means it will be a track bike. I am really excited. Parts are coming in from all over the world. I should have a complete bike by the end of the week.

Sorry about the crappy picture, the frame is just sitting on top of my cubical at work. I have no idea what the paper rocket thing is for. That is on the other side of the wall.

Finally got back on the bike

After a month, I finally rode the bike again. I guess it is "like riding a bike". Anyway, I will keep this short.

I only rode about 12 miles. But it was 12 miles in Chino Hills. They call it Chino HILLS, because of the damn hills. My first 1.5 - 2 miles was pure climbing. Not a smart thing to do if you have not ridden in a month. To add to the difficulty, it was 100 degrees out. No, really. It was 100 degrees in Chino Hills on Saturday. Check the weather.

Of course, with hills like this, descending was fast. Even with my top speed of 38.8 mph, the ascents made my average for the day a whopping 11.1 mph. I only rode for about an hour and a half, the heat was killing me.

Anyway, I was on a business trip last week. I will get into that later, as the subject may be top secret. Also, we are still internet less at our new place. Once we get that, I will (hopefully) be updating this a bit more.

3 weeks and counting...

I have not been on my bike in three weeks. I can feel myself getting out of shape. We are in a middle of a move. I guess I am getting my exercise from hauling boxes from one place to another. One never knows how much crap one has until said person has to move. I have a lot of stuff. Once I get settled, I will start to sell some of my junk. I doubt anyone will want any of my crap.

This week I am on call for jury duty.

Next week I fly to Stamford, CT on a business trip.

More on that later, I think it might be "Top Secret".

I got the move going on for the past three weeks as well as "supervising" our contractor in our remodeling projects...when am I ever going to get back on my bike?!?

...maybe I should sneak out this week and get a few miles in...maybe.

First Flat

Thursday, another one of those rides that had Dorff lead us to parts known. Although I did this same route two weeks ago. Here is a map of the area we take. We start of in El Segundo, head south to Palos Verdes. Usually, we turn around at the mouth of PV, giving us about 23 miles for the day. That is the "Thursday Ride".

This time we went around PV. It is mapped out on my GPS (Ghetto PhotoShop). You can see this is a big loop. At the end the route give you about 45 miles, that is almost half a century. Dorff, Chris, and Nathan wanted to stop at a 7-11, about a mile out of the way for carrot cake. I stuck to my Sport Beans.


The last time I did the route, I only had one gel pack and one bottle of water. This time I wisely has two bottles and multi GU and Sport Bean packs. Tip: Always carry more food and water than you think you need.

We climbed up the 'switchbacks' and proceed to zip down the crazy turns in PV. I was more familiar with the turns so I was going faster this time. Then, it happened. I got a flat in the front, at the worst possible place. Coming down at about 30 mph and taking this sharp turn was hard enough. The speed limit was 20. Luckily, there were no cars behind me and I took the main road instead of the tiny bike lane.


I was losing grip on the the turn, I did not realize I had a flat. At first, I though there was some gravel on the road, no big deal. Then, as I leaned in to the turn (again going about 25-30) I felt my front tire drifting. I am sure it must have looked really cool in slow motion as I drifted, almost wiped out and corrected myself. Still not knowing there was a flat, I noticed that the guard rail was coming towards me at an incredible speed and the big blue truck coming up the other side of the street did not help the situation either.

I tapped the brakes, by then I figured that I had a flat, and eased into a stop. The whole ting happened in about 5 seconds. By this time the rest of the group was way ahead of me. I got off the bike, made a call to Dorff and started work on the bike. Luckily, the group turned back and helped my change the tube and we were on the road again. The experience was fun, exciting and scary as $#!+. I got lucky and did not get a 30 mph road rash or became one with the guard rail.

Until next week...

View From Palos Verdes

I rode about half way up Via Del Monte in Rancho Palos Verdes. Above is the view. Actually, I jacked this image from the internet, but this is pretty much the view.

I should really get my own digital camera for situations like this. Any ideas of what to get?

Bar End Caps

Finally, screen shot of the end caps I made using Freeform. I made these a few weeks ago, just have not had the time to take pictures of the print outs so screen shot will have to do for now. I put a Hot Wheels logo on it, because I can.

Santa Ana to San Diego, 100 Miles Part Deux

Here are more pictures from the ride. Photos by Jeff O'Brien.


SwarmLA pumping up his tires. If you like that wheel, it was for sale.


My bike, along with John Martin's and the Ostendorff's tandem bike in the back of John's truck. Thanks again, John, for taxiing us to the train station and back home after a long day.


Unloading the bikes, I just like standing in the bed of a truck.

Putting on my shoes. That is John on the right, this time he remembered his.

Ah, the founding members of the Yellow Swarm.


SwarmLA is not the only one pumping tires that day. Notice the goofy tan line.


Group photo of the riders. Twenty four total riders, twenty regular bikes, two tandems. The one in the red Hot Wheels jersey is the driver of the support vehicle. If you look really close, you can see my bike in the back...the one with the monkey on it.

At 07:30, set our computers to zero and rolled out. It was like a red mile, only this one is blue. You can see the support vehicle in the back. Steve, president of the club, is in front in the yellow helmet. Eric and Debbie on the tandem.

There I am towards the back of the pack. Next to me is SwarmLA, and way in the back is John Martin. It was a great ride, I am sure will do it again next year.

Bike Maintenance

After 100 miles, a bike can acquire a lot of dirt and grime. Filth from car exhaust and stuff picked and kicked up from the tires eventually end up on the bike and rider. I figure since I took a shower after a long ride, the bike needs a good cleaning too. I have already washed the clothes I wore. So, I decided to take a few hours on my day off and do it. Notice the monkey I have on my stem, he is my co-pilot...or am I his?


All my tools and supplies are at work, so I took the bike there and went at it. I put it on my stand, which is the Ultimate BRS-50R Recreation Repair Stand. Why an Ultimate Support Stand you ask? Because Depeche Mode uses Ultimate keyboard stands, and I am a geek like that. Anyway, I wiped the bike down with a cleaner and de-greased the chain. I also took the time to clean the wheels, wiping down each spoke, rim, and the tire itself. After the cogs and cassette was cleaned, I re-lubed the chain and oiled all moving parts.


Then, I noticed that one of my handle bar plugs was missing. Must have fell out somewhere between here and San Diego. What am I going to do? I am sure someone I know has a pair that they can give me. Or, I can buy some new ones. Since I am here at work, I decided to make a new pair. I took a piece of delrin, my calipers, and existing plug and went to the lathe. After about 45 minutes, I had a new pair of plugs.


Hey, they fit. I think these are temporary, I do not mind that they are white and kinda stand out. One of the best quotes of design, "If you cannot conceal it, you must reveal it". I might just make custom plugs in Freeform with Hot Wheels logos on it. Should not take me more that an hour to model one up. I am sure SwarmLA would love to have a pair to match the custom Hot Wheels pedal end caps I made for him.

Detailed Route Description

I am glad today is a holiday, I would not get much done. Anyway, here is the route we took.

Mile Dir Street/Landmark Dist Remarks

0 Station Flagpoles RESET ODOMETER, take closest exit

0.02 R Santiago St .08

0.1 L Santa Ana Blvd 1.6

1.7 L Bristol 0.2

1.9 R 1st Street 1.4

3.3 R Enter Bike Path 8.7 after mobile homes, then U-turn south on path

5.7 Detour Left, Follow signs up across Warner, then right & down to path

6.2 Cont Ignore detour Ignore detour signs

9.7 R--L Wooden bridge follow path right across bridge, then left

12.0 South PCH SAG STOP 21.0 Go under PCH, curve right, onto PCH SOUTH

23.5 Laguna Mini Mart Stop &Go on left, Ritz-Carlton Starbucks @ 30.6

33.0 veer R Coast Highway 5.8 after nice downhill & fast food on right

36.2 CONSTRUCTION stay right of cones (3) 7-11’s in next 2 miles!

38.0 AMTRAK station San Clemente: ONLY 4:13 pm and 5:14 today

38.8 R Valencia 0.02 just before 5 fwy overpass, then quick left

38.82 L A. Presidente SAG 1.8 sag somewhere in the next 1.8 miles

40.6 R enter Bike Path 1.1 to right before fwy/ keep left@fork/exit thru fence

41.7 Cont Old Pacific Hwy 7.8 cont south toward San Onofre campground

44.5 water/restroom 14 water/restroom stops then desolation

47.6 Cont Enter Bike path through narrow entrance at southern end of park

49.3 Cont Under 5 overpass curve left through tunnel under Fwy, DIRT

49.5 R Bear right at fork 1.4 keep right

50.9 L LasPulgas SAG end bike path, through parking lot, left at T-int

51.2 enter MC base Camp Pendleton MUST SHOW ID

51.6 R Stuart Mesa Rd 7.2

58.6 R Vandergrift 1.7 right at stoplight, stores, fast food, lunch soon!

60.2 Cont Under 5 overpass 0.1 5 freeway, Oceanside, becomes Harbor Dr.

60.4 LUNCH Del Taco SAG 0.1 ~30 minutes Del Taco plus SAG food, Denny’s

60.5 Cont same direction 0.1

60.6 L Harbor Dr. 0.1 left at T-int, quick left at Oceanside Harbor sign

60.7 veer L Harbor Dr SOUTH 0.4 road curves right

61.1 L Pacific 2.7 Oceanside TRAIN STATION Herbie & Batmobile in 2 miles

63.8 L Cassidy 0.1

63.9 R Broadway 0.2

64.1 L Eaton 0.1

64.2 R Coast Hwy 21.1

80.2 AMTRAK station Solana Beach, follow signs dep 3:33 4:34 5:53

82.4 Torrey Pines hill SAG ~1.6 miles climb, sag near top stoplight ~mile 84

85.3 R N. Torrey Pines Rd. 1.6

86.9 veer L La Jolla Village Dr. 0.1 quick veer right coming

87.0 veer R Gilman Dr. ramp 0.2 right on Gilman after steep downhill ramp

87.2 R Gilman Dr. 1.6 near end, under 5 fwy overpass

88.8 path after 5 fwy at stoplight 1.1 cross street, enter bike path to right

89.9 Cont becomes Santa Fe 2.0 bike path exits onto Santa Fe

91.9 R Damon Ave 0.3 after Fon-Jon kennels

92.1 L Mission Bay Dr. 0.5 busy street, look for bike path on right

92.6 Cont Mission Bay Dr. 0.1 BUSY merge with Grand, cont Mission Bay

92.9 jog r/l Mission Bay Dr. 2.5 right, stop, left to stay on E Mission Bay

95.3 cont Pacific 0.8 name changes across Sea World Dr

96.3 L Taylor 0.1 take first right after RR tracks

96.4 R Congress 0.6

97.0 R Old Towne 0.2 over Fwy then left

97.2 L Hancock 2.7 becomes Kettner ~ mile 98

99.9 FINISH SAG Amtrak station on right after C Street 1050 Kettner Congratulations!

Dep 4:00 arr SNA 5:53 pm alt dep 5:20 6:20

Santa Ana to San Diego, 100 Miles

The day started with me waking up at 04:00. I got dressed and packed, loaded my bike and headed over to John (the guy who forgot his shoes last time) Martin's house. Then we headed to Torrance to pick up Eric and Debbie Ostendorff. It was off to Santa Ana train station to meet up with the rest of the gang.


We arrived on time and rolled out at 07:30, just after the team photo shoot in front of the fountain. There was twenty-four of us this time with two tandem bikes in the mix.


Everything when pretty smooth just as last time. I remembered most of the route. As we approached Laguna, the spot where Steve broke his crank two weeks ago, Steve got a flat. He got a new bike, but I guess he likes it when something goes wrong. That is why he is the president on the club. This time, we had a support vehicle with food, water and spare tubes. Steve fixed his first of two flats and we were on our way.


I noticed that this ride was a lot faster than the last one. Most of the ride was a blur. We had snacks from the support van at mile forty. Then off to Camp Pendleton Marine Base and lunch at Del Taco at mile sixty.


At mile sixty three, we passed Oceanside train station. This is were I ended the ride last time. From this point on, every second and every inch added to my personal best. We kept a pretty fast pace at about 20 mph. I approached Torrey Pines, a hill at mile 82 where my speed dropped to about 7 mph. I could not stop to get to my gel, so I just took the 1.6 mile hill at a slow but steady pace.


Once I reached the top the hill, we had our final stop before the end of the ride. I streched and fueled up and off we went. It was smooth sailing after that. I think we averaged 23 mph as it was mostly downhill and flats the rest of the way.


I could see San Diego at mile 92. I was kept looking at my computer to make sure I was going to hit 100. We reached the train station and the computer read 99.98 miles, I quickly took a lap around the fountain (I guess all train stations have fountains) and the parking lot.

Final count 100.52 miles, in 6 hours of riding, average speed of 16.5 mph, maximum speed of 36.8 mph. I also had a heart monitor on, average rate of 156 bpm, with a max of 186 bpm. Yeah, that is pretty high. We originally planned for the 17:20 train, but since we rode faster this time, we made it in time for the 16:00 train.


The fine conductors of Amtrak hooked us up with our own luggage compartment for our bikes. with seats in the same car. The train ride back with a good time to finally rest without worrying about keeping up with the pack. We got back to Santa Ana around 18:00, said our goodbyes and headed home. I am pretty exhausted, but I did it. 100 miles, my first century!


Thanks again to Eric and Debbie for the ride photos, Jeff O'Brien for the group shot...oh, and me for the shot of the cycle computer. More pictures to come.

100 miles this weekend

Big ride this weekend, the second annual Hot Wheels Cycling Team ride to San Diego. Two weeks ago I only rode to Oceanside. That was about 63 miles, that is a "metric century" 100 kilometers (62.137 miles). This weekend I will add to my personal record with 100 miles, my first official century...hopefully.

I have goofy tan lines

First off, yeah, those are Snoopy PJ's. Snoopy and I have history together, but more about that later. Anyway, I have some pretty non-sexy tan lines. In fact, they look really stupid. I look like I wearing thigh high stockings.

This is a result of last week's ride from Santa Ana to Oceanside. A four hour date with the sun and my legs scored. I guess this is normal for cyclist, but check out my wrists...


This is what happens when you wear a long sleeve shirt and full finger gloves. On my right hand there is a nice tan line from my Livestrong wrist band. On my right, the gap between my watch and gloves. It looks like I was whipped by Indiana Jones. I keep thinking my wrists are dirty, at least they sorta match.

Next week is the ride (from Santa Ana) to San Diego. I am sure I will have some more interesting tan lines to share afterwards.

Santa Ana to Oceanside

Early Saturday morning, 12 May 2007. The Hot Wheels Cycling Team did a pre-ride to San Diego, some only went to Oceanside. I was one of the ones that only went to Oceanside. So, the few of us that went met at Santa Ana train station at 7:00 AM. The ride would start at 7:30.


It was an interesting day. My longest distance before this ride would be 25 miles. Santa Ana to Oceanside is about 60 miles, San Diego is 100 miles. This would be a long day. There were a total of ten riders, five going to San Diego, five going to Ocean side.

To start things off, one of the riders, John Martin, forgot his shoes. Shoes are critical to cycling as they lock your feet onto your pedals, providing direct power transfer from your legs to the crank. On top of that, John only brought flip flops. He had to borrow regular shoes from one of the other riders. A size too large, but no matter. He used a strap to "secure" his shoes to the pedals. This meant John could not 'clip out' of his pedals when he came to a stop. He needed to lean against a wall, pole, or another rider at the stop lights.


The ride went pretty smoothly as we pulled up to our first stop, bathroom break at the Newport Beach at about 15 miles, one hour into the ride. John was holding up pretty well with his MacGyver toe clips.


As we approach Laguna Beach, there were a lot of hills, up an down. For some reason, I like climbing hills. This is where the more seasoned riders broke pack and went ahead. I stayed behind...because I am only a beginner. There was one last hill before we reached Laguna Beach. I decided to sprint up the hill and try to catch up with the others. I passed Steve Florides, President of the Hot Wheels Cycling team, then Eric Ostendorff and his wife Debbie who were on a tandem.


Once I reached the top of the hill, I saw another John and waited up there with him for the other riders. John and I waited at the top for quite a while. There was no sign of Eric and Debbie or Steve and his wife Claudia. We decided to track back and investigate the situation. I saw them at the mid point of the hill. It seemed that they were all taking a break. But this was not the case...

Steve had broken the crank off his bike. He crashed with the crank arm and pedal still attached to his right shoe. While he was climbing, he stood up to apply more force to the crank. He might have already had a small fracture, since I noticed a clicking sound the past few times I rode with him. Anyway, the six of us were stuck 22 miles from Santa Ana, the nearest train station. We called AAA, they only help motored vehicles. John's wife was on stand by. Eric tried to flag down passing trucks. We started to walk up the hill and get into town to the nearest bike shop.

A couple in an Infinity SUV stopped at the top and offered help and a ride into town, to a bike shop. Hitchhiking does work, thanks Eric. We called head to inform the others and had them meet us at the shop. The couple in the SUV gave us directions we met them at Laguna Cyclery. The shop was not even open since it was only about nine. Luckily, there were people inside, they took Steve's bike and started to work on it. This was a good time for the rest of us to get something to munch on. We thanked the couple in the SUV as they drove off.


The repair took about twenty minutes. They replaced the axle on the crank. Total charge for the parts and repair...$20!!! Steve gave an extra ten dollars to the bike mechanic. The mech not only knew what he was doing, he did it fast, and only charged $20. Now that we are all set, we were on our way. I guess John Martin could have got a new pair of shoes and cleats to go with it...he choose to stick with is borrowed over sized shoes and luggage straps. Next time you are in Laguna Beach stop by Laguna Cyclery, and if you see the couple in the Infinity SUV, buy them a drink.


Oh, here is a like to Laguna Cyclery: http://lagunacyclery.net/index.cfm



Anyway, the rest of the ride went pretty smooth as we cruised down Pacific Coast Highway and along Interstate 5. Every second and every inch added to my personal best. There were a few stops along the way. The short rests are a god time to refuel on gels. At some point, your body and mind forget that your legs are moving and you just go.


We arrived at Camp Pendleton and showed ID before our last stretch before lunch. Lunch at sixty miles was at Del Taco, I had another energy bar. After lunch the Oceanside group had another three miles to the train station. The San Diego group had about another forty to go.


The groups split at the Oceanside train station. John Martin, sans clips, muscled on to San Diego. I hope everything went smoothly for the five that went to San Diego. The final count for Oceanside: Total of 63 miles, average speed of 15.3, maximum speed (downhill or course, I think I got around 27 on the flats) of 34.8, with a total riding time of 3 hours, 54 minutes. We even got to the station with about 30 minutes to spare and that is including the unplanned stop in Laguna Beach.


As I said, this is the pre-ride. In two weeks, on 27 May, I will attempt the 100 mile ride from Santa Ana to San Diego. I felt fine and not tired after 63, I am sure I can do 100. This time, since it is the official ride, there will be a support car following us, just in case there is a flat or is someone pulls out...or if one forgets his shoes or breaks a crank.


Sorry there are no pictures, it is kinda hard to ride and snap photos at the same time. Debbie took some photos, when I get those I will post them up. No one got photos of John's ghetto foot straps or Steve's broken crank.

UPDATE: Thanks to Debbie and Eric, I posted the pictures. Of course I had to represent The Yellow Swarm with my yellow undershirt, shoes, sunglasses, and yellow trim helmet.