Coach Darryl

So you think it is cold these days for you morning ride? My Canadian friend posted her morning temperature for today. Enjoy your rides.

Significant changes are coming to one of the most cyclist used roads in San Diego, Gilman Drive. The southbound direction is more affected. It is a fast descent from UCSD before going under I-5 to get to the newly enhanced bike path toward Mission Beach. I attended one of the Zoom meetings on these deliberations and heard Serge Issakov and Jim Baross skillfully present the cyclist’s point of view. They convinced the others that Sharrows were needed for faster riders who are s...killed at riding at speed with autos. This includes most cyclists who are reading this. Cyclists who do so are much better positioned for entering the very critical and potentially dangerous intersection at the bottom of the hill where multiple lanes of auto traffic are turning right onto the I-5 south entrance. In contrast, all cycling traffic must go straight at that intersection to pedal under I-5. The article gives details on the significant changes coming and the expected timeline. Thanks to Serge and Jim. La Jolla planners give green light to bikeway plan https://edition.pagesuite.com//dynamic_article_popover.asp

Planning a cycling, or driving trip down the Pacific Coast Highway? This storm damage near Big Sur will certainly alter your route. Drenching storm washes out Highway 1 https://edition.pagesuite.com//dynamic_article_popover.asp

The extension of the SR-56 bike path (to the west) will start construction this year. This will avoid the dangerous surface streets to get from the current end of the bike path, past I-5 to Del Mar and the coast to the west. It will also introduce many cyclists to the Old Sorrento Valley Road. This was a popular route for autos and bikes before they closed it to autos in the mid 1990's, and most people soon forgot about it. It is a great option for cyclists to explore and use. https://www.delmartimes.net//fall-start-planned-for-sr-56-

Do you use SpeedPlay X pedals? Do you unclip the left foot at intersections? I use many more right cleats and have 3 left ones to trade for your right ones. New cleats only. ... SpeedPlay X is not compatible with SpeedPlay XERO and Light Action, you must use the X series. Contact me.

Bike not 100% ideal for you? Sore hands? Numb feet? Saddle not comfortable? I recently pedaled 100 miles without discomfort, you can too Optimize your bike for comfort, speed and climbing like 800+ other cyclists have done and pass cyclists who were passing you No formulas that work for only skinny racers but not typical cyclists... Click for info, and get your $40 summer savings Check out the dozens of comments from other happy Bike Fit cyclists https://www.coach-darryl.com/Bike-Fit.html And meet Rex, my cocker spaniel Welcoming Committee! See more

Here are some new tricks you can do on your next ride.

If you are a cyclist, please read. On Wednesday I attended my first meeting of the La Jolla Traffic and Transportation subcommittee, via Zoom. At risk was our wonderful fast downhill on Gilman from UCSD to the I-5 freeway. The city has designed a change to create a new bike lane forcing all cyclists to the right along the curb of the road. This would separate us from the rest of the road with a concrete barrier that would prevent us from escaping the narrow bike lane. We woul...d on the brakes most the way down. Plus at the end where 2 lanes of auto traffic turn right onto south I-5, we would be exactly where we do NOT want to be, to the right of right turning auto traffic, in danger of being hit by autos turning right across our path as they go to the freeway as we go straight to the Rose Canyon bike path. It was in this type of situation that an Encinitas cyclist was struck and killed last month. I was invited to the meeting by Serge. Since it was my first meeting of this variety, my tact was to observe only, and not open my mouth thus proving how ignorant I was. Attending and speaking on the behalf of we cyclists was my Facebook friends Serge and Jim, plus Miles Pomeroy with whom I am less familiar. It was obvious this was not their first meeting of this variety. They successfully presented convincing arguments that the designed new bike path was dangerous for serious cyclists. They convinced the voting members that the right automobile lane should have installed sharrows (SHared ARROWS, thus allowing full, shared access to the lane by bicycles and autos) throughout the Gilman descent to allow we cyclists to take the lane and safely go down the hill and through the freeway entrance intersection. Serge and Jim have worked behind the scenes to protect the interests of we cyclists for decades. Please join me in thanking them for their accomplishments on our behalf with a like and a few words of appreciation in the comments. I know that pioneering cycling advocate Gordy Shields would be proud of their accomplishments. https://www.google.com//data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x80dc06cd092472d7

This improvement would be fantastic for cyclists. See my comment below for a picture of the bike lane, it is on the far right. Before the weekly Taco Tuesday ride, cyclists parked weekly at the county admin building near the Star of India, and pedaled 24 miles south around the bay ending at the ferry terminal in Coronado. There we ate dinner. It was dark when we took the ferry back to SD, but only had a 30 second ride to our cars. The ride gradually ended due, in part, to the... horrible road conditions from the convention center to Chula Vista. This construction would add many options for cyclists. Proposed haul road progresses https://edition.pagesuite.com//dynamic_article_popover.asp

Careful out there. Hornets can definitely change your ride. The first Double Century I pedaled I was stung by a hornet on the hand. Very nasty discomfort. And I was in the mountains above the I5 and the Grapevine, nowhere near medical care. It slowed me down for a half hour or so. This is popular Lake Murray this morning.

Free tomorrow! Saturday is one of the free National Park entry days. So, plan to pedal to Cabrillo National Monument. Maybe include a few climbs of the Tide Pools. I pedaled there this morning, it is always a favorite. https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm Share this post with your friends so they will know about tomorrow. ... Remember, if you are 62 or older, you can get a Senior Pass for a single $80 purchase. It does not expire until you do. :)

A former very active Trek century cyclist has a CrateWorks bike box that he would like to find a good home for. He used it successfully for a trip to New Zealand. It is corrugated cardboard, has straps to keep it together and docking areas for the wheels. If you are interested, contact me personally. ... Below I have a link to the manufacturer’s website. https://www.crateworks.com

Does it seem like there are more people on bikes since the pandemic started? That is because there are far more cycling. 42% more. San Diegans hop on cycling https://edition.pagesuite.com//dynamic_article_popover.asp... You can only bake so much sourdough during a pandemic. According to a report released Wednesday, another trend has emerged since the start of stay-home orders: biking. Bicycle traffic on certain San Diego County roads was up 42 percent on average from mid-March to mid-August when compared to the prior year, the San Diego Association of Governments reported. The traffic volume was measured by counters previously installed on eight bike corridors around the county, from National City to San Marcos. Each route saw an increase, ranging from 12 percent on the Landis Street corridor through North Park and City Heights, to 62 percent where the Inland Rail Trail meets Mission Road in San Marcos. The biggest uptick in biking came during the second and third months of the shutdown, from about mid-April to mid-June, with ridership increasing by more than 60 percent. Biking volumes were up more during the weekends, with a 53 percent increase compared to a 35 percent increase during weekdays. Will the trend last? As the county has phased into reopening, ridership gains have fallen off, although by mid-August volume was still 22 percent higher than the same period last year. In a separate survey conducted by SANDAG, more than 4 in 5 residents who acknowledged they’d been biking more since the stay-home orders began said they expect to keep it up even as restrictions are lifted.

Appointments for bike service! Trek Bicycle Superstore is now accepting appointments for all bicycle service. I sent a text message describing the issue to the bike store number. They got back to me in a hour or so with when to bring the bike in. I was there at that time and they took care of me immediately. While he was fixing the issue, the mechanic said that earlier there were 4 people without appointments in line for service, when a cyclist with an appointment came in, that cyclist went directly to the front of the line. Click below, and select the store closest to you to get their number. https://www.trekbicyclesuperstore.com

Imperial Beach Ok’s Bayshore to Border bike route Many cyclists have inquired about pedaling to the Mexico border. Most of these are to say they have done so, especially if they have already pedaled north to Orange County, so they can say they have pedaled north to south through the entire county. https://edition.pagesuite.com//dynamic_article_popover.asp

The bicycle business has seen unheard of growth due to the coronavirus. And Trek saw this coming early and is at the heart of the supplying bikes for this huge surge of entry level bikes and ebikes. And in my opinion, second higher end new more expensive bikes replacement purchases in the near future. Quotes are below. The entire article is inserted, or use the link to read It online. This is an exciting time to be in any aspect of cycling. Inside the Company Trying to Sol...Continue reading

All Thinking Cyclists: This is a great company. I am a consultant there and have been since 2014. Very personable, skilled and dedicated people. You will love working with these people. It is a family company with cycling roots. Don't hesitate...do it now. Tell them Coach Darryl MacKenzie sent you.

Garmin application recovery is in progress. The status can be monitored here https://connect.garmin.com/status/

Some cyclists are not aware of the amount of information available on the Garmin Connect website. I have taken a few screen snapshots of my ride yesterday. It was very hot, so therefore very slow. Screen 1 is a visual of the out-and-back route, with elevation nd speed charts by mile. Screen 2 adds heart rate, Performance Conditioning which on purpose slowed considerably as the heat increased, Bike Cadence, Power Watts, and temperature. Note that you can see the reading for all of these charts simultaneously by just placing the insert point at any spot on the ride. Screen 3 shows the numbers for the ride. Note the time and speed metrics, the elevation numbers, the very complete power section and, very appropriate for yesterday, the temperature numbers. All this is available almost simultaneously, I use a 32" screen and a 29" screen.

Great to see the Garmin website and more importantly Garmin Connect back up again. I just added a screen snapshot. https://connect.garmin.com/ I signed in and the 3 rides of 110 miles or so appear to be properly reported on Garmin Connect. On Strava I had inserted all 3 of these rides manually. Garmin properly did not duplicate the rides. ... It was reported that the ransomeware requested payment amount was $10 million. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activities See more

Coach, it was not supposed to be very hot, but when I got to my turnaround spot at 20 miles, my Garmin said it was 108F. What is the most important thing to do to pedal home safely in heat? Note the amount of sweat stains on the cycling glove from this cyclist’s 40 mile ride. The Thinking Cyclist knows that the most important thing to do when pedaling in the heat is to...this Thinking Cyclist tip is continued at Coach Darryl’s website’s Thinking Cyclist page to allow future reference in one location. http://www.coach-darryl.com/Thinking-Cyclist.html look to the left.