Purple Monster

I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but today's ride set new personal records for mileage and climbing. The route was essentially the same as last week's ride with a few modifications. No Torrey Pines and the addition of a MAJOR climb at the end....but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I felt much stronger this week than I did last week. Getting a good night's sleep before a big ride is key. We did a total of 88 miles today covering a lot of ground. Take a look at the map of the route.










I don't have an accurate total for the amount of climbing we did but it was similar to last week so I'm thinking it is around 5000 feet.

Some of the route we covered today is part of the San Diego Century course. I find it amusing that there are some stretches of the road that have been named. I've previously written about "Stud Loop" and today we traversed "Three Witches", a series of three nasty little hills all in a row. The funniest named one was the famous "Purple Monster". This is a brutal 9-mile route along Scripps Poway Road up to Highway 67. The entire route is a long steady grind uphill. It would be hard on my best day but starting the climb after having already ridden 70+ miles seemed particularly cruel. But like everything else, it's complain on the way up and then revel in the accomplishment at the peak. Take a look at the team photo we took at the top.















Most people carry their spare tire in a little bag hanging from their bike seat, I've streamlined the process and carry it around my waist. Whose idea was it to have lime green jersey's anyway?

We spent over 8 amazing hours in the saddle today. I still felt strong when we rolled back into the parking lot. I think I'm ready for Tahoe.

Next week 95 miles, but mostly flat.