111.5--the longest we've done yet!

If you are curious, click here to see a map of our route (it contains rest stops and everything!)

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114222456818550103808.00044ea3eec3f697e46a9&z=9

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Bright and early--7am...

wait, no, 7:30

...eh...ok, fine, at about 7:38 Les and I pushed off from Bastanchury and Euclid in Fullerton on an adventure toward the beach, friends, Marine-bros in Oceanside/Pendalton, and finally back toward home.

The idea was to ride a "century" (that's bike-lingo for a 100-mile ride).  We decided we'd head west first, in order to pick up a few extra miles, so we cruised through our first 30 minutes and arrived at the Coyote Creek river trail (this trail ends up running alongside the 605, and is called by some "the 605 trail").  After a good hour and a half we stopped in Seal Beach to reload on calories.

After we pushed off from Seal Beach we headed down PCH for another 35+ miles.  This road, as many of you have driven or ridden before, is wide at times, and narrow at others, and its flat as a board often, but rolling with hills for a great deal of time also.  

As Les and I headed through Newport, Laguna, and Dana Point, it was inevitable that we'd come to Capistrano and later San Clemente, and it was here that we met "Bob."  I wanted to call him "Bob Bodighera" because as les and I followed him for easily 20 miles, most of what I saw was his fit black jersey that read "Bodighera" on the back.  This is probably a cycling brand, and hardly the point of mentioning Bob, but forever I will remember him as "Bob Bodighera."  At first he didn't speak at all.  He was a man of at least 60, and had a bike of at most 6 pounds.  He hammered and hammered, and as I queried with les later, he rode in such a way that we had always read/heard/seen was not smart--he hardly changed gears, and if he did he was always in the high rung of his front derailer (the biggest one of the three circles that the pedals circulate around).  Needless to say, this man rode how he felt. 

After about 10 miles of riding, he and les got to talking (and by that I mean three or four sentences were traded between the two of them), and one question I overheard was, "where you guys headed?"

"well, we're going to hit a century today...fullerton to San Onofre, and the like..." les replied.

"What about you?" les asked.

"Me...I'm just out." 

Silence.  This was precisely the kind of response you'd want to hear Bob Bodighera calmly, organically, and easily say.  

He and les further spoke a handful of sentences and Bob managed to tell an incredibly inspiring story in less than 30 words (probably).  He spoke of "John" a local bike-shop owner who had led Bible studies, fixed bikes for kids for free, and simply loved cycling.  John died of a heart attack at the age of 51 while blazing the path of a familiar route going 35 mph.  He collapsed, never to ride again.  

But as les profoundly noted: He lived to set men free.  And for him, to die was gain.

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After meeting up with some friends at San Onofre State Beach, where les and I relaxed for a few hours, enjoying good food and conversation, we set out South for another 3 hours.

Here's the crazy part: we totally didn't anticipate getting to ride on the 5 freeway!

Yes, that's what I said.

We decided it was best to exit where the signs on the freeway said to exit, even if we could have snuck past the off-ramp quickly...

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Oceanside should be called Marinebro-town, just a thought...

At about half-way through Carlsbad we decided to turn around and head back to San Onofre where our good friend Jared would drive us home.

The goal was a century, and after all was said and done, les and I managed to put in approx. 111.5 miles.  Not too shabby I'd say!  

les and I thank you for reading!