Distance: 58.9 miles
Max Speed: 29.2 mph
Total Time: 4 hours (plus about an hour and a half at the beach)
Start time: 8 am
End Time: 1:30pm
Date: February 10, 2012
I went on this ride with my awesome roommate Matt Marshall. We didn't really plan this until about 10pm the night before. Very spontaneous indeed. But I am very glad that we did push through with our last minute plan. The weather on this day was absolutely divine. It was about 58 degrees when we started, but it warmed up by the time we got to the beach. This ride marked yet another step in my biking life. It was my first ride over 50 miles (half century distance). And what's amazing is that this was Matt's first ride (Crazy huh?).
We kept a good pace of about 17-20 mph. It wasn't too hard because of the flat terrain leading to the beach. It was such a pleasure to see all kinds of bikers on that trail. We saw couples on tandems, triathletes on Time Trial bikes, pure roadies, beach cruisers, and even some low riders! What is interesting though, is that about 95% of these bikers were over 30 years old (or at least they looked above 30 years old- you never really know nowadays). It is a pity that there aren't too many young people out on the trails with their bikes. Matt and I are hoping to build a biking group in our dorm to encourage our friends to get bike and to fall in love with cycling.
Some time before we got to the beach I had my very first "crash" (more of a fall really) on my road bike. It was one of these crashes caused by sheer stupidity and inability to clip out of your pedals fast enough. I had ridden to the side of the trail to readjust my shoes and to take a picture. In order to get back on the trail, I had to make a sharp right turn. I did so, but without the momentum required to sustain balance, so at a speed of less than 1 mph, i started to feel the cement get closer and closer untill I finally hit the ground with my hip. I wasn't hurt (well, maybe my pride took a little beating, but at least I was physically unharmed). As I said before, everyone crashes, you just have to learn to deal with it!
When we got to the beach, we ate some fries at Ruby's (an american-style diner that rests at the end of the Huntington Beach pier- I particularly love this Ruby's because they constantly play swing era jazz). There were really good waves that day, so Matt and I had the opportunity to watch some very good surfers at work. We also had the privilege of seeing the USA volleyball team practicing at shore. They were amazing! The games were incredibly fast paced, and every other hit was a smash! What a joy it was to see such dedicated athletes at work.
After our brunch, Matt and I decided to soak up some sun and lay down on the grass (sand would probably have been uncomfortable in the spandex). Every bit of sunlight felt so good, and we were getting a lot of it! In fact, over the course of time we had been there (about an hour and a half), the amount of people at the beach almost tripled! By the time we had to make our way back home, the beach was packed with people.
The toughest part of the ride was the last 7 mile stretch. I started to feel my legs become weak, but I still managed to make it. I was very impressed with Matt, considering this was his first ride (although he is a very athletic person).
When we got back, I took a nap and practiced Cello later that day. What more can I ask for? Seriously, how much more lucky can I be? What a beautiful day.
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| A room full of Bikes and Bikers! David: Red Trek Matt: Yellow Peugot Mikko: White Cannondale |
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