Ride Report - San Diego Randonneurs

ToughRider 166K Ride Report
September 19, 2009
by kellyjay
I hopped aboard the Metrolink #607 at
Oceanside for a last minute, early morning
ride up the coast to Orange, CA. After rolling
my bike through the tunnel, I found the Metro
parked near the Coaster on the far set of tracks.
Four passenger cars and two of them were
marked for bikes. I was strapping my ride in
when a dude in casuals ask to put his in first,
as he was going to L.A. Good with me, as he
lashed his Wal-Mart MTB in with a 4ʼ bungee
strap. I turned my Surly around and neatly tied
off my bars to his seat with a neato velcro strap!
Solid! I took the routeslip, pen and ShotBloks
out of the bar bag and sat down to enjoy the one
hour commute up north. Temps were supposed
to be in the mid-eighties today, quite a cool
down from the high temps of the last weeks.
Opportunity beckons!
The last time I rode up to Santiago Peak, I got
hammered real good. I was on my Madison SS
with 700x28 tires. I crashed twice and couldnʼt
walk for a week! OH, NO, not this time. I was
prepped and ready to fire on all cylinders. I
had secured a Surly Cross-Check frame with
a uncut fork, put on the components from my
“Bumblebee Project” road bike, and added a set
of demo TRP EuroX canti brakes. My slightly
used Panaracer 700x32 Urbans would offer just
enough tread to do the dirt sections and still roll
smooth & fast on the hard surface. I had tested
these with John M. on the mean Batista Canyon
section near Anza during the ToughRider 300.
The well worn compact crank up front would
drive the Harris “Century Special” 12x30 on the
rear. If that ran out, I would walk with my SPD
shoes!
Oceanside Station: A great Start or Finish location! Metro,
Coaster, Amtrak, Sprinter & busses all stop here.
Orange Station: Many Metro & Amtrak trains stop here,
early morning and late evening. This route is reversible.
Ride In: E. Chapman Ave takes you from the Orange Station
to the Chevron Start. Warm up with a 6% grade ahead.
Mile 3: Santiago Canyon offers a few rollers on itʼs way
southward. Favorite route for cyclists and area events here.
My medium size bar bag held the food goodies, medical stuff and other rando essentials.
Behind me in my seat bag was my full tool kit,
tubes and pump. Two 24 oz Polar bottles on the
frame and one behind the seat. I had enough
muscle rub and sunscreen on for a nudie beach
party! My black Woolie-Boolie socks were my
favorites and would offer a nice cushion for the
scuffed up Crank Bros Acid pedals. No road
cleats for me, for walking was a definite option
on this trip! The Metro pulled into Orange station on time and I rolled over to the head!
It was cloudy and seemed cool at the station.
One commuter ask me if I was doing a tour!
I said no, I was doing a recon ride up to the
peak. Soon I was riding the 6 miles to the start
through a nice older residential neighborhood
on Maple Street. A right turn at the “T” onto
Shatluck Pl. for one block and then onto Chapman Ave. to the start. A nice 6% grade up to
Santiago Canyon College warmed me up for the
long day ahead.
From the Chevron Station, Santiago Canyon
Rd. splits open land... no houses, businesses or
gas stations. After it crosses over the highway
261, traffic drops off and “Share The Road”
signs start popping up! It winds around and offers a few rollers, wide bike lanes and a view of
Irvine Lake off to the left. This must be a favorite cyclists route, as I met numerous riders and a
gruppo of seven passed me in just 6 miles! The
peleton was rolling at 17 mph and I thought of
giving them a go, but lucky for me as I backed
off and turned into Irvine Lake to check it out. I
also noticed Special Event signs in the bike lane
announcing the upcoming Triathlon in a few
weeks down this route. My party was soon to be
over. The skies cleared as I turned onto Silverado Canyon Road.
A gentle uphill starts as you wind your way past
the unique dome church, fire station and a few
other businesses that dot the area. The canyon
walls close in fast near mile 9, as I stopped for
a ice refill at the Silverado Market. Itʼs on your
Mile 6.7: The turn onto Silverado Canyon Road. Time to start
heading for the hills in the background!
Mile 8.8: Located 2.2 miles down the road, Silverado Market
is your last chance to top off your fuel. Open Daily 7-9!
Mile 11: No homes here as Silverado Canyon Road narrows
and continues itʼs gentle climb upward
Mile 12.25: Maple Springs Road starts here. Parking & turn
around area. Ride through the white gate and start climbing.
right, near the Library. This is the last chance
for refuel, so top off the tanks here. They have
been in Silverado for 46 years and are open
from 7 to 9 daily. Not much in the way of goodies, but they do have a Cola/Ice machine. Suck
down all you can here, youʼll miss it later. A
local resident was buying her daily 3 packs of
Salem lights as a buff girl ask me directions to
the Nature Center. I didnʼt really know, but told
here “at the end of the road”, as I pointed up the
canyon.
Maple Springs Road: Nice, serene one lane path up the canyon from the Trailhead! I saw no one on this road.
Silverado Canyon roadside narrows, as the old
homes are right on top of the road. The grade
also starts to pitch up a bit, with a few 4-5%
mixed in with the curves. The canyon walls
are real close now as the last few homes vanish. Looking at all the thick underbrush, dense
growth trees and narrow canyon, I was thinking
this will all be gone in thirty minutes if a fire
races up this canyon.
Maple Springs Road starts at the trailhead.
There is a turnaround here with permit parking.
Also a port-a-potty and a fire station building
before the white gate. They sometimes close
these gates to limit access to the National Forest, so check first when planning your ride. I
chatted again with the buff girl, as she was going hiking with her friends up the trails. I took a
few pictures and headed up Maple Springs road,
dropping the chainring into the 34 mode. Things
were going to start heating up now!
The black flies were buzzing if you stop along
this road, so I kept moving. Gone was the nice
3-4% grades and now I didnʼt feel comfortable
with the 7-9% stuff. It was nice and quiet as I
heard my heart pounding when I labored up and
around the curves. The canyon was really narrow here and I marveled at how they cut in this
narrow trail. There are several “water crossings”
which are rough and bumpy. In times of rain,
these will be running full. Just after 3 miles on
this road, it turns to gravel as you curve right
and start another climb. All of a sudden, I was
feeling it. Things got a whole lot easier after I
Mile 15.4: Maple Springs Road turns to dirt here. Gear down
for more “find the best path” uphill riding here.
Mile 17: Nice view of Santiago Peak(circled) from Maple
Springs Road. Nice road here compared to whatʼs ahead!
Mile 18: Four Corners where Bedford Rd. & Maple Springs
Rd join N. Main Divide Road and continue to the Peak.
hit the gravel section. My heart rate dropped as
I grabbed a bigger gear. This was fun now as I
cruised through the curves, dodging the rocks
and loose gravel on the way up to Four Corners. I could hear a helo somewhere up around
the peak and figured they were doing work on
the towers there. Two motos were stirring up
dust as I finished off Maple Springs Road and
stopped at the junction for a break.
It had to be 20º warmer now than when I started
the climb. The Yamaha rider could only start
his moto by “bump starting” on a downhill, and
the Kaw rider was so stiff, he fell down when
he dismounted! These both had full body armor
and offered to race me to the top! Go figure. I
unscrewed the Presta caps and let out 15 psi of
air, front and rear*. These dudes donʼt show me
nothing. Ha-ha. After a few pics, a snack and
waiting for the dust to settle, I passed through
the white gate and started the 4+ miles to the
top. The first quarter mile uphill was a breeze
compared to the next rock slide area. I kept
thinking about cutting the sidewalls on those
sharp rocks. Grinding upward on these double
digit climbs and finding a line for the best traction was quite a task here. Several times I found
myself on a outside corner, front wheel lifting
as I hit rocks. Any error here and itʼs a long
ways down through the brush. Two hikers were
stunned as I rounded the last corner and said
“hello” as I stopped at the top.
Great 360º views from Santiago Peak. There is
a trail where you can circle around the entire
peak and its antenna arrays. I gave over my
spare bottle of water to the hikers and started
“down” the 2000ʼ drop toward Ortega Hwy..
Laced among the tough downhills are many
double digit uphills too. This was the hardest
part of the route. Several section were so steep,
soft dirt mixed with rocks, it was impossible to
control your direction. Then it was 12% climbs
on rocks and soft dirt again. “When in doubt,
walk it out!” A full suspension MTB would
have leveled the playing field here. About 4
miles down from the peak is a white gate and
Mile 18.5: The first nasty rock slide area. Loose rocks and
steep grades call for super traction. 1 mile tower in distance.
Mile 19.2: Great view of where you are going. Thatʼs the
Peak. It looks so close but itʼs a tough 3 miles to get there.
Mile 20: The “buzzards” are circling! I think these birds know
something I donʼt. “When in doubt, walk it out!”
Mile 21: This shot looks back to where I just came. Really?
Even riding the “ridges” are tough work here.
well traveled Indian Truck Trail to your left.
Donʼt take this. Keep going straight up the hill!
Soon the road turns to black dirt on a steep
downhill section. Two miles more and you
pass through the last white gate and onto a fast
downhill hard surfaced road! Whew, that was an
adventure.
Ortega Control is located just across Hwy.
74(Otrega Hwy.) on the left side. There is a
parking area, with water and toilet nearby. Time
to fill up the bottles here. (There is also the
Country Store about three-quarters mile westward down Ortega Hwy.) I was flat on my back
talking to a stranger about his cycling exploits
while rubbing my shoulders and hands, sore
from the rough downhill pounding. I hadnʼt
heard any tall cycling tales like this since Mike
Berry relived his Joshua Tree adventures. Adios
and I was off southbound on smooth roads
again! Wheee!
More climbing. This six-mile section is basically all uphill to the towers near Mt. Elsinore.
Starting out wide and highway like, it soon
narrows after it passes a small residential area
planted in the National Forest. This is S. Main
Divide Road. After you pass the towers on your
left, itʼs a fast ride to the bottom on the canyon.
There is a well traveled RV trailhead part way
down, on your left. The hand pump usually has
potable water, just is case. When you hit dead
canyon bottom, youʼll know it! The small trailhead area has a NFS Board and path that leads
to the waterfall in the distance. After that, itʼs
straight up again! I grabbed some gears as this
section was a little gnarly, with gravel corners
and one steep section that was torn up, but it
soon levels out for a relaxing cruise into the
Tenaja Trailhead Control. I met one truck the
whole 20 miles!
The pump head at the Control was locked down
again. The Forest Service routinely disinfects
and flushes out these wells. I guess I didnʼt need
any water anyway. My neck hurt so I put on the
Chinese medicine and it all went away. Two
Santiago Peak: A trail for tower service circles the peak.
Views in all directions. No water available up here!
Mile 22.3: N. Main Divide Road does a 160º turn and goes
down here from Santiago Peak. Check your brakes and butt!
Mile 25: Two hikers walking down from the Peak. Only saw
four people along the Cleveland National Forest route.
Mile 29: Just after a steep rocky section, the Surly takes a
breather under the little shade there is here.
Advil for my ankle and I was good to go! Compared with earlier in the day, the roads are pure
sweetness now. Tenaja Road has a few rollers as
it winds it way over the plateau. Polo grounds
on the left and horse barns on the right. The
24% Los Gatos downhill was sweet revenge
indeed. I walked up part of that sucker last trip
westward! More climbing as Camaron Rd. has
a few double digit climbs before itʼs a welcome downhill into DeLuz. The ride southward
towards Fallbrook is easier, even in my beat
up condition, than the usual route through the
canyon and over to Temecula. That climb from
the bridge up into Fallbrook felt really good,
because I knew it was the last one of the day!
About a mile down Mission Road in Fallbrook,
I did a short splash and go at JIB, my usual stop
when riding through here. I didnʼt have a lot of
daylight left, so big gears prevailed as I cranked
it down Mission Road. After slo-go all day, I
felt like I was flying at 17 mph! I planned to reair my tires after the dirt road sections, but forgot all about it. Itʼs too late now... mmm... that
front tire looks a little “squatty” to me. Those
Panaracers were rolling good, so what the heck.
Time for a cone at Bonsall Control.
I finished off the cone, hit the ice machine and
went outside for a look-see. White sidewall
tires, white cranks, white shoes & socks and
white wheels! A solid layer of dust, dirt and
muck had coated everything. I looked and felt
like I just rode the Baja 500. Stinky boy was on
the move, recharged by ice cream itself!
After a short lite traffic run on Hwy. 76 from
Bonsall, the turn onto River Road turned into a
worse case scenario. Not much traffic, but the
lights were flashing ahead. I passed a few cars
and got up to the front. The road was closed! A
yellow Mustang had missed the stop, crashed
into a pole and was blocking the road.. The tow
truck was here, so it shouldnʼt take too long.
Ya, right. Sometimes stuff happens. The road
opened up and it was cruise control along the
San Luis Rey Bike Path and into Oceanside. I
Mile 33.8: Ahhhh... the last white gate and the last of the
gravel roads! Hard surface high speed road ahead.
Ortega Hwy: Hwy.74 divides N. & S. Main Divide Roads. (A
right turn will take you to the Country Store 3/4 mile away.)
Mile 37.95: Ortega Control has in ground water and a vault
toilet. Enjoy it, time for some more moderate climbing ahead!
Mile 42: S. Main Divide Road narrows and becomes a one
lane road as it climbs toward the towers over Lake Elsinore.
didnʼt stop at the Oceanside Station, but instead
went straight down Coast Hwy. to Rite-Aid
for some 2 for $1 Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Sandwiches. Good recovery food? I thought
about going through a car wash to clean up, but
instead called it a long day and headed back to
San Marcos.
*I checked the air pressure when I got home
and found 60 psi front & rear. So I had let out
more air than I planned to. I started out at 80 psi
front, 90 psi rear.
RECAP:
This is a great route in prep for the ToughRider
200. It is a ride for only the most seasoned,
hardened and adventurous cyclist. This isnʼt
a Classic route, itʼs an EPIC route! Itʼs one of
those ride where you get absolutely hammered,
dirty, dragged-down, sore and wonder how
crazy is this. After a few days, Iʼm thinking.....
mmmm, I wonder how it would be to ride this
route in reverse! This ride is the real deal.
I wonʼt recount the great scenery, isolated riding or various terrain here. Or even the highest ride in Orange County, but instead note the
importance of preparation and route knowledge
before this ride.
I would say that rider physical condition is
paramount, closely followed by pre-ride preparation. Choosing the correct bike type, tire size
and setup adds greatly to your ability to navigate this route. Even chain lube choice is important with the dirt and/or water crossings. Itʼs
going to be a lot longer day if you donʼt dial it
in correctly. My next trip might be on a hardtail
MTB or 40 mm tires on a cross bike. A roadie
bike with 35-40 mm tires would also work well,
if thatʼs possible Itʼs all about dirt road traction
on the hills, both up and down. Also consider
the 65 miles of regular road surfaces youʼll be
riding. There is well over 10,000ʼ of climbing.
Hydration. The routeslip laments the need for
correct fueling. Itʼs only 30 miles from water
to water, but it could take over 6 hours to ride
Mile 44.6: The towers denote the last high point on S. Main
Divide Road and the end to climbing for a while.
Mile 46: After passing the towers atop Mt. Elsinore, itʼs all
downhill for the next 9 miles on “Wilderness Trail”.
Mile 56.7: Tenaja Trailhead Control. A welcome relief after
climbing out of the canyon. Possible pump water here.
Mile 71: From Riverside County, the roads get better as you
cross the San Diego County line. Possible water in low spots.
it. Add in some giant temp changes, difficult terrain and well... you figure it out.
This is great ToughRider route. It isnʼt for every
Randonneur. But if you want a real sense of
adventure close to home, give it a go.
See ya soon,
kellyjay
RUSA # 3932
Mile 73.5: DeLuz is the bottom of the canyon. A few rollers
and uphill from here to Fallbrook.
Mile 89: Bonsall Control. A mile ride on Hwy. 76 brings you
to McDonalds. Flat smooth riding from here to Finish.
ToughRider 166 Map:Whole route map shows the route from
Orange to Oceanside, CA. This route is reversible too!
Mile102: Near the end of the San Luis Bike Path as it curves
under I-5. Use caution here.