I got to meet Caligurl today!!!!

[tprevost]

I did my first official 'back in the saddle' ride today. It was at the Tour of Borrego and I just did 22 miles but I felt great and it was a gorgeous day! I might have tried the 40 but I was worried about my arm so I didn't. Caligurl and her DH were parked 2 cars ahead of me and I recognized her from her picture and introduced myself! It was SO cool to get to meet her (and her DH)!!! They are such a nice couple; I really hope that I will get to run into them again on a lot of other rides (and everyone else here too )

Of course, now that I saw all of the cool gadgets they have, I'm going to have to go shopping (thanks for that, CG!).

I'll let CG do a ride report... I am not very good at that stuff! However, I will say, it was a perfect day for riding... not a cloud in the sky and the temps were right around 70. The Julian Apple Pie and ice cream at the end didn't hurt either!

Just thought I'd share!!!

Tracy

[Running Mommy]

Mmmm apple pie! Funny, I was craving cherry pie today! ha ha
CONGRATS on your first official ride back in the saddle! Sounds like a great day for you!
Well, I'll write more tomorrow. I have to get to bed.. Longish run planned for the am. Going to test the hammy... Hope she "passes"..
Again- congrats and welcome back!! - to the saddle that is..
How is the wrist feeling tonight?

[Brandi]

i love to hear when people get back on thier bikes after an injury! And pie too! What a great day! I had cherry myself lastnight.

[caligurl]

hi tracy! it WAS a gorgeous day! and so fun to meet you!!! i kept telling hubby how nice you were and how fun it was to meet you!!!!! so you liked the apple pie??? how about the dudley bread? i always eat too much of it (have to stop at each stop just to get a slice! whether i need to stop or not! lol!)

hey.... you need any help picking out gadgets.. i'm here to enable! that's me... shopper enabler! i'm such a poseur with all my high tech toys.. but hey... i have fun! and that's what counts! right!?!

the ride... NICE! i like the tour of borrego route better than the borrego to the sea route they do in january! comparing the "62" mile ride to 62 miles ride... the to the sea one has more elevation.. but the tour one is prettier and better roads! for to the sea.. you are out on the main road and the shoulder is narrow... you have a nice descent.. but have to climb it again (although it's not a bad climb)... the roads, once you hit imperial county are HORRIBLE! (even on carbon! ) for the tour (yesterday's ride) you are mostly on bike lanes or backroads with hardly any cars! and the roads were all decent! the "62" (ended up being only 60) was the two shorter ride loops.. so we did the 40 miler then the 22 miler... the 40 mile portion took you out to a point where you turned around.. right at the end of that road there was a down and up... short but 10% grade (according to the road sign!) nice little climb.. (plus you turned around and went back down and back up) like i said.. they were short! the rest of the loop was flat to rolling... it took us into some of the residential areas for borrego and we got to see some GORGEOUS houses and a beautiful golf course! the 22 mile loop was part of the 40... turning at differnt points and without the out and back... it went through the prettiest part with the houses and golf course!

i thought i'd get a "mental block" that i had finished the ride when we got back to the resort at the end of the first loop before doing the 22 portion.. i thought i'd think i was done when i really wasn't (i get that way at home.. once i turn around... or get anywhere near home.... i like to keep heading home vice extending my route... my mental block! lol!) well i do that!..... i was feeling good and had no thoughts of stopping! we even went up the road to the little turn around trying to get it up to 62 a the very end... but by that time the apple pie was calling... so we said to heck with it and just went and had pie without getting a full 62 miles... oh well!

i think the 22 was a perfect ride for tracy's first organized ride with her healing arm! and it sounds like she enjoyed it! next year she'll be more than ready for the "62"! she was gone by the time we went by on the first loop....

R&B bike club always has well stocked rest stops... including porta potties they haul out... i normally ignore anything but the dudley bread! gawd i love that stuff! they had oranges... bananas.. and peanut butter for the bread (i don't "ruin" my bread with it.. but hubby swears by it!)

the pie... i love julian pie.. and having it ala mode is perfection! especially at the end of a nice ride! although i'm sure i ate more than i burned calories!

p.s. i never ended up taking my leg warmers (or arm warmers) off! so i coulda left my other socks on! tee hee!!!!!!

[tprevost]

Hey Caligurl!

I thought about waiting for you guys but DH was wanting me to head home so I went ahead and left (figure I'd better stay on his good side especially since I get the feeling there's a visa bill comin'!). I was probably one of the first 7 or 8 finished. I probably could've done the 40 but was a little worried about the arm - a few aches and pains here and there kept me a little nervous. I am a total nerd, I didn't realize that the bread at the rest stops was the infamous 'dudley bread'; I assumed it would be at the end so... nope, I didn't eat any... just bananas and water (and the pie at the end!). We used to get an apple pie every time we went up to Julian, but now that we aren't that close any more we don't get to eat it very often..

You are too funny about the socks! I took off my jacket but felt pretty comfortable in the pants. I'm guessing it got warmer for you since you were riding later into the day though. I think it was exactly 70 when I was finished.

Yup, I'm going to copy you and get that same handlebar bag. Its a perfect size and looks really sleek; especially compared to some others I've seen. I may look into that Saris thing that your DH mentioned for the back of my car; I'm going to measure to make sure it'll work first and then go for it! I might have to get you to help me figure out which HRM to grab. The one you have is awesome but I don't need one quite that high tech (I just want one to tell me when I'm about to blow up! - nah, maybe a few more things!)

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the ride! I loved it - hardly any traffic, rest stops were great and the volunteers were really nice. I used to ask myself why anyone would live there (a little remote).... until I rode through that golf course... I could definately live with that!!! The only part of me that was even tired are my arms (probably from riding like a triangle!) so I am pretty happy with that; especially considering I was riding a tank of a mtn bike! Definately doing the 62 next year (oops, I mean 60)!

It was SO great to meet you and I'm really looking forward to seeing you on lots of rides!!!

Trac'

[bikerHen]

Hey tprepost, Glad to see you're starting to ride. You'll be in shape for LRRH in no time. Sounds like a great ride. Now that I'm into riding I _almost_ miss living in So Cal. Well OK, not really, but that warmer weather sounds good right now while I'm riding in 30 to 40 degree weather. Bikerhen

[tprevost]

I don't think I'd make it up where you are... Burrrrrrrr!!!! I'm such a wimp now; we moved from the bay area 5 years ago and I even think its freezing up there now!

I'm going to be working hard to be sure I can get through LRRH all in one piece! I am SO looking forward to it (DH knows I'm going but I haven't told him yet where it actually is ). I'll still be riding the mtn bike for a few more weeks but I'll be getting in some low mileage rides just to get some consistency going... start building some base miles... the standard drill

Thanks for the encouragement; I'll take all I can get!

Tracy

[bikerHen]

The roads here are full of sand, rocks, and potholes ALL winter. So I have been on my mtb for my outdoor rides since January. I just look at it as strength training. I'm working alot harder for my 30 miles on the mtb. I had my road bike out today, for the second time this year, and it felt wonderful. BikerHen

[tprevost]

You are so right about the Mtn bike being more work for the same mileage... I'm workin' on the same premise down here!

I can't wait to get back on the road bike... probably another week or two before I'm brave enough!

Tracy