May/June/July Events

May 4 Rosarito/Ensenada 50 mile bike ride, four weeks post left foot surgery:

I stationary biked 13-26 miles every day in the aircast starting day 4 of recovery in the lounger gym bike barely breaking a sweat but still turning my legs at 13mph to keep the legs moving. This was supposed to continue until the end of week 4 but I started cycling outside at 3 1/2 weeks.  Luckily my Sidi tri-shoes are easily adjusted across the toe box because I'm still very swollen but without any pain. Outside, I cycled 20 miles easy to start, then 30 the next day with small hills, the next day 40 miles with one difficult hill and today at the 4 wk mark, I cycled 43 miles.  I needed to start early because we decided to join the annual Rosarito/Ensenada 50 mile bike ride celebrating Cinco De Mayo. It was exciting to celebrate more for my perfect foot recovery than anything! I had no issues on my training rides but I did ice the foot afterwards and I lightly wrapped the foot as well.

We stayed overnight at the host Rosarito Beach Hotel in Ensenada and bought a shuttle pass to get us from Rosarito back to Ensenada so we could get a car fastpass to return quickly across the border.  They served margarita shots while we waited in the check-in line forever at the hotel.  It was freezing and windy so we couldn't really enjoy the beach and we didn't bring any winter clothing!  The room was pretty nice with a kitchenette but the wind blew through the glass doors all night so it was difficult to sleep.  It's nice that the ride starts at 10am because by that time, the weather had completely changed to perfect conditions!  There were 4 aid stations selling food along the way and family tents set up every 200 yards trying to sell you their food and drink. 

Everything on this ride is an additional cost. Only water is free.  There were many riders dressed in costumes giving out candy to the kid spectators. There was constant chaos on the road.  Many didn't know riding etiquette, many were inexperienced as Marcus was merged off the road by a woman without any balance and there were even roller bladers and kids-in-tow in the mix!

 Although I didn't see those "ridebladers" on the hill below!  It's about 2 miles and many were walking all over the street.  You had to be a defensive rider this entire event.

We did enjoy dressing up in our little Mexican hats and red chili pepper head bands! Gumby was a big hit! The pink biker chick passed many men on the hills! I really can't recall seeing any women at this point.

There were some beautiful ocean views on the route with hay, horses, cows, birds and clothes for sale too! There was even a winery with Noah's Ark in the yard! (look to the mid right in pic below)

 

 

The finishline was a complete zoo! 1000s of riders, bikes and spectators crammed in small spaces eating.  We were funneled through all the vendors to get to the medals in the very back with our bikes in tow. We then funneled back through the crowds to get to the shuttle bus where we waited another 30 minutes until it was packed.  Bikes were "thrown" onto an open trailer with one wheel hanging over a rope.  I was happy we changed our carbon wheels to aluminum with slime tubes. The last bike was dragged for a while until the driver pulled over and threw it back onto the trailer. The rider was pretty upset that his bike paint was ruined.  I think this is how I ended up with a bent brake wire which I had to replace.  The shuttle ride took at least another hour or more to get back to Rosarito. 



 

We did buy the jersey which was the main reason we did this ride!  It's our favorite event jersey but it took almost 2 hours to cross the border with our "speedpass" so that was really annoying.  Overall, I did enjoy the challenging route but the logistics are a complete nightmare and so this is a "one and done" event! Maybe going with a group shuttle bus from SD to Ensenada to SD would have been better. I don't know if the buses get head of line privileges though to cross the border.

June 8 was the Fiesta Metric Century bike ride. For such a small event in Chula Vista and only 62 miles, there were 4 SAGS and more food than I have seen at full century rides! 

I could never have the self-control to buy oreo peanut butter cookies so it was a super treat to have them available at the SAGs! The ride was a nice challenge of hills until mile 45 and then a sweet downhill into the flats all the way back to a wonderful Mexican buffet.

Another ride which had a completely different meaning was on June 22.  This was for Jackie Dunn who had a freak accident while racing at the Velodrome track.  I've only raced once at a clinic and the mere fact that you are racing on  a track without brakes was pretty scary for me but I can see how the adrenaline rush could become addictive.  I hope the 6 people who received her organs live long healthy lives and truly take care and make a difference in their second chance in life.  There were 300+ riders in groups of 20 at her memorial ride. It was truly special and the 40 mile route was one of her favorites from Coronado. It was a beautiful day and I certainly reflected on how lucky I am to enjoy my triathlon life with good health and support from friends and family.  It made me remind myself to always try to encourage others and smile at my events and not take this hobby too seriously.  My takeaway from her memorial ride is to be more grateful each day.  I will do my best Jackie. Your spirit will always be with us. We wore our teal blue and orange ribbons proudly for you.






 

 

Another memorial ride for Jackie was held on July 4, but I decided to run a mini-tri at Bonita Cove. Sometimes giving back to the tri community and being around the newbie energy and questions is just what you need for rejuvenation and thankfulness. A group of 10  swam for 40 minutes at Bonita Cove, biked 17.5 miles out/back to Fiesta Island (2 loops), and then ran 3 or 4 mile routes.  It was low key, fun, no stress... well except for the parking! OMG... next year we are starting an hour earlier! By 8am, all the lots were full! It was so sweet to meet new and old TCSDers! I will have to make this an annual event!

 

July 7 we participated in receiving the WORLD'S Largest half marathon medal at the Costume Party Run!  Who could resist running 13.1 miles to receive a medal the size of a 45 rpm record with a spinning disco ball in the center!  We wanted our costumes to be easy but memorable too so bacon slices and fried egg suits were perfect for us. Of course it was a humid day and although the costumes were light weigh, we nearly suffocated ourselves and felt like we were wearing saran wrap by the end of the race.  One HUGE lesson learned for me was NEVER EVER forget your pain meds for the foot on a long run again. Wow felt like a painful death march for me but I just said "suck it up" what if this was IMAZ!?!?!?!!!!  It was good mental training to be so uncomfortable.

 

 



 

 

So I have been watching an amazing group of cyclists lately but haven't been able to squeeze them into our schedule until now.  I was so happy to join Ride With Javi and return to the Great Western Loop.  This is a video of the "B" group that we joined.

 

https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=536248566423133"

 

 

There are 3 speed levels and they offer evening rides every day and wonderful group rides on the weekends.  Javi follows in a SAG vehicle, feeds the cyclists with PBJ, oranges, fluids and stops for any bike issues. Sure enough, Marcus blew a tire and Javi replaced the tire on the spot and sent Marcus back on route!  We are excited about attending more rides in the future, especially the Train/Bike ride from San Juan Capistrano for 73 miles Aug 17.  I encourage everyone to Like their facebook page RideWithJavi. Website:  www.ridewithjavi.com

 

The best part about Ride With Javi is how it started...someone told Javier that he was slow as a turtle and that no one would ride with him and then they dropped him on the ride!!!  He started his own group and said he would never drop anyone and now there are over 100 "turtle" riders every Saturday! He supplies everything by donations only!  The world needs way more people like Javier!