43 miles to Julian
Today’s ride has us traveling 86 miles from Scrips Ranch to Julian via Old Julian Hwy & Wynola Rd. We’re taking a quick break at The Old Julian Pie Company. Apple-Boysenberry pie… Delicious!
Mile 81 - Finis
The final destination… Pizza Port in Solana Beach.
Total distance: 81 miles
Ride time: 4:08
Avg. speed: 19.4 mph
40% Chance of Rain
I’m constantly reminded that in San Diego, this means that there is a 90% chance of it being a perfectly glorious day - mostly sunny with some lingering storm clouds in the sky, no wind, large sun drenched waves along the coastal route, cool and crisp… I know the math doesn’t quite work out on the percentages, but the reality is that this is the reality. We only get about 9 inches of rain a year here, so the odds are that it’s not going to rain… and it didn’t!
The mantra for today’s ride was, “rain or shine… sickness or health… we’re riding.” Everyone on the team has been very busy with life, so we’ve each been riding quite a bit on our own and to tell the truth, I was growing weary of the solo riding.
Today’s ride profile called for us to meet along the coast in Solana Beach and go for an easy 40-45 miles with a quorum of Team Climb On Riders. As it turned out - for various reasons (…Dave…Ajay…) our large team ride turned into a small group ride of three riders. After recovering from the disappointment of The Team no-showing, we headed north along the coast at an easy, comfortable pace. It was such an unexpectedly nice day that we just kept going; through Carlsbad, through Cardiff, through Oceanside, and through Camp Pendleton where we decided to head back South.
Our ultimate destination was to meet back in Solana Beach at Pizza Port for some of the best pies in San Diego (I highly recommend the Pizza Vallarta - Canadian style bacon, olives, onions, & jalapeños - Delicious!). Our team may not always be motivated to ride, but they are motivated to eat. On arrival at The Port, we were greeted by four additional team members. It was nice to see some old faces and to meet some new ones.
When all was said and done, I racked up 72.5 miles on the day, had some really tasty pizza and got to hang out with some really cool people. It definitely beats riding alone and it’s a definite reminder why I live in San Diego.
Rollers Vs. Trainers
Over the last couple months I have been asked at least a half dozen times whether I recommend a set of rollers or a more traditional resitance trainer for indoor training.
My answer each time I’ve been asked has been, “it depends.” It depends on what you want the contraption for.
If you are looking for a device that will allow you to sit in the comfort of your home in the evening or on a rainy day and get a great workout – albeit mentally painful :| - then a wind/magneto trainer is the way to go. You simply plop your bike atop the trainer and pedal until you pass out.
If you are looking for a device that will force you to be smooth on the bike (i.e., pedal in circles vs. stomping, relax your upper body, etc), then a set of rollers may be in order. When I used to ride rollers, I never had a set that had any sort of resistance (i.e., no fan/magnet). The rollers themselves are affected by the drag of the rollers themselves along with the drag caused by your bike, but nothing like a resistance trainer. You can purchase those as add-ons to your rollers if you are looking for that.
The biggest downside to rollers is that you can fall off. With a trainer, you can fall asleep and as long as you don’t topple off of your bike, you will be okay. On rollers, if you stop paying attention, you can lose control and fall off (…over and take out whatever is nearby). There is nothing keeping you on a set of rollers other than your own pedaling action and your balance. The first time you hop on a pair of rollers, it feels like riding on ice. Once you get the hang of it it’s not difficult at all, but you will still have the occasional brush with disaster (translation: not paying attention). You can get a fork stand to use with your rollers, but then what’s the point.
If you’re looking for a device to improve your pedaling motion and body position on the bike and to use for a quick warm up, then a set of rollers is for you. If you’re looking for a device to workout on when you can’t get on the road, then you want a traininer.
That’s my $ 0.02. I’d be very curious to hear what you think - especially those of you who have just recently tried/acquired a set of rollers.
