Today the Qualcomm Million Dollar Challenge training ride took us up the coast and along the San Luis Rey Bike Trail to Bonsall and east to the Circle R twist. I rode with Adam and Joy from the Scott & BR Cycling Challenge in Group 2. We had a great ride. The weather was mild and there wasn't much wind. One of the major climbs of the day was up Circle R. My riding buddy Mike Kassow rode that climb quit a bit a couple of years ago. I can tell my fitness has improved by the pace I was able to keep to the top. It's really nice to have evidence that the hard work is paying off. After refilling water bottles at the 2nd SAG, I felt my front tire getting "squishy" on a climb so I stopped to swap out my tube. Adam and Don who were riding right behind me stopped and helped me out as we watched the rest of the group ride over the hills. We were able to get the flat fixed in pretty short order, but our group was long gone. The three of us were pretty well spent so chasing down the group was not going to happen so we "noodled" back. Evidently Adam and Don's definition of noodling is different from mine so we were still moving along at a pretty good clip; just not hammering. The ride back along the coast was great. It's always nice to feel the ocean breezes after riding hard in the inland foothills.
I attended a CAF mixer at B&L Bikes in Solona Beach on Wednesday. We heard from Chris Chandler who had multiple deployments in Afghanistan. His second resulted in his losing a leg in an IED explosion. He still went back and deployed 3 more times as an amputee and completed jump school and got this "jump wings". Chris has been racing triathlons since 2008 as part of Operation Rebound, inspiring other troops to remain active and overcome perceived barriers by taking part in sports. Challenged Athletes Foundation fund raising makes this possible.
This week, the Scott and BR Cycling Challenge will cut to 8. Regardless of what happens, this has been a fantastic experience. It's been great riding with great people who are very committed to the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
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