Fast America Day 0 23 April 2011 - Costa Mesa, CA

I woke up at 7:00 (i.e., I slept in) and had a leisurely breakfast. I returned the rental car to the airport and rode back; I used Google Maps for Bikes to find a route and was pleasantly surprised; it was good streets and no traffic. But I could not resist turning it into a 20 mile easy spin. I found myself on the Pacific Coast Highway. Lots and lots of weekend cyclists but it made me very thankful to live where I do. If I had to ride here all the time I would live in constant fear of being doored. At one point, I found myself in a paceline with about 8 cyclists; when we slowed for a turning car, one guy went around the car and used it as a blocker to attack, which shredded the paceline; I was very proud of myself for resisting the competitive urge to join in. Note: I took the last three days off, but since I kept today below 20 mph I rationalized that it didn’t count and I really took today off too.

We all met for a get acquainted session at 3:00 this afternoon. There are 21 riders (plus 4 going just as far as Albuquerque). Most of the riders are in their 40s and 50s; I am the oldest – the next oldest is three years younger. The group is very diverse (except only one female) but they all have one thing in common: this has been their dream for some time.

There are four support staff, including two very good mechanics, in two SAG Wagons. They are extremely well organized and extremely safety conscious, which is good. The get acquainted session lasted 3 ½ hours, which just left time for dinner at Outback Steak House, finishing this blog and getting packed for tomorrow. I’ve been to a number of bicycle safety lectures and this one was head and shoulders above the rest; summarizing everything with VAPOR. Here are the guidelines for cycling:

Be:

• Visible
• Assertive
• Predictable
• Observant
• Responsible

Note: The safety instructions included very good guidelines for how to navigate on/off ramps on Interstates. We’ll spend some time on them. Tomorrow’s route takes us from the Pacific Ocean to Palm Springs, with only 1.6 miles on I-10.