Thursday is another CSBG ride to Victoria Station. I was at Vons before 8am as usual and 3 riders, obviously SCBG road by. The woman stopped and asked if I was waiting for CSBG and offered to have me join them. I’m not at all sure why they go early. They went the same route except they do not take a picture and they go to Corner Bakery in Victoria Garden instead of Bad Ass coffee which is not in the Garden Mall. I asked about the lack of picture and Corner over Bad Ass and that is just what they do. At least 10 other CSBG riders showed up at Corner. I sat with the 3 I had ridden with. The couple is retired and thinking about building a house or even asked about moving to Exeter.
I rode back with Tom on the bike trail. He is my speed but a little faster and tells stories but I can’t hear them all as I have dropped back. Instead of taking the “bridge out” bike trail all the way to Claremont, I decided to follow Tom on his normal return route onto streets. It was fine but next time I will stay on the path.
Friday I did not ride, maybe weather or just tired. Saturday was another “unofficial” longer ride to Cal Poly. I would say 6 of us took off at 8am from Claremont and road over the Cal Poly, which is a mammoth school. There were a couple “deviations” but I thought I was staying with the most reasonable riders. We did a bad hill. The one man who was keeping back near me indicated that the next one was worse. When we regrouped from that one, which was worse, he warned that now it got even worse. I always remind the group as we start out that I have a GPS, that I know where I am and that if I get dropped, I’ll just ride home on my own. Really for the first time I exercised this option and said I would meet them at the breakfast spot. The man watching out for me suggested I ride back the way we had come instead of proceeding on as they were headed into a bowl where the only way out was steep.
I made it to the breakfast spot in La Vern but just before they were ready to leave. My guide felt badly that he had contributed to my fears and that I really could have made it. I felt the same in retrospect. This is not my first rodeo and I now am pretty good about riding within my limits. As I have said, just getting into the lowest gear early and holding a steady pace, trying to avoid going into distress. But, again this is the fist time I have purposely taken the exit option and it was good to test it out. I did a fair amount of aimless wondering to get to La Vern. The GPS and I seemed to be on different channels. I think there may have sometimes been dead zones where it got lost. I had a hard time keeping it “talking”, meaning it would tell me what to do and I did not have to stop and look at it. In retrospect I should have stopped right away and planned my return route but I was in a hurry to get to breakfast as soon after they arrived as possible and that ended up being a mistake.
One more incident from this Saturday. In the middle of my “wondering” around Cal Poly I had texted Kim and asked her to come get me. She misread the messages and only engaged with me after I had gotten back on the route. I ate breakfast alone and road hime. Then discovered that the plastic bag with credit card I had used to buy the breakfast was no lnger with me. I carry a plastic bag with money, business card and room key in one of my three riding shirt back pockets. The motel quickly gave me a new key. Kim drove over and took me back to the scene of the crime in La Vern but I could not find the card. I kind of remember I was in a hurry to get to the table and did not take the time to put the plastic bag back in my pocket. I thought it was most likely that I had thrown it out with my napkin etc but no luck diving into the trash can or asking at the counter. Kim was in a foul mood as she had been hoping to use this time to get some errands run and wanted to be sure and be back quickly with the borrowed car. I watched the online entries to see if anyone used the card. I switched to a new card and locked the lost one. I never got it back. I am awaiting the arrival of the replacement card to go in and change all the auto payments that are now failing!
Sunday was another rest day. I guess I hoped that a day off would improve my performance. Monday it was back to the hills. The nice thing about the CSBG rides is that if you road last Monday you kind of know what you are getting into! I was about the same on the first bad hill and on the second. From there on I picked up a nice group and had an easy time into the breakfast spot. I again took the short but more dangerous busy road home.
Tuesday was my last ride. Again out to Victoria Garden with the normal Monday picture and coffee at Bad Ass. I road a fair amount with Roy who is retired but enjoying a lot of professional singing. Coming back I stayed on the bike path and negotiated the bridge out instead of the slight hills that are connected with leaving the bike path and using the streets.
CSBG is a wonderful group. I ride with the “power” contingent or rather I leave with them! I can certainly see the day when I will have to move down to the traditional? group but I am more afraid that a change to my Cancun riding will have to happen first. They are not related, except in that my slowness shows up in each. But today I feel the Cancun situation is more dire. I have to also give a special shout out to Kathy Pezdek. In the early years she dragged me up the hills and taught me to get in the low gear early and just persevere. Now she keeps me on her mailing list and is always a welcoming face.
I assume this March grandson birthday trip will become the norm. I am motivated to find somewhere else for February, maybe I can slot Portugal in? April in New Hampshire is really rideable, at least so far in 2022.