San Diego Century 5/21/11

Tour de California Stage 7 is having a mountain top finish at Mount Baldy on the 21^st. A few VeloViets are getting together that day to ride up GMR to catch the pros in action. I was so tempted to join them to witness the fierce battle between the world’s top cyclists but I had the San Diego Century on my list of 2011 rides for a while. I had a goal of five centuries per year so although I really wanted to watch the Stage 7 in person I decided to stick to my century ride.

I heard from some VeloViets before that the SD Century, also known as Purple Monster, was a tough ride and so I was a little hesitant to attempt it on my own. I’ve been riding but not actively trained for this specific event so I thought I try to enlist a few fellow VeloViets to join me. I figured with some additional help and inspiration, I can eventually complete the ride without too much suffering.

A few days before the ride, Sang, Ngoc, John and Hoa confirmed that they will join me. I began to feel a little more relieved as I know Sang is a strong A1 and the other three are strong A2 riders whom I can at least lean on for some help. The day before the ride, after studying the route, I sent out an email to all riders with some last minute details and my estimated ride time of 6 to 7 hours. Shortly after, I got a reply from Sang saying that VeloViets took from sun up to sun down last time they rode Purple Monster. Later John wrote that he expect us to complete the ride in 8 hours. I began to feel a little nervous again but it’s too late to do anything about it now - we’ll be rolling out in 8 hours. “Oh that’s just great”, I thought as I went to bed.

Hoa, John, Sang and Ngoc car pooled and met me in Irvine at 5:30am the next morning. We promptly loaded my bike and stuff onto Hoa’s truck and headed south. The ride down to Encinitas was very enjoyable as we chatted away about bikes and cycling. We arrived at the MiraCosta College around 6:45am and quickly got ready. After a visit to the rest room and a few photos, we rolled out around 7:15am.

Sang, Ngoc, Hoa and John on a paceline at the start

Sang led us out of the parking lot and we headed east toward the hills. We warmed up on some rolling hills through San Elijo for about 20 miles. Our plan was to pace ourselves as we have quite a distance and elevation to cover. Each rider took turn pulling as we rotated through our paceline. We skipped our first SAG at mile 16 and kept a steady pace for about 30 miles passing the other riders one by one.

Ngoc, Sang, John and Hoa approaching a turn

John pulling, follow by Hoa, Sang and Ngoc

Before we take on the Three Witches climb we veered into our first SAG stop at mile 29 for a quick water refill and rest room break. Like a group on a mission, we promptly took care of business and got back on the road again. By now we were warmed up and our legs were itching for some challenge. And challenge was what we encountered. Three Witches awaited us just as we came out the SAG stop.

Three Witches were the first series of climbs that eventually pit us against the Purple Monster near the peak of the route. On this stretch was where our group began to splinter. The few feet distance between our wheels began to stretch to yards. The water I consumed began to ooze through my pores and sweat droplets began to wet my top tube.

For a little over 15 miles we traversed through various rolling hills with each hill taking us higher in elevation. By now, with our pace, we have virtually passed all the other riders that were in our sight. Around mile 45 we encountered three female riders who were on time trial bikes. They appeared to be in great physical condition as indicated by their physique and solid pace. Although we can pass them, we decided to ride along and occasionally drafted behind to conserve our energy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to conserve our energy for long before they turned into a SAG stop which we decided to pass.

Hoa, John and Sang brief stop for voice and email check

Hoa on top of a hill

We confronted the Purple Monster around mile 47. Hoa and I fought fiercely but we agreed that it was not as bad as Newport Coast and Vista Ridge. Maybe we were just too excited or maybe we were just well conditioned from all the VeloViet rides that we didn’t think Purple Monster had put up a good fight. We soon conquered Purple Monster and moved ahead toward the peak of the route.

Hoa was our strongest climber for that day so he reached the peak at mile 53 first followed by Sang and I. John showed up shortly after saying that he tried to pace Ngoc as he began to fade but later decided to let Ngoc go at his own pace. We waited a few minutes for Ngoc and thought he may have cramped up so we decided to move on and to regroup with him at the next SAG stop.

Sang, Keith and Hoa at the highest point

Sang, John and Hoa at the highest point

We reached our next SAG about twenty minutes later. As we were refueling and recounting our last 60 miles, Ngoc rolled in with a big smile on his face. Happy with our time so far, we took a few extra minutes socializing while replenishing ourselves with food and water. Once satisfied, we left and headed west toward the coast.

Ngoc rolled in to a SAG stop

Sang, Hoa, Ngoc and John refueling

On the way back there were a few hills but I was happy that the rest were either flat or descents. Some of the descents were so steep that my speed occasionally exceeded 40+ mph as I tried to keep up with Sang. As we got near the coast, we had to ride through city streets. There were quite a few lights so my legs began to ache from all the frequent stops and restarts. I tried to remind myself to not look at the Garmin so much, just pedal, I’m almost home.

As we got to the edge of Cardiff-by-the-Sea I can begin to feel the sea breeze. The fresh coastal air gave me the extra boost of energy. At the end of the city, we were greeted by a beautiful view of the beach. After turning right onto South Coast Highway, I changed my gear to cruise mode and enjoyed the beautiful blue water and cool ocean breeze. What a way to end a long ride, I nodded with a smile.

Sang leading the pack toward Cardiff-by-the-Sea coast

We all reached MiraCosta College a few minutes later. Like a surgical strike team, we went out on a mission. We arrived, worked our way through the enemy territory, eliminated our targets one by one and swiftly returned to base. It took us 6 hours and 5 minutes of riding time and a total of 7 hours and 10 minutes of elapsed time at an average speed of 17 mph to complete the 6,100' and 104 miles ride .

I have to thank Sang, Ngoc, John and Hoa for all their paceline work. Without them, my ride would have been much more difficult. Although our paceline was not perfect, it was quite good most of the time such that many have latched onto our wheels for the lift.

All smiling after 104 miles and 6,100'

It was a fantastic ride for me in term of distance and elevation. We met a few nice friends along the way. One person in particular was a sixty year old Vietnamese lady from San Diego. She rode the century route and is interested in joining VeloViet. She told us that she often ride Palomar and would love to hook up with VeloViet for a ride in OC or San Diego someday. She was a great source of inspiration for me. I silently wish that when I’m sixty, I can look as good and ride as strong as she can.