didn't i tell you that you could do the longer ride???????????

i liked this ride! a lot of it was some of the same roads for mulholland challenge and the grand tour (light)..... so i was actually familiar with a few areas!

i was bummed about the weather... fortunately i decided to go with long sleeves and a racerback underneath like i had done the weekend before... cuz the weather for the many various areas did day cool and cloudy/foggy in the a.m. and some areas warming up in the p.m.... well... we had overcast all right.. we had MIST! UGH! i had a steady drip coming off my helmet and couldn't wear my sunglasses til well after... oh... the 4th rest stop i think!

as tracy said... we got there a little later than i had planned.... can't blame denny's this time... not sure why really... i told hubby i wanted to be there by 6:30 (but in reality i wanted to be there like 6:15) we were about 5 minutes late... got registered and i got on the way... i say tracy at the porta potties before the start (and TOLD her she could do the longer ride! she didn't want to listen.... ) and i took off.... it was chilly (for me).... nice wide roads for the most part... ahead i saw a tandem... as i got closer... i realized it was a child on the back... when i caught them at a stop light... i saw it was a little boy! i asked how far they were going (35 miles) and then i asked the little boy how old he was (7)... my jaw dropped! good for him! and good for his dad to get him into cycling! rode along with them for a couple minutes... the dad said he'd already been on the bike a couple years.. and the 3 or 4 year old at home was starting to ride too! WOW! i wish i had snapped a pic!

continued on... at the first rest stop i met a guy from another forum (i seem to get a LOT of "are you caligurl?" at rides lately! lol!) i also discovered a new favorite treat... bananas with peanut butter on them! YUM! grabbed some goodies and was on my way again! somewhere between these 2 rest stops... hubby caught and passed me (he started later after getting me ready to get going.. then he got himself ready) i passed the next stop since it was only water and i still had plenty (RARE for me to EVER pass a rest stop.. but they seemed to have them every 10-12 miles for the first part of this ride!) i was going along and thought my tire felt funny.... stopped to check for a flat.. started going again.. and there was hubby! he said he was at the water rest stop... but i went by! he rode with me a little while.. til we hit what they call... uhm... shoot.. can't remember... table something or other hill? on mulholland... he went ahead of me there... i pigged out on strawberries at the next stop... the nice boy scout was cutting them and i was eating them! YUM!

continued on... came to a steep and curvy downhill... they had a person there to warn you to slow down, etc... as well as steep signs! (wish planet ultra had done that for mulholland challenge!) but anyways.... passed several motocyclists... it's a popular road for them (seems that a lot of the popular cyclist roads are also popular withe motocyclists!) i got the the next rest stop and there was hubby again! he waited for me! YAY! but he also said that he almost got creamed by a motocycle.... the MC apparently had turned arount to look over his shoulder... and in doing so... passed the center line and was in hubby's lane coming right toward him! so between that happening.. and still being cautious on the hills since his crash... and since the bulk of the climbing was done for the ride... he decided to ride the rest of the way with me! YAY!!!!!!!!

at another rest stop... i finally had a chance to take a picture of the viking.... which i will post.. and meant to have ready to post when i talked about the ride.. but things came up so.... i will have to post pics later! then... hubby and i are riding along... and all the sudden up ahead we see... a UNICYCLIST! yes... really! with a number... as in ... doing the ride.. and by this time.. the "arrows" marking the road.. were strictly 100 and 68 mile markings! (the courses all went together.. then some cut off.. then some came back together... them separated again... nice route!) anyways... got a couple of pics... hubby asked and he was doing the 68... on a unicycle! with no gears! egad!!!!!!!! he also said how long he had been riding.. but i forget...

i didn't realize we were so close to the reagan presidential library! all the sudden i started seeing signs... when we got to the entrance sign... we stopped and took a pic! i also got really excited when i saw a tommy's! this is the second ride this year that has gone right by a tommy's... my question is.. why don't they use them as a SAG stop! lol! (ok.. nevermind.. i know why... i wouldn't want to ride AFTER eating at tommy's...)

at about 90 miles... i was bored... done... wanted to go home! lol! hubby is riding in front... at my pace... so slow for him.... then this guy goes by on a derosa... and kinda gives hubby the "look"... and i think to myself.. "ya.. whatever... he's riding at MY pace you butthead!".... he passes... and goes on ahead a bit.... after a while... i notice we are actually gaining on him on the hill.... hubby drops back at that point and asks if i saw the "look", etc... i said ya... now i usually don't worry about jerk racer wannabes... i'm not fast.. never said i was fast... don't try to race cuz i know i can't.... but hubby points out that we ARE gaining on him.... so he gives me a push and says "i just want to see his face"... so i'm like "ok"... heck.. i'm getting a push! lol! we get behind him... and first hubby passes.. them me... i giggle to myself... well then he passes us... gets a bit ahead.. but can't hold it... we do this leap frog thing a couple more times.... then we get to yet another grade... only this time.. i'm gaining on the guy on my own! (guess he burnt himself out?) so i told hubby to go ahead.... sure enough... the guy was "playing games" cuz as soon as hubby passed him... he was on his feet trying to catch him... but he couldn't.... he sits back down and then "I" pass him... ya.. slow me! lol! i couldn't help myself.. i laughed (to myself.. not outloud) after i passed him! i mean why was he playing games? hubby slowed up for me to catch him.. then about 6 or 7 cyclists were stopped at a redlight.. and the jerk blows through it! going between the cars (2 lanes).... ugh.. there's one in every crowd! hubby and i continue our ride.... stopping at the stop lights now that we are back "in town".... THEN... lo and behold.. we caught mr big shot again.. by now.... i was thoroughly entertained! he sure was making the last 10 miles enjoyable with his psuedo race in HIS head! we were riding along side by side (the bike lanes at this point were wide!) then i realize mr bigshot was drafting us.... finally hubby decided to just take off... mr bigshot practically but me off going on my right to keep up with hubby.... was drafting him a bit... til hubby finally just decided to prove the point... and took off.... (i was cheering to myself from behind!) he lost mr bigshot... so then mr BS was drafting on some other guy ahead of me.... and again... "I" was gaining on him! lol! this was too fun! if i had had maybe 1 more block... i could probably passed him.. as i was... i turned into the parking lot like 3 seconds behind him! i was just shaking my head when i found hubby.... wannabes! lol! why can't people just ride and have fun? why make everying a race? ugh!

i was looking at some of the booths and tracy found us! talked to her a while why looking at the booths.... someone else asked "are you caligurl?" lol! but then found out they were friends of the lady from alpine that i was talking to.. AND i realized after.. they were the couple i talked to in line while waiting to register for BA last year.. in the dark! lol! spent a long time talking to them (and the lady and her hubby from alpine!)

finally dragged hubby away so we could change and drive home! stopped at... *drumroll* TOMMY's (in pasadena though.. not the simi valley one we passed on the ride!)

then... ahead we saw an element with 2 tandems on top.... i said to hubby "i wonder if they were at the ride?".... we caught them in traffic (traffic.. YUCK!) and i said... "hey... that looks like sylvia's hubby driving".... then they caught us and we realized it WAS them... and sylvia was in the back seat! too, funny!!! so hubby says "i guess that answers your question about if they were at the ride!"

oh and tracy... don't forget to look for your pic at photocrazy!

so there you have it.... more then you could ever want to know about crusin' the conejo!




p.s. i still need to check and see what the grade is for potrero road! hopefully i'll have time to do that tonight! at least we went down it! for the grand tour double century (and above) they actually CLIMB it! ACK! fortunately every ride i've been on... i've only had to descend it! phew!