January 1 - 2014: Mark's first First

My first First of the new year was to try a bike ride that I have been thinking about doing for the last couple of years.

As you head west on Mission Gorge Road out of Santee heading toward San Diego the road seemed quite steep whenever I drove it in my car.  The few people who I have seen riding their bike up the pass looked like they were working very hard so it was a challenge I set for myself to try someday.

Today was the day.  And I can now say from personnel experience it was harder than I expected.  Here is a screen capture of the route from a phone app called "Map My Ride" I use to chart my rides:

The total ride was 9.5 miles with the highest elevation at 640 ft and the lowest at 263 ft.  and an average speed of 10.6 mph.

Since I have not been riding much over the last 60 to 90 days I think I will ride it again in a few months to see how much better I can do when I get back in shape.

Game on.  I am looking forward to my next First.