2013 SoCal Century a Month Challenge
 

2013 SoCal Century a Month Challenge

Ok folks it’s that time of year again to start thinking about your goals for 2012. What better goal than to do a century a month to keep your fitness level up and to be ready for any organized ride you wish to do without worrying if you’re “in shape” for it. Riding a century a month is a great way to train for doing Brevets, Double Centuries or Multi day tours.

CENTURY FAQ:
A century is defined by the UMCA as being from 90-149 miles and completing it within an 11 hour time limit including time off the bike and maintaining an average of 8.33mph.

What Counts?
• Any Organized/sponsored ride that is billed as a century
• Any informal group or solo ride that totals between 90-149 miles
• Any Indoor Century: You may ride indoors "centuries" (six hours) for credit.
• Tandem Century: Centuries may be done on a tandem bicycle. A tandem rider accumulates tandem mileage independent of partner.

• Double centuries count, but only as a single century.
• This is self reported. The honor system is all we have so if you lie about your data may you be cursed with thorns on every trail you ride.
Since the UMCA allows up to 2 make up rides you can start as late as March

PLEASE, DO NOT REPLY TO POSTS OR POST ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR DATA.

Please post the data for your century/month as follows:

Date of Ride:
Type of Ride: (group ride or solo ride)
Name of organized ride or route:
Actual Mileage:
Ride Time:
Total Time:
Avg. Speed:
Altitude Climbed: (if available, either by route map, or cycling computer)
Weather conditions:
Synopsis of Ride: (please be respectful as you never know who might read this)


Remember, even if you don't make all twelve, please still post your data for as many months as you can - all centuries are an accomplishment! So, although this is a challenge, it is in the spirit of camaraderie!

If those of you who are planning to go stealth this year, or are on the fence want to join the fun please let me know. If you do not see your name or century months updated, please PM me, and I will update your info. Thank you!

leaping_gnome 5
ooga-booga 6
hamster 3

Date of Ride: 1/3/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 113.5 miles
Ride Time: 7h 55m
Total Time: 8h 12m
Avg. Speed: 14.3 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 4,356 ft
Weather conditions: dry, clear, sunny, low/mid 60's


synopsis of ride: late morning start as the early part of the ride was in valleys (brrr) and i'm a cold weather wuss. headed east from mission valley and rode willow/el monte roads near lakeside. hadn't ridden either before (pancake flat) and the east end of willow had a good 3 mile or so stretch of dirt road which was fun. ascended lake jennings rd and descended harbinson grade to dehesa rd. took the 94/campo rd up to jamul and made a right on otay lakes rd, heading west. very light traffic the whole time and a great clear day for a ride. the views were outstanding. navigated thru chula vista to the silver strand bikeway; took that up to coronado and back then headed north along the harbor dr corridor back to balboa park area. ran out of daylight with about 30 minutes to go but fortunately had 2 tailights and all the potholes/bad stretches on 28th st (and there are plenty) memorized.

Date of Ride: 1/9/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 100.2 miles
Ride Time: 7h 36m
Total Time: 8h 33m
Avg. Speed: 13.2 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 4,556 ft
Weather conditions: dry, clear, sunny, foggy mid 40's-mid 60's




synopsis of ride: had much grander ambitions for this ride but decided a third of the way into the ride that i wasn't in as much of a climbing mood as i had planned. instead of a rural/mountain ride (up past the 6,000 ft mark), i doubled back and made it a half rural/half urban century. farthest east i rode was alpine, ca. once back in town, rode downtown, point loma. cabrillo national monument (foggy for those 8 miles) and around mission bay (+once around fiesta island). mornings continue to be cold (in the 40's) in the valleys till about 10am. warmest in alpine with some great, warming sunshine & little wind. had to stop at pizzeria luigi in golden hill just east of downtown san diego. needed to eat something more substantial than a clif bar and my spirits were flagging since i was just a mile from home and thinking of packing it in after 61 miles. amazing what 2 slices of ny styled thin crust sausage, pepperoni & meatball pizza + 2 og energy drinks (aka coca-cola) can do for energy/morale. lost approximately 40 minutes to stop lights in the city as i seemed to hit all the long ones at all the big intersections.

Date of Ride: 1/12/2013
Type of Ride: ACP 200k Brevet
Actual Mileage: 126.2 miles
Total Time: 8h 55m
Altitude Climbed: approx. 6,089 ft

Weather conditions: Frosty start in the canyons near Moorpark led to spectacular but cool weather from Casitas Lake to the coast.

Synopsis: Good to see augustgarage there among a strong turnout of riders. This is a great first brevet for 2013. Good riding and good friends. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1091143

Date of Ride: 1/16/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 110.6 miles
Ride Time: 7h 28m
Total Time: 7h 50m
Avg. Speed: 14.8 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 6,002 ft
Weather conditions: dry, clear, sunny, mid 40's-mid 60's

synopsis of ride: northern loop initially following the 15 fwy corridor, then the 56 fwy bike path. rolled through rancho santa fe heading for the outskirts of escondido via del dios hwy then took harmony grove/elfin forest road to the san elijo hills area. north on el camino real to the 76 hwy bike path heading west to oceanside. rode the coast back 30 miles into metro san diego. lots of riders out as it is finally starting to warm up a little. annoying road resurfacing work in solana beach and encinitas on the 101 but hoping it'll be smooth as butter on the next ride through those parts.

Date of Ride: 1/18/2013
Type of Ride: DIY Century
Actual Mileage: 98.8 miles
Total Time: 9h 02m
Altitude Climbed: approx. 8,996 ft

Weather conditions: Beautiful blue sly - cool but nice on the climbs!

Synopsis: This ride was over the Ridge Route "old road" in north LA County, paralleling the I-5 freeway heading towards the Grapevine. Mixed surface over an un-maintained road built in 1915. Solitude and beautiful scenery.
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1098965

Date of Ride: 1/24/2013
Type of Ride: DIY century
Actual Mileage: 101.7 miles
Altitude Climbed: 4700 feet
Total Time: 8:20
Moving Time: 7:15
Weather conditions: rain in the forecast did not materialize. High in mid-60's, cloudy most of the day, some sunshine in the evening.
Route: North County San Diego clockwise loop (15, 56, UCSD, 101, 76, Twin Oaks, IRT).
Notes: looks like I can do this with about 1000 supplemental on-the-bike calories, but it's tight. Standard recommendations are 1600 to 2000. I did the first 72 miles of this route last March; back then it took 5:40 of moving time and 1:05 of rest; today it took 4:48 and 0:37.

Date of Ride: 2/2/2013
Type of Ride: 200k Brevet
Actual Mileage: 127.1 miles
Total Time: 9h 05m
Altitude Climbed: approx. 5,099 ft

Weather conditions: Overcast but mild temperatures.

Synopsis: Ride with the PCHRandos. Beautiful course from Ventura, through the Santa Barbara foothills, up the coast to Refugio Beach, and return through Goleta, S.B., Summerland, and Carpenteria.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1120775

Date of Ride: 2/9/2013
Name of Ride: 2013 Tour de Palm Springs
Actual Mileage: 103.3 mi
Altitude Climbed: 3500 ft
Total Time: 6:36
Moving Time: 5:47
Weather conditions: chilly and windy at the beginning of the ride (low of 37 F), sunny and high 50's / low 60's towards the end

Date of Ride: 2/13/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 102.2 miles
Ride Time: 7h 01m
Total Time: 7h 36m
Avg. Speed: 14.6 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 4,520 ft
Weather conditions: dry, clear, sunny, mid 50's-low 60's



synopsis of ride: got a late (after 10am-couldn't fall asleep till 5am) start and headed south along san diego bay, turning inland in chula vista and taking otay lakes rd into the backcountry.
lots of caterpillars inching their way across the road (i think i missed them all) and the hillsides coming alive with greenery from the recent rains. headed east on the hwy 94 towards campo and
immediately benefitted from a gentle but persistent tailwind. nice scenery climbing up to dulzura although the road itself is in worse repair than last time i headed this way approx 3 years ago.
descended barrett junction grade (which is a blast) while staying mindful of the usual crosswinds which can be problematic. turned off hwy 94 and headed north on barrett lake rd to investigate the
road's potential as a loop ride connector. no go. after 2 miles, the no trespassing/private property/residents only sign & locked gate came out in force and i didn't want to end up as livestock feed or dog food.
turned around heading back the way i came. ascended the 2 mile barrett junction grade, rode through jamul and headed back into metro san diego via el cajon, santee and mission valley.

Date of Ride: 2/16/2013
Type of Ride: Camino Real Double Century
Actual Mileage: 196 miles
Total Time: 14h 22m
Altitude Climbed: approx. 8,500 ft

Weather conditions: Cool start in the canyons near Newport and Laguna Beach but much warmer on the coast and then inland past Bonsall.

Synopsis: Early year DC is challenging without being excessive. I don't deal well with all the traffic and had to stop for half an hour to recuperate from the asthma caused by all the car exhaust. Sill, a fast start and overall strong day kept my time within expectations.

Date of Ride: 2/23/2013
Type of Ride: 300k Brevet
Actual Mileage: 187 miles
Total Time: 15h 10m
Altitude Climbed: approx. 8,936 ft

Weather conditions: Nice day

Synopsis: This was a ride from SLO through Lompoc and Solvang before returning to SLO. Rode with a couple of faster riders and had a great time for the first half. Decided that I would have to slow down so I rode solo on the way back. My headlight battery ran out prematurely and the brevet organizer lent me a headlight for the last 30 miles. Still finished a strong third, about an hour behind the leading guys I rode with initially.

Date of Ride: 2/27/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 104.6 miles
Ride Time: 7h 24m
Total Time: 8h 26m
Avg. Speed: 14.1 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 6,929 ft
Weather conditions: dry, clear, sunny, gusty winds (up to 20-25 mph in backcountry), mid 60's-low 70's

synopsis of ride: headed south then west via otay lakes rd to tackle honey springs rd and the great western divide again. usually ascend honey springs because it is the most challenging of the 3 ascents in the region and the least interesting descent by far. gusty winds after summiting the honey springs climb all the way to japatul grade, then occasional blasts remainder of ride. some good tailwind action on the japatul grade descent. city/urban riding first 10 miles/last 40 miles, about 5 surburban miles and nearly 50 miles of good riding with no lights and only 6 stop signs.
first significant ride on a frame i nearly tossed after thinking it was compromised but got good news on it from an expert. aluminum w/carbon stays a big difference from usual mid-80's steel ride. great for climbs but tough on the body on less than perfectly surfaced roads.

passed about halfway up the honey spring rd climb by a guy in full radio shack kit & matching team bike that looked like chris horner. he was gone so fast it was ridiculous. his next race is supposedly paris-nice on march 3rd. if it wasn't him, it was his doppelganger that also climbs like a mutha. hmmm...

Date of Ride: 3/3/2013
Type of Ride: DIY solo century
Actual Mileage: 96.1 mi
Altitude Gain: 5000 ft
Ride Time: 7:20
Total Time: 8:40
Weather conditions: overcast, mid to high 60's during the day, low 50's after dark
Route: north San Diego loop; Pomerado south, Kearny Villa, 52, Mast, Mission Gorge, Friars, Mission Bay, UTC, Miramar, Pomerado north
Notes:
* There's a convenient bike path parallel to the 52, separated from cars by a line of 2-foot-tall dividers. I'd normally think twice about riding on the 52, but dividers make it OK.
* Bike lane on the north side of Friars Road is closed roughly from Qualcomm Way to Mission Center Road due to some kind of massive construction next to the road. It is physically blocked off by these same dividers and there's a traffic sign "bicycles share the road". This would be funny if it weren't so dangerous. (We're talking about a road with 3 lanes each way without intersections, with a fair amount of traffic that moves at ~60 mph. I generally feel uneasy even riding in the bike lane there.) Pavement on the other side of the divider is trashed, broken in places, but still passable and far preferable to riding in traffic.
* They still haven't built the Regents Road bridge?
* Eastbound Miramar is seriously bumpy. I don't remember it being this bumpy. Either it got a lot worse since the last time I passed there (probably no later than 2008) or my bike is much stiffer than before.
* I'm quite surprised that I can maintain 200 W for minutes at a time after 8 hours in the saddle.

Date of Ride: 3/05/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century
Actual Mileage: 108.4 miles
Ride Time: 6h 55m
Total Time: 7h 32m
Avg. Speed: 15.7 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 6,292 ft
Weather conditions: cloudy first hour and last 3 hours. dry, clear, sunny in between. nw winds (up to 15 mph in foothills), low-mid 60's


synopsis of ride: north along 15 fwy corridor and headed east on miramar rd into poway. up scripps-poway parkway to hwy 67 north into ramona. north on hwy 78, descending into san pasqual valley and headed west into downtown escondido. little lunch stop for street tacos at the 55 mile mark at anita's taco shop on e mission blvd. took valley parkway to harmony grove west to san elijo hills area. shot across to the 101 and then headed south along the coast back to metro san diego and balboa park area. definitely breezy in the ramona/hwy 78 area. descent of the 78 was no fun since it was a pedalfest against a headwind.

Date of Ride: 3/2/2013
Type of Ride: Double Century
Actual Mileage: 195 miles
Total Time: 13h 35m
Elevation Climbed: approx. 10,100 ft

Weather conditions: Slightly overcast but mild temperatures and gentle breeze.

Synopsis: AdventureCorps Spring Death Valley double century, starts in Furnace Creek and goes south through Badwater, over Jubilee-Salsbury Pass to Shoshone, returns the same way, past Furnace Creek and up the road to Stovepipe Wells. Turn back to Furnace Creek. Went out fast with a friend as a riding partner -a very enjoyable day.

http://app.strava.com/activities/43050183

Date of Ride: 3/12/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century-san diego county
Actual Mileage: 109.5 miles
Ride Time: 8h 07m
Total Time: 8h 18m
Avg. Speed: 13.57 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 9,003 ft
Weather conditions: clear, sunny, dry, low 70's-low 80's

synopsis of ride: did a julian 'figure 8.' started from descanso and headed through guatay/pine valley to sunrise highway & the laguna mountains.
ascended sunrise highway, topping out just over 6,000 ft. still plenty of snow roadside to pretty things up from last week's big storm. hit the s1/hwy 79
junction and turned towards julian. descended to santa ysabel with a spirited tailwind which turned into a vicious crosswind heading north to lake henshaw.
grabbed the s2 east towards ranchita (the perennial headwind coming from ranchita was present but less than usual-only 5 to 15 mph). continued on the s2,
dropping into the desert/anza-borrego state park. right at scissors crossing to ascend banner grade back into julian. a left back onto hwy 79, through
cuyamaca state park and back to the car via the great downhill on new pavement. beautiful ride with little traffic on a tuesday.

Date of Ride: 3/16/2013
Type of Ride: St Paddy Palomar Punishment Plus (Plus) http://www.ccsd.com/events/st-paddys...ar-punishment/
Actual Mileage: 100.4 mi
Altitude Gain: 9950 ft
Ride Time: 7:49
Total Time: 9:12 (the official route: 8:13)
Weather conditions: Sunny, warm, high 70's at Mother's at noon
Route: CCSD St Paddy long route; up Lake Wohlford, up Palomar South Grade, to observatory and back, down East Grade, 76 west, up Cole Grade, down Valley Center Rd; with some miles tacked in front and on the back to make it round 100
Synopsis: got to the starting line very late (at 8:45, web site said "start time: 8 am to 9 am"), was pretty much the last person on the course till I caught up with a group of Filipino guys near the observatory. Somewhat disappointed by my Palomar time, 1:46, not a huge improvement over the last time (though the last time was a dedicated trip from Harrah's to the top and back, not in the middle of a century.) Also, 34/32 gear is not working as well as I hoped in these conditions (cadence regularly dipping below 75 in the lowest gear with power at sustainable levels, and I can't very much muscle my way up each little bump in the middle of a 4500' climb.) I have a series of climbing centuries planned starting 4/13 and I either need to lose a lot of weight fast, or ... there's no 'or', since 34/32 is the rock bottom combination that can work with Di2. I guess I could do some standing workouts, I don't have enough standing stamina.
On the other hand, looks like I got nutrition, endurance and pacing mostly worked out, was doing surprisingly well towards the end. Solvang Double next week, I might make it.

Date of Ride: 3/16/2013
Type of Ride: Fleche
Actual Mileage: 240 miles
Total Time: 23h 30m
Elevation Climbed: approx. 10,800 ft

Weather conditions: Warm to cold, tailwinds on the coast, gusty headwinds overnight in the canyons.

Synopsis: The Fleche is a 24-hour team ride with a target average speed of 9.3 MPH (15 KPH) including stops. Three teams participated, all starting from different points, all arriving at the same finish point, at the same time, exactly 24 hours later. A great ride down the coast, including my first ever ascent of Grimes Cyn from the Fillmore side, taken after 175 miles in the middle of the night.

http://app.strava.com/activities/44874277

Date of Ride: 3/23/2013
Type of Ride: Solvang Double Century
Actual Mileage: 198 miles
Altitude Gain: 7500 ft
Ride Time: 13:20
Total Time: 15:10
Weather conditions: very variable; from 36-37 F before sunrise to high 70's during the day, back below 50 at the finish, mostly sunny, headwind most of the way
Synopsis: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post15426517

Date of Ride: 3/26/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century-los angeles/ventura counties
Actual Mileage: 113.6 miles
Ride Time: 8h 15m
Total Time: 8h 52m
Avg. Speed: 13.80 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 11,802 ft
Weather conditions: clear, sunny, dry, mid 60's-low 70's

synopsis of ride: started about 5 miles west of hwy 27-topanga canyon road. headed up the 27 to the hamlet bearing left on old topanga canyon rd.
beautiful scenery on this stretch all the way to the junction with mulholland dr. left/west on mulholland all the way until bearing right on little sycamore canyon.
stunning views of the boney mountain wilderness but the descent on yerba buena (i was warned) was so difficult, there was no time to enjoy them without stopping.
some steep pitches on the cotharin rd segment but the descent on deer creek to pch was invigorating. turned right on pch in search of a lunch spot
and ended up finding one in camarillo 25 miles later! shoulda turned left...reentered the mtns via potrero rd by cal state channel islands and encountered a vicious
double-digit sustained climb. eventually made it farther along to the area immediately west of lake sherwood on potrero rd. with all the ranches and grasslands-really pretty and worth the suffering. took a right (south) on the 23 and came across another brutal pitch but clambered up to mulholland and descended decker rd to pch. a left on pch this time (lesson learned) back to the car. a very challenging century and truly gorgeous ride in terms of scenery, solitude and climbing.

Date of Ride: 4/3/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century-san diego county
Actual Mileage: 100.1 miles
Ride Time: 7h 00m
Total Time: 8h 01m
Avg. Speed: 14.3 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 2,998 ft
Weather conditions: clear, sunny, cloudy, dry, mid 60's


synopsis of ride: metro san diego century. compact road riding through balboa park, downtown, point loma, the beaches, mission bay and mission valley. relatively flat.
i suppose the highlight was climbing texas street near the end of the ride and not feeling as much of an issue as it should have been.

Date of Ride: 4/12/2013
Type of Ride: diy solo century-san diego county
Actual Mileage: 107.4 miles
Ride Time: 7h 54m
Total Time: 8h 49m
Avg. Speed: 13.6 mph
Altitude Climbed: approx. 10,269 ft
Weather conditions: clear, sunny, dry, mid-upper 60's


synopsis of ride:decided to tackle the amgen tour of california 2013 stage 1 in reverse. just seemed more interesting that way to me. set out from kit carson park in escondido and headed north in circuitous fashion to lake wohlford rd which i hadn't ridden before. really pretty scenery and traffic not too bad. rambled over to cole grade rd and made a right on hwy 76, heading east for the dreaded palomar south grade ascent. severity of the climb wasn't as bad as i remembered (it's been about 7-8 years) but the climb itself was longer than i recalled so it evened out. pit stop at the palomar mtn general store for a pepsi, peanut m&m's and water then off to descend east grade to lake henshaw. pavement was really rotten on the descent and downright dangerous in a few places. very unfortunate since it has those great, sweeping turns and you can navigate the entire descent without braking once. at least you used to be able to. there were a few curves i decided to brake on not knowing exactly how bad the pavement was out of my sightline. hwy 76 east again to the 1.5 mile ascent of mesa grande north heading south-a truly gorgeous day along mesa grande today. right onto the 78/79 shared roadway and another pit stop at don's market in santa ysabel. then the (mostly) descent to ramona via the 78 and old julian rd. dropping down into the san pasqual valley brought a tremendous headwind and made the last 12 miles a bit of a drag. highlights for me were the lake wohlford area, palomar ascent
(flowers are out in force now) and the mesa grande stretch. really bummed about that east grade descent off of palomar tho. was really looking forward to it. oh well.

Date of Ride: 4/13/2013
Type of Ride: Mulholland Challenge
Actual Mileage: 121.7 miles
Altitude Gain: 13400 ft
Ride Time: 10:12
Total Time: 11:42
Weather conditions: cool and wet, marine layer transforming into low-visibility soup-like fog at higher elevations
Synopsis: didn't feel as exhausting as last year; but the route was longer, I lost 13 min fixing a flat and another 7 min going back for the sticker at CP#1 after riding past it. Final time 11:30 on the official route (+12 min from the parking lot to the starting line.) Improved my time on Decker to the fire station from 47 min to 38 min. (Which still puts me in the bottom 20% of the leader board. 2014 Mulholland Challenge, here I come?)

http://app.strava.com/activities/48691133

Date of Ride: 4/6/2013
Type of Ride: 400k Brevet
Actual Mileage: 249 miles
Total Time: 17h 30m (approx)
Elevation Climbed: approx. 7,160 ft

Weather conditions: Mild temps and wind - nice day.

Synopsis: The 400k used a great deal of the So Cal river trails, starting in Anaheim. Out to the coast for a trip up through Whittier Narrows and Long Beach, back to SART and finally putting us out on city streets through San Bernardino to Redlands, where we passed by the Redlands Classic Criterium in progress. Over to Cherry Valley and Beaumont before a fast trip back through Riverside and Corona and back down the SART to Anaheim.

http://app.strava.com/activities/47796464
http://app.strava.com/activities/47796471