Week 9 is our first ride away from the normal starting point of Solana Beach. With the coast behind us, heading east only means one thing, HILLS!. About 3800' of climbing was in store for us today while only covering 48 miles. What made this ride even more challenging is that we were riding in over 90 degree Fahrenheit for more than half of the ride. I started this week's ride with group 2 to try and challenge myself and see how I handled riding with this group on mountain routes. But it only took me about 20 miles into the ride to realize that the group's pace is faster than what I expected. I had to drop back to try an pace myself to avoid burning out. Group 3 passed us several miles back due to a flat but we caught up to them and I decided; if I wanted to be able to drive back home today I need to pace myself better. I decided to ride with group 3 for the remainder of the ride. 
I have never experienced riding like this before, as much as I dreaded it, I knew this would only make me a better hill climber. Passing Sycuan Casino and Alpine was awesome. I have only been this far east in my car. Riding your bike instead of driving is definitely a great experience. As you can see from my pictures of this weeks ride. I was not able to take my hand off the handlebars until I reached the SAG stop on top of Japatul Rd. The SAG could not have come at a better time. I have never ridden my bike and reached out to find empty bottles. After several PBJ sandwiches, fruits and gels we were ready to finish the ride.
Riding with this group also gave me a chance to ride with group one leader Pat Jack. Soaking in as much training and cycling knowledge from the pro's is what these rides are all about. After a few more hills and two badly cramping quads, we made our way back down the mountain through Jamul and the starting line. I am impressed with all the riders that rode out this week. Whether you were in group one or group four, the hill has no favorites and treats everyone the same. Great ride!
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