Blazin Saddles

Heat. Sizzle. Blistering. The idea was to beat the heat. I thought I did well leaving the house at 6:45 am. However the really smart folks were already breezing their way to the cooling bliss of couchness. When the wind blew it was an oven door opening and releasing a hot blast of air on the body.

It was a late night and early morning of work for me. The goal for the day was to stay upright and awake. No timings. No distances. Just relax and pedal and enjoy what I could see. There were a few folks on the road and the motorcyclists kicked in their laps early in the day as well.

Straighten the back and tuck in the core muscles. Going slow is good to concentrate on proper form. Today I added look up at the scenery and soak it in. I had enough sweat to be in a soak. I did see a small brown bunny with a white tuft of a tail hiding under the dry brush that overhangs the road. Just a handful.

My lazy ride up the road kicked up a notch when the rider behind shouted car! I decided to give that rider a "run" for their money. I increased my tempo and was joined by a rider sporting a red "Toyota" kit. This was Terry's second ride up GMR. Pretty awesome ride for second time around. He motivated my muscles into a higher pace and we chatted. He poured on the speed headed to Baldy Village as we arrived at the shed. I found a tiny bit of shade. Then I noticed a plaintive cry from the hillside. It sounded like a throaty complaint of pain or sorrow. It was loud and distinct. I had never heard a noise like that. A hunter I met at the top of monroe identified the source of the sound confirmed by three other hunters: cat. mountain lion. The link is a good representation of what I heard. Be on the alert.

Morris Fire 2nd Anniversary

Flashback to August 25, 2009 -- a day of infamy on Glendora Mountain Road when a fire off of Highway 39 closed the forest and our road.



It was a long five weeks as the Station Fire scorched the Angeles Mountains.

Keep your eyes open.

Stairway to heaven. GMR is

Stairway to heaven. GMR is the road to greatness. The legs were sluggish but the brain was happy.

This is summer?

Bill and I rolled out of the driveway by 8:05 am. The sky was grey and down right shivery. Bicycle Friends was nearly done riding the Baldy Village Loop. The muscles in my legs and brain were barely warmed up. The morning fog must have impacted many other decisions as it was down right lonesome on the road today.

Not a strong ride, but good enough. As the grey plays on the minds of the muscles. Go slower, no need to rush, enjoy the chilliness. I made it out of the clouds before Newman's to a warm summer sun. Stopped for a picture when Matt caught up with me. Matt kept the pace aggressive and I needed to turn to. No more lolly gagging up the hill.

Met Leo and Mike at the shed. Leo is quite the hiker and has ascended Iron Mountain with a short side trip along the Mt San Antonio Trail. Sonny arrived and had 20 miles under his legs. Bill also made it to the shed with strength to spare.

Matt and I continued on to the Experimental Forest Sign (fork plus 2.4). He turned around and I went on. I chugged up the reward climb to 8.3. Enjoyed the scenery and scooted down the mountain. On the climb up to fork plus four (aka the point of no return). Mike blasts past me with Leo close on his heels. Inspiration to follow suit renewed my spirit with a burst of energy from the legs that got me up the hill sooner. Thanks Mike and Leo! Rode on without much of anyone on the road. That climb up out the fork to the top of monroe always kicks butt. Met up with Jason who is practing for the Death Valley Stage Race in Bishop.

Caught up with Leo and Mike below Newman's. They were changing a tube. I thanked them for arriving at just the right time to help me up the hill.

Pleased with my legs. Pleased with the distance.

Colorado Dreaming

What do you call a bicycle race that screams over the high Rockies in beautiful Colorado for seven days, and 35,000 feet of climbing? Heaven or the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in beautiful Colorado. http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/

Flatlanders

I am trying to convince those who ride flat rides that GMR is achievable. Here's my pitch...."Glendora Mountain Road is basically flat.... with a slope. Not really a mountain at all."

Ray Clone of Mt Baldy Village (MBV) agrees:

gosh! you said it.... :)
It is the easier of the three ways up to MBV.
----
The front side - Mt Baldy Road is short but steep. 7 mi @ 9~10%
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Or you could travel along SR 39:

SR39 is long and has 3 climbs. 32.5 mi total
climb 1 to back side of GMR 15.50 mi @ 3~5%
climb 2 backside GMR to fork 5 mi @ 6 %
climb 3 GRR (reward) 3.6 mi @ 7.3%
----
Or Glendora Mountain Road to Glendora Ridge Road:

GMR/GRR is the easiest way up. 21 mi total
climb 1 GMR 9 mi @ 5.5%
climb 2 GRR (reward) 3.6 mi @ 7.3%

A Ghostly Sub 19

Goal for Wednesday

Get lots of productive work done in the morning. Ride in the afternoon. I missed out on the Monday Night Ride. Ready for action.

Woohoo! Got a ride in. The evening ride was hot at 94F and the road was relatively quiet. The air was clearer than Monday night as a small fire near Santa Fe dam put ash in the air. The legs were confused what's this pedaling thing I need to do.

Legs felt strong

My legs felt strong today. Started off with Bill then pushed on at the electronic sign. The grey marine layer dwindled quickly from sight. I would tag along with riders who passed. Kicked it up a notch. The road felt good. I have a theory to entice the non-mountain folks to ride GMR. Here's my pitch, Glendora Mountain Road is basically flat with a slope. Not really a mountain at all. Do you think they will nibble?

Quiet ride for a Saturday morning. Found Group Beanz enjoying a bit of shade. Mr. Beanz had a leak in his tube. He didn't find the problem in the tire. Patched the tube and off we went. The miles move faster when you have someone to chat with. We talked of speed and camaraderie. We agreed that friendship means taking turns pulling. We found Gina enjoying the scenery at Fork plus Four. I needed a longer ride to the apex of 8.3. I noticed two Forest Service trucks speeding down the mountain. Then a helicopter flying back over the Village. Loma Linda? or Pomona Hospital. Bill had the scoop as two motorcycles collided head on.

Aimee, Beanz, Gina, Alyce, Herb, Will, Daniel, Scott, Mark, Dude, Curtis, Dick, Marty.

Lighthouse Century - September 24, 2011

Wayne has 2 - 4 tickets to the popular Lighthouse Century Ride. Cost is $60 for the adventurers who want to ride "The Old Road" a route comparable to Glendora Mountain Road. This ride always fills up within the first few hours of opening registration. There are a dozen of us camping at Morro Bay State Park. Route Length Climbing Flat Metric 62 miles 2,500 feet Hilly Metric 69 miles4,000 feet Flat Century 98 miles 3,500 feet Hilly Century 99 miles 4,700 feet.

Contact Wayne Lucas for more information. Or find him on the web at http://www.lucasproducts.net

Ph (909) 350-2285
Fx (909) 350-4224
Cell (909) 225-9818

Lighthouse Century Info

The ride starts and ends at Cuesta College. From there, the rides go north past the hidden town of Los Osos where there is no through traffic, on past Morro Bay with its famous Morro Rock and Embarcadero. On north for a rest and goodies stop at Cayucos, then the metric riders go to Cambria where a delicious lunch awaits. The Century riders continue north past historic Piedras Blancas Lighthouse to the turnaround at Piedras Blancas and back to Cambria for lunch. Be sure to keep a look out for the zebras on the right at San Simeon and the elephant seals on the left after San Simeon. After lunch everyone travels south to Cayucos again for more rest and goodies. Then south to the start/finish for a fabulous hot dinner.

For more info go to:

http://www.slobc.org/lighthouse/index.html

Sweet Sweet Monday Ride

Sweet sweet Monday Night Ride. Quiet on the road tonight. Worked off the work stress. Pure bliss.

Bionic Ron

"We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic ..[cyclist] ... Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."

Ron crashed on Wednesday evening June 22, 2011 from road debris of an orange pylon near the electronic sign on Glendora Mountain Road. After his outer skin healed, he upgraded his carbon components to titanium. If you look closely, Ron had the word Lightspeed etched into his new part.

His shoulder felt stiff and the collarbone area pulled, however he doesn't have much feeling in the skin on the shoulder as the nerves were cut. Physical Therapy for the next month. His arm is getting stronger daily and he feels better. Today Ron completed 21 minutes on the spin bike. Soon it will back on the road.

On the road again. A

On the road again. A week of no rides and i am off on a ride this morning. Hopefully John brought a rope and strong legs.