what a weekend!

Saturday I biked 85 miles from the Anaheim train station, through Santiago Canyon and Camp Pendleton and all the way down to Solana Beach. It was with the tri club, so to those of you I passed along the way I was with a group (Inland Inferno Tri Club), but though of you as we went through or were in your towns! It was fairly uneventful for me, which was AWESOME since last time I tried to do that ride I failed (sorry for the bad formatting… that post was imported from an older blog). This time I MADE IT! That was the best part — well, that and that I REMEMBER ALL OF IT! I always say I do things for the experience, stories and memories, and this time I get to keep them! It was a bit odd though… to ride places I know I rode just over a year ago, and have stretches be familiar and other be things that looked completely new. Sometimes sandwiched between familiar stretches.

Mike’s ride was more eventful than mine — he left later in the day from Monrovia and rode down the coast to meet up with us. I spoke to him on the phone at one point. He’d had 2 flats so was a bit behind schedule. Then I spoke to him a while later, and he had “gotten” to ride through all the debris on the 5 freeway, as Pendleton is closed to civilians from 5:30 on (he arrived around 6). Of course, he got another flat almost has his exit from the freeway. And then he got to ride in the dark for a while (without lights since we thought he’d make it before dark). But he made it, and got a hug and kisses (and food). He commented on the three flats and how long of a day it had been, and I said “well at least you didn’t get hit by a car” to which he answered “well I wasn’t going to tell you that part on the phone because I didn’t want to flip you out”!! WHAT??? Turns out in Huntington a car of teenage boys cut him off pulling into a parking place, and almost hit him. About 2 car lengths later a car of teenage girls that had just flown past him did the same dive into a parking place, this time taking him with them. Luckily he saw it coming and got a hand on their window and was able to just ride into the spot with them. Pounding on their window. It apparently scared them — perhaps they will look and/or be careful next time! So he and his bike were fine, although I would have been scared! But he made it… in about 6:40 for 110 miles. ~5:35 of actual biking time. I told him he should have pedaled to make it faster, brat that I am 🙂

Then we hung out with the Inland Inferno crowd, crashing at one of their houses a block from the Solana Beach train station. In the morning they went for a run, to take the train or drive back later in the day. Mike and I climbed back on our trusty steeds and began the journey back up the coast to the Anaheim train station — or some train station on the way. We ended up calling it a day in San Juan Capistrano after a bit over 57 miles and hopped on a train for a quick ride up to Anaheim — I didn’t have much power in my legs, as it was the most riding I’ve done since Vineman. Then we ate SUSHI!!! MMMMM (ok, ice cream first since the sushi place wasn’t open for another 25 minutes when we arrived — still yummy). Watched part of a move (Love Actually) and called it a weekend. And it was a good one!