Spring Training March 3-10 - the Usual Suspects descend on SoCal
03-07-24, 06:48 PM
#76
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03-08-24, 10:58 AM
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03-08-24, 07:32 PM
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Today we drove down to San Diego with a truck full of bikes and then did the Bayshore Trail ride, a warmup for Sunday’s monthly Bayless ride. From our lunch spot, looking back at San Diego across the bay:
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03-08-24, 08:29 PM
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I hate all of you. But only in the nicest possible way, of course.
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03-08-24, 08:30 PM
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One of our discoveries on a previous Spring Training get together is that a humongous pickup truck that can seat 6 will carry your crew and 6 bikes. Alternating the handlebars, you can just fit 6 road bikes into a standard cab. On this pickup we had a bit extra room, so we shoved a couple of soft side bike carriers in so that nothing would move around.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Last edited by gugie; 03-08-24 at 08:36 PM.
03-08-24, 10:12 PM
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03-09-24, 12:03 AM
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Yes. With enough persistence even futility bears fruit.
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03-09-24, 12:20 AM
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03-09-24, 07:39 AM
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The last couple of days have taken me through memory lane. In 1977, I was 19 years old, taking the last week of summer before matriculating at Occidental College to ride my bike down the coast from San Luis Obispo to La Jolla.
1975 Raleigh Super Course MkII, packed for my first bike tour
The second to last day of that tour took me from a YMCA near LAX down the coast to Laguna Beach where my great aunt Bobby lived. Turning up from the PCH to her road was the only place I had to get off and walk. When I got to her house she had a note on the door telling me to park my bike behind her gate and walk back down the hill to meet her on the beach. She wrote to look for the little old lady with a yellow umbrella and white swim cap. When I got to the beach I found about a dozen women that met the description. Luckily she had told her friends that I was expected, so I got a grand greeting. I asked where aunt Bobby was, and they pointed out to the ocean. I saw three old ladies bobbing up and down in the waves. Bobby saw me and started waving enthusiastically just as a huge wave came pounding down on them. I was aghast, here I'd been riding for a week just to witness her demise! After a few seconds she bobbed back up to the surface, caught the next wave, and body surfed back to the beach.
Bobby was a PE teacher at Fullerton JC for a few decades, when UC Irvine opened up she used to drive over and play pick up doubles tennis with women 3-4 times younger than she was. Today we rode to Del Mar, and I remembered that she used to ride her 3 speed bicycle down to "bet on the ponies"; a girlfriend with a station wagon would drive her back up the coast to home. I think right about then I started to really admire people who kept active when they got older. Maybe that's part of the reason I'm still riding bikes and doing tours with my friends after retirement, and will continue to do so as long as I can.
La dolce vita
1975 Raleigh Super Course MkII, packed for my first bike tour
The second to last day of that tour took me from a YMCA near LAX down the coast to Laguna Beach where my great aunt Bobby lived. Turning up from the PCH to her road was the only place I had to get off and walk. When I got to her house she had a note on the door telling me to park my bike behind her gate and walk back down the hill to meet her on the beach. She wrote to look for the little old lady with a yellow umbrella and white swim cap. When I got to the beach I found about a dozen women that met the description. Luckily she had told her friends that I was expected, so I got a grand greeting. I asked where aunt Bobby was, and they pointed out to the ocean. I saw three old ladies bobbing up and down in the waves. Bobby saw me and started waving enthusiastically just as a huge wave came pounding down on them. I was aghast, here I'd been riding for a week just to witness her demise! After a few seconds she bobbed back up to the surface, caught the next wave, and body surfed back to the beach.
Bobby was a PE teacher at Fullerton JC for a few decades, when UC Irvine opened up she used to drive over and play pick up doubles tennis with women 3-4 times younger than she was. Today we rode to Del Mar, and I remembered that she used to ride her 3 speed bicycle down to "bet on the ponies"; a girlfriend with a station wagon would drive her back up the coast to home. I think right about then I started to really admire people who kept active when they got older. Maybe that's part of the reason I'm still riding bikes and doing tours with my friends after retirement, and will continue to do so as long as I can.
La dolce vita
Im enjoying these ride reports and pictures vicariously as I also have lived and worked in all these areas you have mentioned from the Santa Barbara, Ventura, The Valley / Pasadena, S.Bay, OC to San Diego. Wish I was there especially for the Baylis ride.
03-09-24, 07:54 AM
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Been enjoying this "Suspects" tour from far off Pensacola, where we had a much colder Winter than past years. Still see a few good high 70's/low 80's cycling days, but too far apart. Wish I was there. Don
03-09-24, 01:18 PM
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03-10-24, 03:33 AM
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just managed to survive 62.37% of a ride with these maniacs before having to excuse myself under dubious circumstances and a full belly (thank you for lunch, Doc!).
https://www.strava.com/activities/10925922182
a fun crew to roll with. it was a pleasure. hope y'all choose socal again next year.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10925922182
a fun crew to roll with. it was a pleasure. hope y'all choose socal again next year.
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03-10-24, 08:37 AM
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just managed to survive 62.37% of a ride with these maniacs before having to excuse myself under dubious circumstances and a full belly (thank you for lunch, Doc!).
https://www.strava.com/activities/10925922182
a fun crew to roll with. it was a pleasure. hope y'all choose socal again next year.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10925922182
a fun crew to roll with. it was a pleasure. hope y'all choose socal again next year.
The Baylis ride is happening today and a coastal ride?
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03-10-24, 02:44 PM
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https://www.strava.com/activities/10932657826
Last edited by diphthong; 03-10-24 at 02:48 PM.
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03-10-24, 09:49 PM
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The Baylis ride today finished off 8 straight days, 316 miles of riding. About 9000 feet of climbing The San Diego group, like the Los Angelinos at the Rose Bowl ride were a friendly and welcoming group with all kinds of beautiful bikes to ogle. Thanks to diphthong for feuding us through the heavy traffic regions of inland San Diego yesterday. Also thanks to Manny66 for heads up on all the sprint places so I could dust off the old racing legs. Good times and I hope to ride with those groups again one day with a proper bike.
Also just saw the post and welcome to Bertg71! Great to meet and thanks for the warm welcome in Pasadena and San Diego!
Yesterdays ride - Gugie and Rccardr rolling out of La Jolla
Yesterdays ride approaching Miramar
Coronado - Gugie and nlerner
Approx half of the bikes in the Baylis ride on the ferry back to San Diego
Hobnobbing at the finish : nlerner, Andy_K, Manny66, I think new member (but veteran vintage cyclist) BertG, Gugie
Ripped from Facebook, photo taken by Mark.
Also just saw the post and welcome to Bertg71! Great to meet and thanks for the warm welcome in Pasadena and San Diego!
Yesterdays ride - Gugie and Rccardr rolling out of La Jolla
Yesterdays ride approaching Miramar
Coronado - Gugie and nlerner
Approx half of the bikes in the Baylis ride on the ferry back to San Diego
Hobnobbing at the finish : nlerner, Andy_K, Manny66, I think new member (but veteran vintage cyclist) BertG, Gugie
Ripped from Facebook, photo taken by Mark.
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03-10-24, 10:02 PM
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I didn’t manage to pull out the camera much today, but here are a few:
The partial lineup at a resting stop after a fast haul on The Strand:
On the ferry returning from Coronado:
@gugie grills in the California sunset:
It was a wonderful trip thanks in no small part to my traveling companions and to our local harbor pilots who couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful.
The partial lineup at a resting stop after a fast haul on The Strand:
On the ferry returning from Coronado:
@gugie grills in the California sunset:
It was a wonderful trip thanks in no small part to my traveling companions and to our local harbor pilots who couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful.
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03-11-24, 12:00 PM
#93
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wait a minute....
Gugie rode without a handlebar bag?
Gugie rode without a handlebar bag?
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03-11-24, 12:17 PM
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03-11-24, 08:49 PM
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I was trying to be respectful of our SoCal brethren. Such things are offensive down there.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
03-13-24, 01:02 AM
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It's all in the history books now, but I'm gonna just dump some of my pics from the trip, now that I'm back home.
If you think the baggage was a tight fit, you should have seen four of us in the back seat of this truck.
Pizza aftermath in Sierra Madre
Stopped off at a park, riding along the San Gabriel River Trail with Manny, Bert, and Jaime.
Neal wondering where he put his bike?
Mark and Doc by the beach
A view from the Balboa Island Ferry
The seventh suspect
Hugh, Andrew, and Mark arrive in Carlsbad (where Doc and I were already enjoying a beer, having arrived by BAT)
Neal made it too
If you think the baggage was a tight fit, you should have seen four of us in the back seat of this truck.
Pizza aftermath in Sierra Madre
Stopped off at a park, riding along the San Gabriel River Trail with Manny, Bert, and Jaime.
Neal wondering where he put his bike?
Mark and Doc by the beach
A view from the Balboa Island Ferry
The seventh suspect
Hugh, Andrew, and Mark arrive in Carlsbad (where Doc and I were already enjoying a beer, having arrived by BAT)
Neal made it too
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03-13-24, 01:19 AM
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Andrew inspects the bike loading
Mark on the Coronado Ferry
USS Midway
As a baseball fan, I was trying to find Petco Park. I think it's just right of center in this picture.
Stay classy, San Diego
The flags in this picture accurately reflect my memory of the wind we rode into to get there
Preparing for the Brian Baylis Ride
You will never see a better collection of bikes on a boat
Post ride gabbing
Fin.
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03-13-24, 11:23 AM
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Final thoughts
I Soliti Sospetti started the idea of Spring Training with a trip to Arizona in 2020, thinking this might be an annual thing. COVID pushed the plans out a bit, but it would seem we have momentum now. For those living in year round warmth it doesn't make sense, but living in the mossy PNW, Boston, even some parts of Virginia got us desiring to kick off our season with multiple days of riding somewhere where it wasn't snowing or raining. All of us are married men of a certain age with accomodating wives, financially established, and get along well. Selecting an Airbnb Palazzo was solving the puzzle of location, being nice enough for @rccardr, cheap enough for @SquireBlack, and meeting @Spaghetti Legs desire for a hot tub. We were able to meet all the requirements. We discovered at the last Spring Training in Tucson that a big pickup that seats 6 will also carry 6 bikes in the bed, if not just barely. That made daily excursions fairly simple, and we became quite proficient at loading and unloading them without a scratch. With 3 flying into LAX from Portland, Oregon, 2 from Virginia, and 1 from Boston, it was a miracle that we all landed within 2 hours of each other and were able to gather up in the BAT quickly in the vastness that is LAX.
@Classtime treated us to an incredible home made Mexican dinner at his Redondo Beach casa just a few hours after we landed. @Andy_K did a fine job as our beer sommelier, while @rccardr did his usual great job of picking out the wines to stock the Palazzi. We bookended the trip with the monthly vintage rides out of Pasadena and San Diego, meeting many BFer's that we'd only known online.
Pasadena Velo Retro riders
San Diego Brian Baylis Memorial birthday ride
Our designated sprinter, @Spaghetti Legs took both of the traditional sprints on both rides, so Team Soliti was well represented. @Manny66 and others escorted us from Pasadena to Seal Beach on the San Gabriel River Trail. At our halfway stop we saw and met the local Major Taylor cycling group. They looked scary fast, and had the bodies, bikes and gearing of criterium racers, a common theme, it would appear, for most of the SoCal riders were saw.
just off the San Gabriel river trail
In the PNW it's pretty common to see most cyclists riding gearing that started in the low 30 inches, from what I could tell a granny gear in SoCal is around 50. Fenders don't sell well in LA and San Diego, they just don't ride on the 50 or so annual days it rains. We were made to feel extremely welcome on the bookend rides.
It was snowing in Oregon when we left, and raining hard when we returned. It rained on us for the first 15 minutes or so of the ride in Pasadena, otherwise it was dry and warm, just what the doctor ordered to get out of the winter blues and concrete skies where I live.
the Daily Soak
We checked all the boxes. The first few mornings it was hard to get going, but after several days my body stopped complaining so much. The afternoon hot tub soak in lieu of a team masseuse did wonders. We ate well. Most evenings ended with a Coen Brothers movie after we figured out how to use the palazzo tv.
And, of course, the @nlerner Weather Transmogrifier™ was put to use with the usual stellar results, even if Neal forgot to turn it on for that first 15 minutes of the Pasadena ride. We shared costs, which came out to be just under $200/day, not including airfare. We shared our BKM's for travelling with a bike, each of us with a dedicated bike case, some of us with bikes that break down (Neal's S&S coupled Black Diamond, Hugh and I's Ritchey Breakaways.) They ranged from C&V to C&V-ish, at least they were all steel framed.
All in all, a completely successful trip. We're already talking about Spring Break 2025. For those interested in joining, PM me.
@Classtime treated us to an incredible home made Mexican dinner at his Redondo Beach casa just a few hours after we landed. @Andy_K did a fine job as our beer sommelier, while @rccardr did his usual great job of picking out the wines to stock the Palazzi. We bookended the trip with the monthly vintage rides out of Pasadena and San Diego, meeting many BFer's that we'd only known online.
Pasadena Velo Retro riders
San Diego Brian Baylis Memorial birthday ride
Our designated sprinter, @Spaghetti Legs took both of the traditional sprints on both rides, so Team Soliti was well represented. @Manny66 and others escorted us from Pasadena to Seal Beach on the San Gabriel River Trail. At our halfway stop we saw and met the local Major Taylor cycling group. They looked scary fast, and had the bodies, bikes and gearing of criterium racers, a common theme, it would appear, for most of the SoCal riders were saw.
just off the San Gabriel river trail
In the PNW it's pretty common to see most cyclists riding gearing that started in the low 30 inches, from what I could tell a granny gear in SoCal is around 50. Fenders don't sell well in LA and San Diego, they just don't ride on the 50 or so annual days it rains. We were made to feel extremely welcome on the bookend rides.
It was snowing in Oregon when we left, and raining hard when we returned. It rained on us for the first 15 minutes or so of the ride in Pasadena, otherwise it was dry and warm, just what the doctor ordered to get out of the winter blues and concrete skies where I live.
the Daily Soak
We checked all the boxes. The first few mornings it was hard to get going, but after several days my body stopped complaining so much. The afternoon hot tub soak in lieu of a team masseuse did wonders. We ate well. Most evenings ended with a Coen Brothers movie after we figured out how to use the palazzo tv.
And, of course, the @nlerner Weather Transmogrifier™ was put to use with the usual stellar results, even if Neal forgot to turn it on for that first 15 minutes of the Pasadena ride. We shared costs, which came out to be just under $200/day, not including airfare. We shared our BKM's for travelling with a bike, each of us with a dedicated bike case, some of us with bikes that break down (Neal's S&S coupled Black Diamond, Hugh and I's Ritchey Breakaways.) They ranged from C&V to C&V-ish, at least they were all steel framed.
All in all, a completely successful trip. We're already talking about Spring Break 2025. For those interested in joining, PM me.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
03-13-24, 05:50 PM
#99
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And, of course, the @nlerner Weather Transmogrifier™ was put to use with the usual stellar results
__________________
59 Allegro Special -- 72 Bob Jackson -- 74 Motobecane Grand Jubile -- 74 Sekine SHS 271 -- 80 Nishiki International
85 Shogun 800 -- 86 Tommasini Super Prestige -- 92 Specialized Rockhopper -- 17 Colnago Arabesque
59 Allegro Special -- 72 Bob Jackson -- 74 Motobecane Grand Jubile -- 74 Sekine SHS 271 -- 80 Nishiki International
85 Shogun 800 -- 86 Tommasini Super Prestige -- 92 Specialized Rockhopper -- 17 Colnago Arabesque
03-13-24, 05:56 PM
#100
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Sometimes you’re just lucky.
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.