The last training ride of the 2013 Bike MS training season. We had a great time on Saturday - over 21 riders headed out for a little road time on the road to Santa Fe. Sunday saw four riders head out. Heading into the big ride, we have 45 registered riders, with probably 39 riders. Go Domo!
Saturday Ride: The High Road to Santa Fe
We had 21 riders head out to get some miles on the last training Saturday of the year! The official route today was our adventure ride heading out from O'Neill's in Nob Hill finishing up in Santa Fe to catch the train home (route here). There were several combinations that riders did due to the time investment required for the main ride - from riding to Tijeras then down South 14, some rode from Tijeras to the hill over looking Madrid, others from the Smiths on Central to Heartbreak Hill, while others started at the JC train stop before the main start at 6 at O'Neills and ending in Santa Fe. Whatever the combination though, it was a good day to ride.
After our first main rally at the Triangle, 18 of us headed north on 14. It was a pretty quick trip on the downhill and then we separated into a few different groups. Most headed north, but a few brave ones headed up Heartbreak Hill before turning back to ABQ or heading on to Madrid. This leg saw one of the weirder things I have encountered on any bike ride - a mass migration of large caterpillars heading west that covered the road for about 4 miles. Unfortunately, many of them met untimely ends bisected by bicycle tires.
The next rally saw 15 of us meet up in Madrid for refueling. Lots of water and ice cream sandwiches were consumed. Four riders headed back toward ABQ, heading up the long 4 mile uphill segment we just descended into Madrid (a harder ride than the full ride to Santa Fe).
From there, eleven brave riders continued on to Santa Fe. The last 23 miles were the test - with shifting wind, hot noon time temperatures, and the slow uphill grind. But we persevered, because we knew what awaited us at the end - lunch at El Parasol. We ate a wonderful lunch and waited for the four riders who overshot lunch by a few miles (lesson here - know the route!). After a leisurely paced meal we wandered another mile over to the Santa Fe Brewing Company for a pint before heading over to the Railrunner stop for the hour long train ride home. After a very packed train ride home (Spanish Market in SF), a few people headed east uphill to return home, with another 3 heading back to Nob Hill, the remainders getting picked up by sympathetic family or driving home. All told, another great ride that I look forward to next year.
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| Heading out from the Triangle |
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| The few, the crazy, that did Heartbreak Hill too |
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| In Madrid |
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| At the Santa Fe Brewing company just before the train home |
Sunday Ride: City Loop
The last Sunday ride was a different 35-mile loop around the city (route here). Ali, Blythe, LeeAnn and Stacey headed out a little late due to making sure all our tires were inflated properly. Thanks LeeAnn! (Editor's note: our delayed departure was also due to the late arrival of yours truly [sorry Chris]. Baby's do not seem to understand schedule or the importance of being timely - those jerks!) The goal, for me, for this ride was to approximate the actual ride time - with stops included - so we planned stops for every 10 miles to have a good idea. Super kudos go to Stacey for doing both rides this weekend!
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| Ride from diversion channel to Bosque |
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| First "rest" stop at Passeo and Bosque |
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| Starting to heat up: A view from University by the Rental Car Return |
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| The reward/motivation for the ride - milkshakes! |
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