Yesterday I got up at the crack and was on my bike before it even got light. I rode Sue to the Panikin and kept going up to Carlbad to meet the Wednesday ride that leaves from Starbucks. There were maybe 40-50 guys, more joining in route. The ride just goes up to San Clemente and back, through the marine base, Camp Pendelton.
I’ve been doing this ride since the mid-80’s back when it started in Del Mar and was really a who’s who’s of the best triathletes in the world. John Howard is probably the only guy that has been doing it consistently since then. And he was there yesterday.
The ride was good. I was sort of pooped from the day before, but was fine just sitting in. It got going pretty fast a couple times on the way up and back. What really surprised me is who fast the remaining guys kept going down the coast after we got back to Carlsbad. I had a pretty good group to ride with all the way back to UCSD in La Jolla. It is strange getting over 100 miles and being back before noon. It took nearly exactly 5 hours.
Anyway, it was an appropriate way to end a pretty extended San Diego training stint. I’m on my way to Texas now to ride the Houston MS150. I guess the real bike racing will have to wait for a couple more weekends. Joe Martin is at the end of the month. I haven’t went much further than that. Okay, better get back to driving.
John Howard and Nelson Vails. I’ve known John since I was a teenager. He lived in Austin back then, but was originally from Missouri.
This is Thurlow Rogers riding by the nuclear power plant , San Onofre.
this all begs the question…. Do any of these people have real jobs other than racing their bike?
Don’t know about the rest but at his age John Howard is probably collecting social security.
John Howard looks like he could still kick serious ass at any local Crit.
Does anyone work in SoCal?
Awesome post! So much American bike racing history right there in a nutshell!
Only the guys that haven’t figured out the system still work in SoCal…
we kept going down the coast at a good speed but the rest of us stopped for red lights and stop signs.
If you’re worried about the image of cycling and think we need to constantly call out people for charging, would it not also be a good idea to not totally put yourself and others in danger and create ill will with drivers who, otherwise, have no reason to dislike cyclists?
James: is that you?
James,
eat an orange.
When you get to Austin, remember that Operation Plum Smuggler is in full effect. The Hummer was delivered yesterday, Livingston took care of the rest. If he blows it, let me know. The Emir will mete out the appropriate level of justice, he has been endowed by Allah in that capacity
BTW: The riding in Southern California is way nicer than here in the UAE, but Peter is right – those guys need jobs…seriously
hey steve, you guys averaged 20 mph for the 100. i imagine the pace was both super fast at timesand slower at ties. did john howard bkeep up when the hammer went down? guys was a legend. i am curious as to how well he rides at his age. i have been reading he always rides and never get out of shae, but i know he age thing eventually catches up. be nice to hear how he did the the fast sections f your ride. thanks
Mike Crum: Back when I was a grad student working on my PhD in Chemistry in the 1980s at the University of Florida, I managed to do a training ride 4 out of 5 weekdays and one or both weekend days, usually around 200 miles for the week (30×4 + 80) – and go to punk rock shows and shoot pics (https://www.flickr.com/photos/streamfortyseven/sets/72157630786643252/) – and I still finished my PhD in 4 years, publishing 9 articles in refereed journals. And I was riding in fast company, too, Jeanne Golay and John Lieswyn are two names you might recognize; Jeanne won her first race on a beater bike, lapping the field three times, and John started racing with the bike he rode to school on – including the book bag and rack on the back.
yup
I hear that the UGA cycling team used to whale on you guys back then
Great pics Hudson, though I’m jealous. As a Minutemen/fIREHOSE/SY geek (among others). I had the good fortune of seeing each of these bands more than once, but never together.