big john

6-3 is LA Wheelmen AC to San Gabriel Canyon ride. https://www.lawheelmen.org/index.htm 87 miles with only 8300 feet of gain. If you've never gone past Mt wilson, this route goes to Hwy 39 and the top of that is closed to cars. It's a 30 mile downhill. Start/finish in Duarte at Encanto Park. Don't know how many will show up, but the turnout on these rides has been mostly SFVBC riders and very few LAW members. It's a great, but difficult, ride.

big john

jj lopez, you guys doing this? celticfrost, haven't seen you for a couple weeks.

jslopez

Will be riding local this Saturday. Sort of a break plus making sure to stay in the good graces of the missis .

When will your rides head our way?

big john

I always thought she was happy to get rid of me on Saturday, but I've been coming home so late that she is starting to get a little upset. I like this ride a lot, so I will risk her wrath again, but this will be the last LAW ride for now.
By your way, I assuume you mean the Santa Monicas? That could happen soon.

caligurl

hmmmmmm does she know about your harem? lol!

i love your timing of this being the last LAW ride... aren't there only one or two more before the big day?

big john

She has met them, she calls them my ***** posse. I just don't like the other rides, plus I may have another obligation on the day of the Grand Tour.

roadfix

You all have fun riding up the San Gabriels. It's gonna be a hot & sweaty day tomorrow. As for me, I'm gonna just sit and draft the Montrose group tomorrow.....(my idea of training for the Grand Tour)...

celticfrost

This sounds like a good ride, as I've wanted to go further east past Newcomb's. But I'm obligated to driving a friend to the airport late morning Saturday. I may be at the SFVBC ride on Sunday though.

caligurl

***** ********************??? ok.... first or second letters!! lol!!!!!!!!!!

big john

Never mind. Just posse.

big john

Just give him cab fare. Want me to chip in?

big john

Fixer, it's supposed to be in the 80's up there. We go up there a lot in summer, it's always beautiful past Red Box.

celticfrost

I would go for that if it was a "him" instead of a her. That pesky gender thing can sometimes change things. Especially for a chivalrous guy like me.

big john

O.K. then maybe I'll see you Sunday.

caligurl

ok.... i'm slow (and i'm not even a blonde!!!!!!) but dies it start with a p**********? *GASP* naughty girlfriend! lol!!!!!!!!!

big john

Naughty girlfriend!

platypus

that's the best kind to have!

big john

That was a hard ride! A small turnout, maybe 12 riders, started at 8:00 and it was hot already. 20 miles of rolling hills through the streets to the base of Angeles Crest, then the climbing starts in earnest. 9 mile climb to the first rest, couple riders turned back, 5 mile climb to the next stop for water, then 12 miles of mostly up to the lunch stop at Newcome Ranch. I got water from a pvc pipe and it tasted like plastic. Of course, this was the last place to get water, so I had 2 bottles and a 70 oz Camelbak of the stuff. Did I mention the heat? After lunch a 6 mile climb with at least 1500 feet gain and my stomach went bad again. I had to go slow to keep from getting sick and the crappy water didn't help. After the 6 mile climb I felt better for the 2 mile climb and rollers at the 7000 foot level. It was much cooler there. One of my friends waited for me at the start of hwy 39 and the 30 mile mostly downhill to the finish. My back and neck started hurting along with everthing else as we plummeted back down to the heat and smog. A couple short climbs in the heat and I felt sick again, but finally finished at about 5:00. I drank a lot and still came home 6 or 7 pounds lighter. I think I'll take it easy next Saturday.

celticfrost

big john,

I had a similar bad water experience last time on Baldy and it really sucked. I took water from the hose outside Baldy Lodge and didn't let it run for a few secs, so I think I got all the old, rubbery tasting water that was still in the hose.

I got back from the airport at around 2 and it was simply too hot (for me) to take a ride today. Tomorrow is going to be just as hot.

A few more rides that that and you'll have to change your user name.

caligurl

was this run out of water day? i set out to ride/climb into the national park today.... ended up going all the way to key's view.... it was warm... and i didn't have enough water! there's NO PLACE in the park to get water... fortunately i was able to make what i had last til i got to the entrance and the ranger gave me some water!

make sure you drink lots tomorrow (and the next few days, too!) (ya... this is me... ms 2 lowly bottles of gatorade in the first 75 miles of heartbreak preaching to you!)

ovoleg

It was like so hot today :/ I almost got a heat stroke. I did the medium ride(~60mi) with just one other rider. We had fun and chatted a bit. No one else joined us, they all went to the Rose Cafe or the short ride

ovoleg

Ya John, your already fast, how are we all going to suck your wheel if you keep training like this?? Soon enough I wont be able to even draft

big john

A lot of the regulars went to Ojai for the century and some came with me for the climb-fest. I don't think this stuff is making me faster, I'm getting tired and think I need a break from the epic rides.
cali, I didn't run out of water but the water I had tasted bad, plus full-figured guys like me sweat so much on a hot climb that it's hard to drink enough. Maybe I should carry an I.V.

ovoleg

Hhahahahaha

scvroadie

Big John,

I can totally relate to the heat and climbing issue. I did the Ojai Century this weekend and anytime you were inland the heat & humidity were unbearable. I rode with your gang including the "harem" for a few miles in the beginning. My training suffered this spring with by broken arm, and this was my first century since last October, I have not completed any distance rides except for the 85 miles I finished @ Mulholland Challenge, my fitness is still not equal to last year. So if this is the crew you ride with I'm sure you will probably drop me.

On to the heat issue, it was in the mid-70s at 7:00 AM, by the time we reached the bottom of Casitas pass it was in the mid-80's, that wasn't too bad. Once the ride was on the ocean side of Casitas, the ride was cooler, but still warm. At the Rincon SAG stop, I hooked up with some riders from the Long Beach area, we rode a basically the same pace. After Ventura we turned inland and the heat just started getting worse. Before we reached Santa Paula, several of the bike computers showed the temperature to be 105, at least they had ice for us at the Santa Paula rest stop. Then came the climb on 150 back to Ojai. MISERABLE!!!!!!! Now the bike computers were reading 110-115 depending on whose computer you were looking at. No wind. Just hot SUN, minimal shade, and climbing. Normally not a hard climb, but with the heat, it just took everything out of you.

At least the last 10 miles were flat or downhill. Total water consumption was 160 oz.+, and I still lost 5 lbs. Since I live in Santa Clarita, I ride the Santa Barbara, Ojai, Ventura area once or twice a month, I have never seen it as hot & miserable as it was this weekend

What a difference a week makes, a week ago everybody was freezing on Heartbreak, and today everybody was suffering with the heat in Ojai.