So, into the desert i went. I'll have to admit i was a bit worried about riding there, not really knowing what to expect....bad roads? no shoulders? cars going mach 1? Hot? Flat? NOPE. This was by far the best ride i've ever had in San Diego. I left from Lake Henshaw TimeStation, rode up the gentle climb to Ranchita and then barreled down the "Glass Elevator" 4000 ft to Borrego Springs below (more about Montezuma Grade on the way back). The traffic was quite light except for some trucks with dirt bikes heading out into the desert to rip it up and there was a good shoulder, or even bike lane for most of the ride - who knew how nice riding in the desert was!! I filled my bottles in Borrego Springs, then headed further into the desert another 25 miles, just past Ocotillo Wells. Who knew there were elephants in the desert here??
Anyway, since i wasn't sure about additional water past this, and daylight issues wouldn't allow me to ride all the way to Brawley, i planned to turn around here - making it about a 100 miles, but again with around 8,000 ft of climinb for the day...as once back to Borrego Springs, i had to climb back up Montezuma Grade (the longest graded road in San Diego Cty), 6% for 11 miles, just shy of 4000 ft. I filled up again in Borrego Springs ( really quite a nice little place) and headed up - for nearly an hour and twenty minutes! Finally i made it up - seemed hot climbing (75ish) and it is December....makes me worried about next summer - i have a long way to go to get ready for this thing. The final 20 miles home were and easy spin back down to Lake Henshaw and a ride back to San Diego. Looking forward to dinner tonight with my buddy Dana who i did 2-man RAAM with in 2002 as he just happens to be in town visiting relatives. So, the bottom line, don't be scared to ride in the desert...an oh, it ain't flat!
So, into the desert i went. I'll have to admit i was a bit worried about riding there, not really knowing what to expect....bad roads? no shoulders? cars going mach 1? Hot? Flat? NOPE. This was by far the best ride i've ever had in San Diego. I left from Lake Henshaw TimeStation, rode up the gentle climb to Ranchita and then barreled down the "Glass Elevator" 4000 ft to Borrego Springs below (more about Montezuma Grade on the way back). The traffic was quite light except for some trucks with dirt bikes heading out into the desert to rip it up and there was a good shoulder, or even bike lane for most of the ride - who knew how nice riding in the desert was!! I filled my bottles in Borrego Springs, then headed further into the desert another 25 miles, just past Ocotillo Wells. Who knew there were elephants in the desert here??
Anyway, since i wasn't sure about additional water past this, and daylight issues wouldn't allow me to ride all the way to Brawley, i planned to turn around here - making it about a 100 miles, but again with around 8,000 ft of climinb for the day...as once back to Borrego Springs, i had to climb back up Montezuma Grade (the longest graded road in San Diego Cty), 6% for 11 miles, just shy of 4000 ft. I filled up again in Borrego Springs ( really quite a nice little place) and headed up - for nearly an hour and twenty minutes! Finally i made it up - seemed hot climbing (75ish) and it is December....makes me worried about next summer - i have a long way to go to get ready for this thing. The final 20 miles home were and easy spin back down to Lake Henshaw and a ride back to San Diego. Looking forward to dinner tonight with my buddy Dana who i did 2-man RAAM with in 2002 as he just happens to be in town visiting relatives. So, the bottom line, don't be scared to ride in the desert...an oh, it ain't flat!
1 comment:
Dropping down the glass elevator during RAAM felt like dropping into an oven. Up high it was warm but it got HOT as I dropped down. I've always struggled in the heat but I didn't do too bad during RAAM. During the couple weeks before the start, I rode my trainer in the basement with heaters blasted hot air on me. It's certainly not something I'd recommend to the average person but it was a big help training for RAAM.
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