ooga-booga

that final stretch up to double peaks park is one heckuva barnburner. tired just thinking about it.

CAT7RDR

Cool crisp morning in the Whittier Hills. Started at 53F at 1000.
Really liking the weather.
Still getting use to being on a road bike and starting to lift light weights again as PT for my shoulders. So far, so good.
32 miles and 5.3K of climb over 7 hill climbs.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10154083711

Eric F

Is that the same climb they use for BWR?

Eric F

Saturday...20mi on the gravel bike in the La Canada and Glendale area. I felt pretty good, but I didn't think I was moving very fast. However, I ended up with PRs on a a couple of the climbs in my route, so I guess something is going right. I continue to be very pleased at how well this bike handles in a wide variety of conditions. https://www.strava.com/activities/8260702021

jsigone

yup except for BWR, you do it at mile 130 something and 12k feet of climbing in the legs. People cramp and walk that hill, some even get pushed up the hill!

ooga-booga

verry likely but i haven't coursed it out on any bwr rides in years but it's right in the wheelhaus. no other "double peak" areas/climbs in the county i'm aware of. guessing any route up/down double peak on the bwr would be dirt in one direction
and (semi) paved in the other. regardless, it won't be easy. there is the paved climb up to the double peak pass (in either direction) which is arduous enuff; the paved climb up to the double peak park is entirely something else.

some pretty routes/roads in that area if you ever make it down to insane diego. have done most of the bwr segments that i'm aware of over the course of two decades but never all at
once and never more than 35 or so dirty miles on '23's on a single ride. the nice thing about riding in that area is that you can modulate efforts/temps and remain in the area to get destroyed or bounce westward to the nearish coast for the flats
and cooler temps for a mixer if necessary. personally prefer the dirt/paved riding up in the julian/cuyamaca/laguna mtns area but wtfdik? there are spots up there that make you feel like you're a hundred miles from civilization.

ooga-booga

holy bleep. haven't been out much in the last three months. hoping to get out friday with bad intentions. looks to be in the low-mid 70's on the 24th-26th.
santa ana xmas indeed.

Eric F

I have penciled-in plans to do BWR (wafer version) this coming April. Most likely, something will come up that gets in the way, but for now, that's my intent.

ooga-booga

based on your riding/posts here, thinking you’ll both be up for the challenge and enjoy it. new scenery is always nice.

Eric F

The volume of effort - even for the wafer version - is going to be a very big stretch of my current capacity. I haven't ridden that far on my road bike since I got back to riding 3 years ago, let alone on a challenging multi-surface course. I have until April to get ready.

jsigone

2 months of BWR base miles and anther 2 to get your climbing and dirt skills up when around others. Hone in your gear/tires and food. Since you're a MTBer you have WAAYYY more skills than most the people on the trail and able to do so at better speed.

The tough part of the waffer is that it's still 7k of climbing in 60 some miles. Nothing long like climbing a full blown Mt, just series of endless climbing punches that add up. Double peaks park at the end is that donkey kick to the balls for most people.

Eric F

Base miles training is my big stumbling block. I have trouble making big enough windows of time on the weekends to do significant endurance work. I'm just going to make do the best I can.

ooga-booga

i think you'll do just fine with whatcha got. might entail missing the occasional rose bowl ride and swapping it for shorter, multiple (as many as are nearby-or repeats) punchy climbs of a half-block or longer-regardless of surface/road quality. like 10-15 punchy climbs a ride.
add in a longer 1-3 mile climb of 6% or more and that'll give you a fighting chance. would work out to approx a 45 miler in your neighborhood, dirt and paved. try to knock that out once a week if possible. you can fake it on longer, steady climbs under 4-5 miles but the
double-digit grade punches quickly reveal form after the third or fourth hill and absolutely destroy if you're not physically and mentally prepared to hit shorter double-digit grades again and again and again. your single-speed grind mindset will actually come in handy.

CAT7RDR

Celebrated Winter Solstice with a ride through La Habra Hgts-Murphy Ranch corridor.
Started at 60F and ended at 70F. Schools out so took advantage of quiet roads.
38 miles and 6K of climb.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10168464317

Stay safe out there as the delivery drivers are stressed and blow stop signs/lights.

Eric F

Not doing much Rose Bowl these days - the fast Tues/Thurs group ride is shut down until the spring. Weeknights have been all Zwift, mixing zone 2 tempo days and interval days (12x 30sec @ 450+W is one I often do). Weekend goals are 2+ hours on the gravel bike with threshold intensity on climbs, and 2+ hours on the road of zone 2. However, I'm not always able to stick exactly to my plans. I tend to prefer repeated short and steep punches more than long climbs. I expect BWR to be too much of both - lol.

igorgroks

When I was commuting to Orange County by Metrolink/bike I did two solstice half century rides all the way home. In summer because of max daylight after work, and winter due to getting off early for the holiday, though that one not always on the exact date.

Now I am just a week back on the bike after a two month hiatus due to an "incident", and slow, but had to ride the solstice. Did thirty miles on the San Luis Rey bike path on my fixed gear.

jsigone

Day 1 of the Festive 500 challenge~ Christmas Eve ride From Rancho Bernardo to Oceanside. Burr start at 0545. 56 bike trail creek dipped to 33 degrees per the wahoo.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8287452538

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ooga-booga

small ride of 35 miles or so...headed west to pick up the annual nps pass at cabrillo national monument. cars backed up to the national cemetery
but hit the walk-up window to score the $80 annual pass. dropped back into metro sd and snarfed some carnitas tacos at the harbor side carnitas
snack shack. had another stop initially planned but it started to get chilly so proceeded directly home. woke up too late to hit the mtns and didn't have the
the shape to engage anyway.

Eric F

21mi / 3000' on the MTB with a good friend yesterday morning. It was my 4th ride in 5 days, and my legs were starting to feel a bit unresponsive. I felt like I could have done a lot more miles, but I my power on sustained climbs was a bit off of my best. Nothing unexpected, considering the recent volume, which is more than my body is familiar with. https://www.strava.com/activities/8294712642

Mt. San Jacinto on the distant horizon, from Cherry Canyon (La Canada)...

pbass

Bonelli Park, on my 650B gravel rig this morning. Been about 4 years since I've been there, and I guess I forgot just how rocky the trails can get that go up above and around the south side of the lake. The climbing was a piece of cake since I'm used to my home turf around La Canada/Altadena, but I had to hike a bike more than I expected - I've got pretty solid skills on the gravel bike in the rough stuff but parts of this were just too sketch for me, where it crossed the line into "I should really be on a MTB" territory. Still fun though. The lower parts that go around the rest of the lake have some pretty fun flowy sections where you can get some speed up - might take my singlespeed out there next time.

Eric F

New Years Day Ride...Chaney Trail - Mt. Lowe Rd. to Inspiration Point. (15.5 mi, 3400'+). A long tough climb with some extended pitches above 15% in the first half, easing off to 5-6% for most of the second half. We were hoping for a great view of the LA area from on top of the mountain, but found ourselves buried in the clouds, and cold. We didn't hang out long before heading down. Good people. Good effort. https://www.strava.com/activities/8322387133

CAT7RDR

Rode out for a few hours between showers on New Year's Day.
Encountered several likeminded riders in the La Habra Hgts area.
Roads were surprisingly mud free.
29 miles 4.7K of climb.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/10225122628

East Skyline Rd looking SE.

jsigone

Stayed inland this weekend while it remained dry. Didn't have to deal w/ flooded and sandy coastal roads while on the bike. MTS station Poway, up Highland Valley Road to Dunkin Donuts in Ramona. Bomb down 78, up Bandy canyon, Mostra coffee 4S and back to cars via 56. Climbs weren't long but just bunch of punch you in the face double digit sections.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8354919380

ooga-booga

yeah...up highland canyon (pavement improved on the approach or still bleepy?) and southbound again bandy cee. ouch.
kudos for the 78 downhill rip. how was traffic? i know you're not the biggest fan and actually surprised you dropped down it.

ooga-booga

mike and the mostra boyz are the bleep.