cool breeze - august 19th

[tprevost]

I just e-mailed the powers that be at Cool Breeze to get info in specific roads; I'm thinking I may try to drive 101 one direction and preview the hills so I know exactly what the deal is!

T~

[caligurl]

HEY! make sure you all add cool breeze to your rides list at bikejournal!!!!!!!!!

OH! just looked! and i see that brandy and tracy already have! YAY!

[Ninabike]

Hey girls, I'd sure like to do the Cool Breeze too, but I would probably be limited to the metric. What's that route like for hills (I thought I saw a post on that but I can't find it now).

Nina

[bcipam]

does anyone happen to have a route slip from Cool Breeze? Maybe it would be wise to preview some of these hills!

Trac'

It has long been my belief "ignorance is bliss..." Just better to hit the hills head on and not know about them. Just trust me - do hills during your training.

Last year they changed the route alot due to construction so who knows what the route will be like this year. Just plan on riding, enjoying the scenary, sag stops, lunch and dinner and oh yeah, our company.

I figure a first time Century for you guys - will take 8 maybe 9 hours. So if we leave by 7:30 - 8 and we don't dalley at the sag stops (my philsophy - "get in get out") you should be done in time for dinner by 4:30 - 5. If worse comes to worse and Wayne is with us, we can send him ahead to get the truck and come pick us up. I don't call him "Lassie" for nothing!

PS:

Tracey and Nina: The hills are all mostly inland off of 101. We start climbing inland from Bates Road and go through alot of orchards and stuff before coming into Santa Barbara. Once in SB we go inland again and start climbing, alot. You climb into the hills just before Goleta. It's beautiful up there!!! Yu basically go through a forest area. Then there is a long downhill into Santa Barbara where you have to ride along the beach area (yes, Caligurl, I hated this part the most) and then you go back inland (and yes climb again) for awhile before coming back out to the Beach and flats again.

Just train for hills and distance and the rest will come easy. Try and find a nice long hill in your area and do some repeats (ie climb it a few times). You need to practice the downs as much as the ups. You should be comfortable doing 65 - 70 miles before you are ready for the Century.

I have a nice hilly route out here that I train on. You are welcome to come out and ride it with me.

[bcipam]

So Pam, when are you going to start our hill training? I get back from camping on the 18th, if I recall correctly. After that...I'm yours! I drove Newport Coast Drive today and I want to try it as soon as I get back. Was Ridge Park the other hill that you were talking about?

Newport Coast is one hill worth trying. The other is Ridgeline in Turtle Rock. My hill route involves Lemon Heights, Skyline Drive, Cannon, Santiago Canyon, Amapola, Jamboree or Skyline to Newport Beach to Santiago to Jamboree. Not long rides (about 30 miles) just hilly. Just let me know when you have some time. But you have to promise to wait for me. I am way slower on the hills!!!!!

[bcipam]

well.... i always INTEND to keep my route slips.... always INTENDED to make a file for them..... but alas.. the only ones i know where i could my hands on right now are BA and heartbreak (only cuz the heartbreak one is in the garage and i see it every time i get ready for a ride! and the BA one is in a pile of bills i have to file! )

Last post for me...

OK I never keep route slips either - and personally I seldom if ever follow a route slip. Most of the event rides, this one included, are very well marked so I just follow the street markings. The route slip is kept, usually in my back pocket, just in case I get lost.

[Brandy]

Newport Coast is one hill worth trying. The other is Ridgeline in Turtle Rock. My hill route involves Lemon Heights, Skyline Drive, Cannon, Santiago Canyon, Amapola, Jamboree or Skyline to Newport Beach to Santiago to Jamboree. Not long rides (about 30 miles) just hilly. Just let me know when you have some time. But you have to promise to wait for me. I am way slower on the hills!!!!!

Would you mind posting one of your hilly route slips? I'd like to have it in case I can sneak a ride before/after we get together.

[caligurl]

i have to agree with pam as far as "ignorance is bliss".... i remember when i was a newbie rider (not that long ago.... almost two year then end of this month i got my dolce!) anyways.... if you are familiar with/or have heard of oak glen.... hubby wanted to take me to climb that.... i had just been riding for 5 weeks.... we got there and i had told him to drive me up the hill first... so i could preview it.... well... when we got there.. he said he didn't think that was such a good idea... cuz he didn't think i'd want to climb it after seeing it in the car (and hills DO look different in the car than they do on a bike!) after doing the ride... i told him he was right... i would have gotten it into my head that i couldn't do it..... had i previewed it!!

[caligurl]

cool breeze is a VERY popular FIRST CENTURY ride! they ring a cowbell and last year you even got a separate "my first century was a breeze" patch! so i don't think ANY of you have to worry about it!

take your time... PACE yourself! don't try to keep up with faster riders... ride YOUR ride!

ride (or train... i don't train... i ride! lol! hubby "yells" at me all the time cuz i "ride" i don't "train"!) ride up hills! ride for longer distances if you can... but MOST importantly.. RIDE! then come august... you'll ALL do just FINE on this ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh... as for route slips... i do follow them... even if the road is marked! (and yes... cool breeze is one that is! however NONE of the KOM ones were! they feel more people get lost trying to follow arrows than following a route slip! i keep mine clipped on my little cue clip on my stem... plus... my interim goals are the rest stops! i try not to think of the 100... or 128 miles... i think XX miles til the next rest stop! but i know everyone is different.. .and everyone has different motivators! i like to know when my next JUNK FOOD stop is!

tracy... don't be surprised if they won't send you a route slip ahead of time... MOST rides won't unless they are already published (i.e. alpine)!
yes... there were changes last year... one point near the end... ended up being marked differently than the route slip even because of construction (the route into the popsicle stop!!)

anyways... all that is to tell you all.. DO NOT BE NERVOUS OF THE CLIMBS! (there was even a one legged rider doing cool breeze last year! YES... ONE LEG!) and lots of the team in training or whateve they are called!

again... a POPULAR first century ride!

ok... i'm done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(does everyone feel better now?)

[bcipam]

CAli...Well I wish I did (feel better).... can I hitch a tow line to your bike?????

Honestly kindof wondered what I am doing. I have all year just rode arond casually and now darn it I actually have to get serious and do some real riding. Next week is messed up as I am travelling for business but after that, no excuse, ride on the weekend and hopefully several nights during the week. Guess I'll have to stop doing some of the longer club rides.

Tracy - I'll and pick up a route slip for you for my hilly ride but basically I just go out and do it. If you go to the BCI website (bikeirvine.org)- check Sunday rides - you will no doubt find lots of hilly rides - BCI likes hilly!

For instance check out June 11 Long or Long Plus. Or July 30. In fact, Santiago Canyon (i.e. The Loop) is a good hill training ride. I suggest you start from the shopping center at Jamboree and Chapman, take the Canyon out (east) and then just turn around once you reach Cook's Corner and come right back to the shopping Center. The actual Loop takes you down to El Toro to Glenn Ranch to Bake to Irvine Blvd, West to Jamboree but Irvine is under heavy construction right now. The ultimate icky hilly ride is on Aug. 20. Live Oak is a ***** to climb (but the downhill to O'Neill Park is an "e" ticket!)

[caligurl]

pam..... i'm NOT fast! i keep saying that! i've NEVER said i'm fast! as a matter of fact... i'll go one further! where you say you are slower on hills but faster on flats.. well.. i'm slower on BOTH! (hell... i'm even slow on descents... and not that much from being afraid of them... just cuz i can't get going! i pedal and pedal and i still get passed! ugh!) the majority of people PASS me on rides!! there are a few... VERY few that i pass.... (usually they are older.. but not always... there are oldsters out there that can fly past me!) all you have to do is look at the KOM stats... i'm THREE from the bottom of women! yes... i was third slowest of the women! but i finished! THAT is what was important to me! heck.. i cried when i checked in i was so proud i had finished all three rides! i didn't care what my overall time was! my forte is endurance..... (and stubborness!)

hubby "yells" at me constantly cuz he says if i would "train" i would probably be faster.. but dagnabit...i want to have FUn when i ride! sure.. it would be fun to be faster.. finish faster... but that would mean hurting during all my other rides! *gasp* i do think that those of you that belong to a club may have an advantage too, though... i ride by myself 95% of the time! even on organized rides... i pretty much ride by myself unless i can convince hubby to ride slowly with me! with club members to ride with.. you have the motivation... and friendly competition to keep up.... but i'm getting sidetracked!

now you want a completely opposite take on this ride!? nesdog over at bikeforums called it relatively flat! now THAT i would say is a wrong assessment! i don't consider it a flat century! lol!

i just don't want to scare off anyone.... cuz i truly think it's a doable ride! (and i'll bet some of these other new would probably even beat my time if i were doing the century! but alas.. i'm a glutton for punishment!)

again.. i'm NOT trying to come off as an elitest... but i'm NOT! i ride for fun.... i ride to see what i can do.... but i'm NOT fast about it!

so are we friends again??????

[Brandy]

The ultimate icky hilly ride is on Aug. 20. Live Oak is a ***** to climb (but the downhill to O'Neill Park is an "e" ticket!)

I've driven that many times. James used to work for the Orange County Probation Department at one of the juvenile detention camps in Trabuco Canyon. I hate that road in a car...I'd be very nervous to try to go down it!

[Brandy]

now you want a completely opposite take on this ride!? nesdog over at bikeforums called it relatively flat! now THAT i would say is a wrong assessment! i don't consider it a flat century! lol!

I saw that!

[tprevost]

Well, I've decided that I'm just going to go for it and not worry! I can't get over to Irvine that often but there are hills everywhere where I am; heck, you can't even get around our lake without going up several pretty good hills! So I'l probably stick around here to train unless I'm riding with someone!

They do post the route on the Cool Breeze website, however, its just not zoomed in enough to be able to see the actual road names so I think they will probably give me the name of the larger hills; it doesn't appear they are one of those rides that don't give the route until that day.

My hilly route over here consists of a 40 mile up and back with a couple 2-3 mile grades of 6% and another couple of 4+ mile grades at probably 3-4%. Its a pretty tough ride for me but is excellent hill/decent training with little traffic and a wide shoulder.... plus it has an am/pm at mile 10/30 and a park at the turnaround for water/bathroom etc. I'm traveling quite a bit over the next two weeks but the minute I get back, I'm going to schedule that ride; maybe the 19th. In the interim, I am scheduling rides as often as possible to get my base mileage up. Right now I can consistantly ride 40-50 comfortably but beyond that is a push... although I wasn't sore or hurting after the 68 miler 5/13.

So, I think the motto will be to prepare as well as we can, be encouraging and just do the best we all can!

So Pam, when I see you on the 10th, can we check calendars to see when I can ride that hilly loop w/you??? Brandy, you in???

Trac'

[Brandy]

So Pam, when I see you on the 10th, can we check calendars to see when I can ride that hilly loop w/you??? Brandy, you in???

Trac'

What's the plan for July 1st? Could we do it then?