200 Quest 2024: Part One

 

Little did I think back in the mid-80s when I did my first double-century, that I would be able to accomplish 200 doubles in my lifetime. After all, I did say "I am never doing this again", after my first one. Go figure....look at me now. 

As I write this, I am already over the 200 mark but they are not official "California Triple Crown" double centuries. I have completed 194 California Triple Crown Doubles.  

My hope is to finish the final 6 in 2024.

First up for the year will be The Camino Real Double. I then hope to do Solvang, Mulholland, Tour of Two Forests or Hemet, and Grand Tour. This is the plan as I write this.

CAMINO REAL DOUBLE CENTURY

Like last year, I supported the event as a SAG driver. This year I worked the lunch stop.

This year's event was a self-supported ride with only a lunch stop at mile 113. This was done because the course has become pretty hard to provide rider support with many areas that are on bike paths plus roads with traffic and no place for a support vehicle to stop if someone is in trouble. 

All that being said, it is a very easy ride to do self-supported with many stores and water stops along the way. You just need to be prepared to carry more with you. 

I did the course a day before the event as a staff ride. 

I again stayed at my sister's house in San Juan Capistrano just about 2 miles from the course. 

The original plan was for my friends Tony and Robb to join me. They are both in training for the Race Across the West in June. They both couldn't make it at the last minute so I was on my own, for a little while anyway.

My friend Ken wanted to do some of it with me like he did last year, so he planned on meeting me for some of it. 

I started at 4am and rode the 3 miles up to the course on Antonio Parkway. It was then a long 10-mile climb to Rancho Santa Margarita. 

The temperature was rather mild at about 53 degrees and I was overdressed. I was prepared for at least the 40s like last year. It was foggy so I think the fog was acting like an insulating blanket.

It was wonderful on the first 35 miles. No traffic at all.

Once I reached the summit in Santa Margarita, I descended into Trabuco Canyon. Here it was pretty chilly at 43 degrees. The climb out of the canyon was tough as usual. When I reached the summit, it was pea soup fog all the way down the descent to Cooks Corner and Santiago Canyon. I took it very slowly in the dark. (I saw one car in Trabuco Canyon. It was great!)

I rolled over Santigo Canyon feeling really good. I met my friend Ken at the turn on Jamboree.

We rode together over the Newport and Laguna Hills before he peeled off in the Dana Point area.

Rolling toward Dana Point on PCH

Dana Point

I was feeling great at this point in the ride at about mile 85.

I headed up the coast to San Clemente, San Onofre, and Oceanside, before heading inland from there for a great loop around the hilly Bonsall area.

The ride up the coast was almost effortless. I stopped for water at the campground in San Onofre before heading to Oceanside through the Camp Pendleton area.

I stopped at the Four Seasons Campground Store for some food and took a 30-minute break. I think I ate a bit too much considering the climb to come. It was pretty warm too. 

The hardest part of the ride for me was the climb up Old Castle Road in Bonsall. It is not that steep of a climb at around a max of 8%, but it's a long slog. I got overheated and felt a slight tinge of cramping hamstrings when I reached the summit. I think the amount of food I ate just prior, contributed to the cramps. 

Old Castle Road grade

About 2/3 of the way up Old Castle.

With more climbing in the area (but luckily not long ones), I was worried. It was not very hot and pretty cool on the descents, so I just took it easy. 

I rolled out of the hills and back onto the main highway for a bit before joining the bike path back to Oceanside. I now had the usual headwind to the coast.

I got to Oceanside before sunset and the wind luckily stopped by the time I got there. 

I just flew up the coast to the Camp Pendleton Bike Path.

It was now dark and I could see that the marines were doing some sort of flight ops on the beach to my left. Not long after this, I notice a couple of large helicopters on my left with only red lights blinking. From the sound, I believe they were Blackhawks. They were going north along the beach on my left in the same direction. They then turned directly in front of me and headed in my direction, very very low. One buzzed right over me, so low that I could feel the prop wash. The second stopped and hovered a bit above me before moving off. 

Blackhawk

I wonder if they were locking in on the moving object down below with flashing red lights and GPS signal...who knows. It was fun though, for this aircraft buff.  

I stopped for water at the campground again then headed into San Clemente. My left leg still felt crampy so I guzzled down a bottle of Tailwind Endurance Fuel which has a lot of sodium in it. 

By the time I started to climb toward my finish, my legs felt better again and really good. 

I was about to summit the final climb on my ride with only about 5 miles to go when I got front and rear flat tires, simultaneously!! I was going to finish before 8:30 pm at this point, even with all my slow stops. I was bummed.

I fixed the front first in a short manner. I felt the rear and it was still just slightly soft so I pumped it up some hoping it would last till I finished since it seemed like a slow leak.

Well....no such luck. It wouldn't hold long so I changed that one too. Luckily, I always carry my good pump with me as well as a couple Co2 cartridges. I used up the Co2 and my 2 tubes. I also carry a patch kit so my next step would be to patch the tubes if I had another flat. It still cost me about half an hour. I should have just fixed both tires at once and I would have cut that time in half. I was tired and cold so I guess I wasn't thinking straight. 

I ended up finishing about 9pm feeling pretty good. Route map below.

After a great pasta dinner and compression boots at my sister's house, it was off to bed for a good night's sleep.