11/01 Ride Report - Mount Palomar

Palomar… like a graceful dancer, she twists and turns leading you this way then that way.

Palomar… like a magician, she hides her secrets beneath the thick woods and a cloud of fog.

Palomar… like your first girlfriend, she caresses you on her rolling hills first before showing you her steepest slopes.

Palomar… like a vampire, she shows you her fangs only in the very end, and then drains you of your precious life force.


CHAPTER 1 – THE GATHERING

For those who don’t know Palomar, she is a majestic mountain rearing high at 5240 feet. The trip up to her top takes 22 miles of climbing, with the last 7 miles of the highest gradient. Palomar is often compared to the famous Tour de France ascent Alpe d’Huez, as both climbs have roughly 21 switchbacks and is similar in distance, vertical gain, and altitude at the top. She has been featured as the “Queen Stage” of the last Tour of California where the pros fought it out on the final days for the glory of the race lead. Palomar is where the 2009 OC VeloViet season has climax to.

13 brave VeloViet Warriors had signed on to challenge this Hors Categorie Mountain for the rights of being the best of the best on this very day. It is an honor that is long live, and is retold routinely during coffee shop meetings and group gatherings. An honor that is passed down from past generation to new generation of VeloViets. It is a much deserved award, as it takes a season of preparation, desire, and a bit of lady luck to win.

The 2009 VeloViet cast includes the Cap’t Lance Armstrong (aka Cap’t Thomas), the youthful Alberto Contador (aka Chris), a beast of a rider The Animal (aka Scott M), the suave Italian (aka Billy D), the always in contention The Contender (aka Duc), the happy Paris Couple (aka Tan riding and Nancy sagging), cool Mac Daddy (aka Mac), previous Palomar winner Tom Danielson (aka Thanh), mechanically incline The Gear (aka Tuan), and the Bench Mob (aka Loc, Ngoc, Long, and Phong). These 13 VeloViets riders were joined by the Tri Crew, who were led by The Ironman (aka Duc), and supported by Fed Ex (aka Hung) and White Gold (aka Curt). These 16 Palomar riders were supported by driver Big Minh, Nancy, the other part of the Paris Couple, and Fixie Girl (aka Nhung). These are the players on the Mount Palomar 2009 Ride.

VeloViets and Tri Crew rolled in at 7:30 AM to Pala. There is a sense of quiet excitement that hangs in the air, and comes from the fact that this is THE RIDE that all have been talking and training for these past few months. Hours of sweat and tears spent the saddle to learn how to drag our bodies up to where the air is thin, and where you are gasping for air to replace the oxygen that is spent in grinding up hills. You can see the energy glowed on the riders’ faces. If you look into their eyes, behind that smiles and handshakes, you can see this glint of excitement. Thus the Palomar ride begins…

CHAPTER 2 – THE RIDE

The group rolled onto Highway 76 around 8 AM. The first few miles are the usual socializing, picture taking miles, slow warm up… and then it happened. The Italian Team attacked!

The Gear went to the front and immediately opened a gap. This large gap was created immediately, as the peloton was indecisive on whether or not to cover this seemingly brave but senseless move. We were miles away from the climb, and it would be tactically sound if the entire group rides as a whole to the base of the climb first before solo moves are made. As the gap increases, a second Italian team member also attacked out of the pack! Phong made the move and bridged up to Tuan. The two team mates started to work together to increase their leads. The gap rosed.

Realizing the Italian plan now, a flurry of reactions came from the peloton. The Tri Crew immediately moved out to start closing down the gap, paced by Fed Ex who rode as if he was late for a delivery. This move pulls out Armstrong, Contador, and The Contender from the pack. The group caught up to the Italian Team, and this combined group worked together to start distancing themselves further from the pack. Everyone knew that if all worked together, someone from this lead group would take the first sag stop. The Gear reached the first sag stop in first place.

After the regroup, the pack rolled out to conquer the second part of the climb. Here, Lady Palomar showed her agitation and started to shower us with roads of 6% gradient. VeloViets and Tris members endured this challenge together, while constantly marking each other. In everyone’s mind was the thought of surviving, while minimizing as much energy as possible, to the base of the climb. Tri Crew, Armstrong, Contender, Gear, the Animal, and the Italian were together working the lead group. We made it to the second sag stop.

CHAPTER 3 – THE CLIMB

Cap’t Thomas prep those that survived on what awaits, a steep climb with no shoulders, and constantly hounded by motos and cars. It would be a test of not only physical and mental challenges, but of our other senses as well. Motos rocketing by at high speed, and cars honking their intention to pass, would dull the riders’ senses. Already tired, we barely understood these instructions, as we load up on water. There would be no other sag stop, and the remaining roads will just be ourselves and Lady Palomar. We rolled out...

Palomar immediately unleashes her fury on us. She was a hill that did not want to be climbed, and she twists and turns trying to throw us off her back. Like a wild stallion trying not to be tamed, Palomar reared high and showed us her roads with gradients of 8% and to as high as 10%. The riders bent low on their bike, hugging Palomar’s body tightly, and not wanting to let her go.

A lead group of 4 established themselves early on this road. Armstrong, Contador, Fed Ex, and Ironman immediately established a gap. Second group was the Italian Team, with The Contender , The Gear, and Bench Mob Phong close behind. Bench Mob Long, The Animal, and The Italian followed in the third group.

Armstrong and Fed Ex marked each other and the pace picked up. Fed Ex, using all of his sinewy 132 pounds of muscle, poured all into the first part of the climb attacking the group. A mile of this relentless pace, Contador and Ironman finally dropped off unable to hold on further. Armstrong and Fed Ex pulled away. A little further up the climb, Contador finally succumbed and dropped off Ironman’s pace. With his recent meteoric rise in the peleton, Contador was caught up in the fame and fortune, and was out partying hard last night. His party ways caught up to him on the last and crucial part of the climb. The Italian Team caught up and passes the Spaniard, who had to pull to the side with a muscle cramp. The last view that we had of Contador was that the sag crew was working feverously trying to help relieve Contador’s cramped legs.

The Italian Team worked hard together to keep the lead group in sight. The trio established a steady rhythm of about 8 mph. After about a third into the climb and after a hard pull, the weakest of the Italian Team Phong could no longer hold this pace and dropped off. The Contender and The Gear moved on to try to catch the leading group.

The third group established a more sensible pace, with Bench Mob Long, The Animal, and The Italian working together initially on the climb. As Lady Palomar slowly turned up the gradient, this group slowly broke apart as well under her continuous pressure.

In the lead group, Armstrong and Fed Ex attacked each other for a few more miles, but neither one could shake each other. Quietly a deal was worked out on the road, and they decided to work together to capture the first two places on the Palomar podium. They continued working together until the very end of the climb, where Armstrong graciously let Fed Ex to sprint it out to capture the stage while Armstrong captures the 2009 VeloViet Palomar Rider of the Year.

General Classification at the top: Fed Ex, Armstrong, Ironman, The Contender, The Gear, Bench Mob Phong and Long, The Animal, The Parisian, The Italian, Contador, White Gold, bench Mob Loc, Danielson, and then surprise, surprise Bench Mob Ngoc, who have only been riding for a few months. Mac Daddy party hard last night, and Lady Palomar took him down with no mercy.

CHAPTER 4 – THE DESCENT

After a brief rest to share stories and excitement of the climb, a smaller group rolled out with anticipation of the fast descent. There were a few other that also succumbed to Palomar’s wrath, could no longer continue on the descent, and was transported down by car. The descent was temporary halted due to a moto accident on the road. Once the road clears, The Animal and Armstrong moved out first. Then it happened again… the Italian Team attacked!

The Gear once again showed his Italian muscle and zip around both The Animal and Armstrong. His Italian team mate Phong also went around these two and jumped onto The Gear’s wheel. These two started to take extra risks on the descent to clear themselves of the pack. They quickly lost sight of the rest of the riders.

Back on Highway 76, the two Italians traded pulls on the flatter part of the descent, and maintained the 35-40 mph speed. Working in unison, they quickly cleared Palomar’s grasp and danced their way past her twists and turns. The wind howled in their ears like Lady Palomar’s cries of anger as she realized these two have made it out of her lair alive. The Italians arrived first to the halfway point.

After a quick regroup, the pack rolled out. The Animal took the front and dialed the speed up immediately. At the first hill, Fed Ex attacked! The light truce that holds between Fed Ex and Armstrong quickly dissolved. Armstrong answered with Ironman following him. As these three riders joined, the pace slowed and allowed the remaining pack to regroup. The pace picks up once again with these additional help.

Making his second delivery round, Fed Ex attacked again at the 3 mile remaining mark. This time Armstrong had an answer, and countered with an attack of his own. In the end, Armstrong made it back to Pala first, with Fed Ex in second, and Ironman in third.

CHAPTER 5 – THE END

Palomar… she had drained us of our energy, but yet left us feeling in a state of vibrant bliss and thirsting for more. Like a dancer… magician… girlfriend… and vampire, Palomar seduces us with her natural beauty while she tries to steal from us that which we hold dear. The VeloViets and Tri Crew were strong today, powered by their ever faithful crew of Big Minh, Nancy, and Fixie Girl. Without these three supporters, Lady Palomar would have seduces more riders into her bottomless lair.

The riders gazed back at the majestic Palomar Mountain for one last time before departing, and look forward to that moment when they would see her again in 2010.

Signing out,
Phong