Centuries 4 & 5!

I really do need to do a better job keeping this thing up to date.


On September 10, I completed the Amtrak Century--my fourth century of the year.  This one was a challenge to register for.  The event sold out in about 20 minutes, and there was a technical error when registration first opened, so it was a bit nerve-wracking getting into the event.  But I made it, and was pretty excited about the chance to take on a point-to-point century.  The ride started in Tustin, and I headed out at 6:30, just as it got light enough to see with my sunglasses on.  I didn't really want to ride the train back (it's supposed to be a heck of a party ride), because I wasn't sure that I could complete the ride in time to catch the train back to Irvine, so Mrs. SockMonkey agreed to drop me off at the start and then pick me up at the end, in San Diego. 

It turned out to be a pretty straightforward ride.  Nothing too challenging, except a steady west-southwest wind all day long that provided a persistent and draining challenge for the knees.  I'd heard that the prevailing wind was west-northwest, and had it been so the ride would have been fast and pretty easy.  We had a storm, though, that blew in and messed up that part of the plan.  About an hour after the start of the ride, it rained and thundered for about twenty minutes, making for a pretty sloppy ride up to the first rest stop.

A little liquid sunshine at the first rest stop. 

Except for the rain, things went pretty smoothly.  The scenery was good, generally, and we got to ride through Camp Pendleton, which was interesting.  The ride doesn't have any real challenges beyond some occasional rolling hills, and the one fabled climb on the route, the Torrey Pines climb at about mile 85, was about a mile and a half of 4% grade--so it wasn't really a tough climb except for being a steady piece of work near the end of the ride.  As promised, they had popsicles at the top....

The rock-hard popsicle atop Torrey Pines

About a half mile before the end of the ride, I encountered Mrs. SockMonkey standing on a corner, cheering on the riders as they made their way to the finish.  I found out later that she'd been doing that for a couple hours while she waited for me to finish.  What a girl!

The ride was fun, but I don't know that I'd do it again, for it didn't provide any standout experiences.  I would highly recommend Amtrak as a first century:  the ride was not particularly strenuous, the route was interesting, the rest stops were good, and the event was well-organized.

We capped off the event with a great dinner that night at The Palm Restaurant in San Diego, where one of Mrs. Sock Monkey's favorite students works as a member of the waitstaff.


Total time:  About 10 hours (I forgot to write it down)
Ride time:  8:25
Average speed:  12.0 mph
Total mileage:  101.13 miles
Climbing:  3294'

__________________

Two weeks later,  I took on my fifth century of the year:  The SLOBC Lighthouse Century.  In a sense, this was a fitting ride to meet my original goal of five centuries, for the 2010 Lighthouse was my first-ever century.  That first century was a great day:  I overcame some challenging wind and heat, and knew, at mile 60, that I was absolutely, positively going to finish and become a century rider.  So, from the outset, I knew that I could complete this year's ride and meet my goal for the year.

How close I came to not finishing.

The Lighhouse is a great ride.  The course is relatively easy, very scenic, and extraordinarily well supported.  The folks at SLOBC provide some of the best rest stops I've seen, they have a great lunch stop with sandwiches and pie, and SAG cars were frequently visiible along the route.  The only ride that compares in terms of support is the Chico Wildflower--but that route is much more challenging.  I believe that the Lighthouse is the best first-time century experience possible.  But on to the details of my ride....

The day started a bit cool, and I debated whether or not to wear a long-sleeved shirt under my jersey.  I eventually chose not to, and it was the right choice:  the weather was cool and it was overcast all day, but it never turned cold, although it was pretty foggy/misty and sloppy for the first four hours.  The mist was a problem in two ways:  First, it kept my glasses wet and foggy for most of the morning, and, second, it caused all kinds of junk to float up in the road and turned the morning into a real flattirefest.   I do not recall ever seeing so many riders with flat tires during the first twenty-five miles of a century.  I counted myself lucky, until I caught a staple in my rear tire right before the second rest stop.  A staple.  As in a staple from an office stapler.  Who the hell drops a staple on Highway 1?  I bet there wasn't more than one staple on the road between Malibu and San Francisco.  But I found it.  After changing the tube and making doubly sure that there weren't any more sharp things poking through the tire, I headed into the rest stop for some water and a bite, and to borrow a floor pump from one of the SAG guys.  It turned out that it was a jacked-up pump, and in using it to inflate my tire all the way to 100 pounds, it damaged the valve on the tube and I had to replace the tube again.  Damn.  I had two tubes in my seatbag, and now they were both gone and I still had some 60 miles to ride.  Luckily, I bumped into a rider who helped out with SAG on my club's ride (The Hungry Buzzard Century), and was able to bum a spare tube.  Emboldened by my new reserve, I headed back out onto the route.

I had hoped to reduce my ride time this year, and things looked auspicious.  I had a tailwind while heading north (an oddity, with the prevailing wind generally south in the region), and was cooking along comfortably through the turnaround at the Piedras Blancas lighthouse.  The wind was a bit tough heading south, but not nearly as bad as the headwind while riding north last year, so I figured I had a shot at a good total ride time, even with the two flats I had to repair.  While at the turnaround, Mrs. SockMonkey, who, once again agreed to be my PSU (personal SAG unit), texted me and asked me if I needed some additional tubes.  I said yes, and suggested that she stop by Art's Cyclery in San Luis Obispo, which was near our hotel.  (A plug for Art's, which is a great bike shop that was very good and helpful to the Mrs.  Highly recommended if you're in the area.)  She got the tubes and handed them off to me at the lunch stop at mile 62.  Refueled and restocked with spares, I anticipated a speedy trip to the end.

The lighthouse at Piedras Blancas.  While it may not be the best or most inspiring photo, it does capture effectively the gray tone of the weather.

Then the hand of fate delivered a deft slap:  at mile 93, I had a blowout.  The rear tire was irreparable, and I was done.  Completely frakked.  My guess is that the sidewall was damaged when the flat occurred, and it took fifty or so miles to cause it to fail.  So, adios to 5 centuries completed.  4.93 centuries does not round up to 5 in cycling math.

A bit hard to see, but that's a 2-inch tear in the sidewall of that $60 Armadillo Elite.  A photo of a heartbreak, if ever there was one.

Again, Mrs. SockMonkey to the rescue.  I called her and told her to pick me up, and she volunteered to get me a replacement tire.  A bit over an hour later, I had a new tire on the rear of my bike,  and I hustled into the finish--an hour and five minutes after the course closed, but a finish nonetheless.  I would have bet a beer that I was the last one on the course, but at least seven other riders finished after I did.  It was kind of cool to hear a group of three girls let loose a huge cheer as they reached their car, located in the middle of a near-empty parking lot.  Courage and persistence warrant reward, even if only by one's closest friends.

A very dirty sock monkey at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.  Barriers overcome, ride completed.

So what I expected to be a relatively easy ride to meet my goal turned into a SAG challenge that I would not have met without the Mrs., who wanted me to finish every bit as much as I did.  Thanks, Mel.  It wouldn't have happened without your help.

Mrs. Sock Monkey:  Lifesaver.

The numbers:

Total time:  11:09 (including three flat tires and waiting for a replacement tire)
Ride time:  7:20
Average speed:  13.7 mph
Total mileage:  100.78 miles
Climbing:  2949'

Coming up:  

• The Kern Wheelmen's Spooktacular (I'm riding the metric)
• Foxy's Fall Century (planning on the full century)
• Solvang Prelude (planning on the metric)

Tour of Napa Valley

I got back on track this weekend, kinda, with the metric century at the Tour of Napa Valley.  I had had delusions of riding the full century, but my wrist was still sore, my thigh injury was still giving me a bit of trouble, and I drank too much wine on Saturday, so I opted for the shorter route.  The weather was great (topped out at 80 degrees), the route was gorgeous, and it was a good day on two wheels. I struggled with Ink Grade, as I did last year, but improved a bit by stopping twice instead of three times on the way up; the last mile and a half just kills me.  I'm guessing that if I'd been riding as regularly as I did last year, I would have made it all the way up the four-mile grade in one shot.  But that will be a goal for next year, along with the full century.

The data:
68.57 miles
7:35 total time
5:28 ride time
12.50 mph avg
3156' of climbing

Next up:  A couple long (50-60 mile) training ride, and then the Amtrak Century on September 10.

The Best Laid Plans.....

Well, it's been a long time since my last post because it's pretty funky few months in a couple stupid ways.  I had grand plans to take on a couple organized rides and to keep the conditioning (such as it is) up for the run up to the last few centuries of the year.  Then I rode the metric route on the Giro Bello Classic out of Sebastopol on June 25th.  Actually, it turned into the Twelve Miles of the Giro Bello Classic, for I ran into a chain link gate and racked myself up.  The day started off beautifully, with great weather, a good looking route ahead, and I felt strong.  I rode the first few miles of the route with Mrs. SockMonkey, who was doing the short route.  Then, six miles in, I was going to swing into a driveway and wait for the Mrs. and I hit the gate at about 12 mph.  Frakked up my right hand in a big way (think I sprained the hand and maybe broke the little finger), and then broke my left leg brace as I spun off the bike and into the ground.  I limped back into the start on one legpower, my cycling day done.  My first DNF.  (I wear carbon fiber leg braces as the result of a back injury when I was fifteen; I've been planning to post a bit on that, and I guess I'll have to do so soon.) 

The photo shows my hand a couple hours later, as I treated my very swollen and hurty hand and bathed my bruised ego in a glass of Napa Valley Red at the Paraduxx winery just outside Yountville.  So that knocked me off the bike for a couple weeks while my hand recovered and the new leg brace was built. 

I did ride the metric route at the Windmill Century in Santa Maria on July 16.  It was a good, fun and relatively easy route that provided some seat time and a chance to work through the injury.  It was a bit of a pain to shift, but not too big a deal to contend with. 

I also bought a new mountain bike, a 2010 Specialized XC FSR (my first full-suspension mountain bike), which has taken me a way from time on the road bike.  We took a short vacation trip to Mammoth Mountain for four days in July to do some offroad riding.  I'm a beginner and easy intermediate rider, and got in a seventy miles on the sweet trails at Mammoth.  The photo below shows the new ride at the upper terminus of the lift on Mammoth (elevation 11,000', as I recall)--a dramatic vista that complemented the great riding.  The wet winter kept quite a few trails closed, but there were still plenty of places to play.  When I started riding as an adult two and a half years ago, I initially thought mountain biking was what I wanted to do.  So I bought a hardtail and found out that, as much as I enjoyed the beauty and the challenge of offroad riding, the technical skill and the level of concentration that it took to ride--and the hurts that learning to ride the mountain bike inflicted--were just too much to handle on a regular basis, so I bought a road bike and am convinced that that is the avenue that I want to focus on.  I am a weenie, then, but I do enjoy riding cross-country and also smooth and swoopy downhill trails, and some of my best days on two wheels happened on the mountain bike.  But the mountain bike is a special kind of challenge, for healing at 40+ years is waaaay different that healing at 20+ years.

Then, a few days later, I went mountain biking with my boss at China Peak, at Huntington Lake.  A lot of the trails are new and a bit sketchy, with lots of sand, rocks, and other stuff that pushes most trails to the intermediate level, which is challenging for me.  I went down hard, going over the bars, and ended up with a sprained left wrist and also a massive bruise on my right thigh where one of the ends of my handlebars tried to skewer me.  The result was the biggest bruise I've ever had--it went from my crotch to my knee, and wrapped more than halfway around my leg.  So I gimped around for a week until it started to heal up. 

Right now, the thigh is mostly healed up, the hand and the wrist hurt intermittently, I've lost a load of seat time, and my conditioning isn't anywhere near what I hoped or expected it to be.  But time marches on....

I've gotten in some road miles over the past few weekends, and have started to get back to form.  I'm planning on riding the Tour of Napa Valley this weekend.  This is a great ride, and I'm signed up for the century, but will probably ride the metric.  Mrs. SockMonkey is doing the 30 mile route, and it's one of her favorite rides.  I rode the metric last year and conquered Ink Grade, and I've been over Mt. Veeder a couple times--both gorgeous and challenging rides--so I'm familiar with the century route, but not sure that I'm up for all the climbing in one ride.  Nonetheless, the thought of trying to do the full century keeps hanging around the back of my mind.  So we'll see.

I'm signed up for the Amtrak Century (Irvine to San Diego) in September, and also the Lighthouse Century out of San Luis Obispo.  With a bit of work and no funky luck, I should be in good shape for those rides, and am very much looking forward to completing my goal of five centuries.  In May, I would have bet that I'd complete the five easily, and maybe even get to six or seven centuries, but

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley

We'll see how the weekend goes in Napa. 

Getting Caught Up, and a Milestone: The Chico Wildflower

I am a slacker: It's been over a month since I've posted anything.  I've done a couple local rides up Yokohl Valley Road, and also around town to get a little seat time logged in, but nothing too lengthy or remarkable.  Since my last post, I've ridden a couple organized rides.  I rode the metric at the Santa Clarita Century on April 2.  I rode it last year, and had a terrible day.  I set a personal record for climbing that day (over 3000'), but that achievement was confounded by fighting a pretty hefty headwind for the last half of the ride and a bladder infection that made the ride seem like it lasted forever.  This year's ride had a slightly more interesting route, better rest stops, and a bit less wind.  One of the things that makes the ride interesting is the short ride throught the tunnel.  The ride profile is pretty much a consistent uphill for the first half and a consistent downhill for the second half.  Not an outstanding ride, but a good way to get some miles and some climbing in.

The Tunnel on the Santa Clarita Century route.  Gotta pedal fast, in case a car comes up...

 I also rode the medio fondo at the Gran Fondo Colnago in San Diego.  I had delusions of attempting the century, but I didn't have much polenta (the word Mrs. SockMonkey and I use for power) and opted for the metric instead, which was probably a good decision.  The climb on the century would have been a significant challenge, and my knees were pretty much shot by the end of the shorter ride.  This is a fun ride, with a great mass start in the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego.  I was able to fall into a group of riders that I hung with throughout the day, which kept my pace up and made the ride fun and challenging.  One of the rest stops took place at the US Olympic Training Center, and the route took us through various parts of the facility--an interesting bit of scenery. 

SockMonkey at the USOTC:  Getting ready for the 2036 Games.

I rode this one last year in the monsoon, and it was fun to hear folks who were there in 2010 trade stories about the horrid conditions that day.  The 2010 Gran Fondo Colnago was an epic ride,and wearing the jersey from that ride is a real badge of honor.


Mass start at the Gran Fondo Colnago.  I started in the first group this year
because I am a BigTime cyclist.  And because I am a geek and got to the start
30 minutes early.....

But the real news to report is related to the Chico Wildflower Century.  Mrs. SockMonkey and I made the trek to Chico (a 5 hour drive) this past weekend and took on Wildflower for the first time.  Mrs SockMonkey rode 35 miles on the Flatflower, and I completed the full century.  I'd signed up for the Mildflower metric, but decided a week before the event that I'd give the full hundred miles a go.  My research had indicated that the climbing would push me well past my previous best, but I thought that the Wildflower would be a good time to take a shot at more elevation because the route loops in such a way that bailout routes are available in numerous locations.  So off I went. 


I started at 6:30, knowing that an early start was important so that I could finish ahead of the closing of the course, could avoid as much of the wind as I could, and could also ride as long as possible in the cool.  The ride is composed of four sections: an initial climb up Humboldt Road, a climb up Honey Run Road, a climb up Table Mountain, and then the long flat section back to the start.  Humboldt Road wasn't too difficult.  The road was really rough, with thousands of potholes, and the climb was directly into the rising sun--but it was soon over and the route led to what I anticipated would be the telltale climb of the day:  Honey Run Road.  I was told by a friend that the road was steeeep, so I figured this climb would make or break the day.  The climb was consistent and challenging, but also pretty, cool, and very do-able.  I made it to the top without stopping, and knew I was in for an good day on the bike.  Next up was Table Mountain.  I had read that this was the climb that presented the greatest challenge, even though it was shorter than Honey Run.  And that was true information. 


Table Mountain.  Taken while trying to get my lungs back into my chest.

The route to Table Mountain (actually, the climbing was all on Cherokee Road) included a few steep spots, but the biggest problem was some intermittent wind and heat:  It got up to 80 degrees by the time the climb started.  The climb lasted for four miles, and it was consistently challenging all the way to the top, with spots of 10-11% grade.  I stopped to rest three times before making it to the top--but I got there. 

The Mexican Coke.  A life-saving device found at the rest stop at
the top of the Table Mountain climb.  A hot Coke never tasted better...


The rest of the ride was a flat 45-mile ride back to the start.  For 20 of those miles, a strong headwind/crosswind presented a serious challenge, but a pretty section through a series of orchards blocked the wind and created a very pleasant ride, particularly when I caught up to and rode with a small group of riders who established a 12 mph peloton of sorts for about 15 miles.  Good pace for my tired knees and some entertaining conversation to make the miles go by faster. 

Geeky me at the end of the ride.  Time for the ibuprofen!

This was a great ride, and we'll be back next year.  The rest stops were superb, the roads were generally in good condition, the climbs were challenging but pretty, and even though there were 4000 riders on the course, it wasn't nearly as congested as some much smaller rides that I've taken part in.

The numbers:

9.5 hours total time from start to finish
8:10 total ride time
4717' of climbing
96.4 miles
12.00 avg speed
The average speed isn't anything to get excited about, but the climbing represents a milestone for me:  I can now look at rides with 5000'  of climbing as possibilities.

Coming up:  California Classic Century in Fresno on May 21, and the LA River Ride on June 5.

Looking Ahead

Looking at the weather for the upcoming weekend and beyond, and it doesn't look good:  chance of rain on Saturday, and chance of showers on Sunday.  I need to get serious and start prepping for the Chico Wildflower, and the rain won't help.  I can ride in the rain, but it's not too enjoyable, it's hard on the equipment, and I really don't want to fall.  Things heal a lot slower now than they did when I was twenty. 
Upcoming organized rides:

• April 2:  Santa Clarita Century (I'll ride the metric)
• April 10:  Gran Fondo Colnago San Diego (again, I'll ride the metric.  I rode it last year during the monsoon.  An epic day.)
• May 1:  Chico Wildflower (planning to try the century, may end up doing the metric if the knees don't cooperate)
• May 14:  My Kiwanis club is hosting its annual ride:  The Hungry Buzzard Century.  I'm the event organizer this year.  WooHoo.

Reedley Blossom Ride and Solvang Century: A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

On Saturday, March 5, I took part in the Reedley Blossom Ride for the first time.  I rode the metric, and had a great ride.  I understood that the route was a challenging one, and it turned out to be all that, but also one of the prettiest and most fun rides I've had in a long time.  The ride started out with a small mass start at 7:30 in Reedley, wound through the local orchards, and then headed into Wonder Valley for the first rest stop: good food, great staff, and a pleasant location.

After the stop, the focal point of the ride occurred, the climb up Ellwood Road--which started at the funkiest pig farm I've ever seen.  The climb was long and challenging, and was followed by one of the most fun descents I've ridden in a long time:  smooth, fast, and swoopy.  I rode with a couple guys from the Kern Wheelmen for a few miles and had a great conversation that just made things better.

Dorky me.

I understand that the route was run in the opposite direction from previous years, and also that it was perhaps a bit more challenging than in the past.  All in all, a fun and well supported ride that I will make an annual event. Mrs. SockMonkey rode the 25 mile route, and had a great time as well. 

Mrs. SockMonkey in her official Sock Monkey Cycling Club jersey.  She's in the car because it's warm there.  I'm outside in the cold because I'm stupid and getting ready for the ride.

The numbers:
5:45 total time from start to finish
4:44 total ride time
2529' of climbing
61.97 miles
13.10 avg speed



On Saturday, March 12, I rode the metric route for the Solvang Century.  I rode the 50 mile route last year, and swore at that time that I'd never ride Solvang again--the wind was particularly brutal that day, and I struggled mightily to finish the ride.  A couple weeks ago, though, my sister invited Mrs. SockMonkey to bake and decorate cookies at her home in Santa Barbara.  With Solvang just a bit up the road, I decided to give the ride another shot.

This time, I rode the 70 mile route.  I thought it was a 61 mile route--at least, that's what the ride website said it was.  I didn't figure out that the ride was longer until I got to the rest stop at mile 51 and saw that I had 19 more miles to go....

A bit of pre-ride drama:  I was having problems with inconsistent shifting, and my chain gauge said it was time to replace my chain, so I did so the night before heading to Santa Barbara. (I know--not a smart thing to make a component change before a major ride without going for at least a short ride to make sure things work properly, but it fixed the shifting problem and I didn't have any issues at all.  I'm just that kind of daredevil.)  In putting my bike in my workstand, I took off my seat bag--and forgot to replace it when I was done.  Soooooo.....sitting in my sister's living room, looking at my bike the night before the ride, I discovered that I didn't have my seat bag/security blanket full of tubes and tools.  Major threat to ride confidence.

The event festival included a tent for a vendor that happened to be open at 6:30, when I arrived at the start area, and I was able to buy a new seat bag, a couple tubes, some tire levers, and a CO2 inflator.  Good to go!

This is what $45 looks like at 6:30 in the morning in Solvang.

The ride started out cool and clear.  I struggled to figure out what to wear, and ended up with a long sleeve shirt, a jersey, and my yellow jacket.  A complete Fred uniform.  The sun popped out pretty early in the ride, but spots on the ride were still pretty chilly, so the jacket stayed on for about third of the ride, and the sleeves came off at the last stop. 

With 4000 riders, the rest stops were pretty busy.  This is the first stop.  Food was good, and the kids who helped out did a great job.  (They were from Grizzly Academy, which is a great local program for at-risk kids.)   A couple minutes after I arrived, some knucklehead started yelling and working up to a fight with another rider in his group.  A little Rodney Dangerfield was in order, it seems:  "I went to a bike ride the other day, and a hockey game broke out."

The wind was not a factor at all for the first half of the ride, and I really enjoyed the trip down Santa Rosa road and the spin uphill to Vandenberg AFB. 

I didn't get much sleep before the ride, and didn't really eat right that morning, so I started to fade.  I had strong thoughts about riding the century, but at mile 35 my knees were starting to hurt, and I knew that, while I might be able to do the distance, the climbing would kill me, especially if the wind kicked up.

Judging my daring:
Deep in thought at the turnoff from the century to the metric.
In this instance, logic rightfully overcame emotion.

So I took the turn for the metric century, and, in retrospect, it was absolutely the right decision.  The ride took us down some pretty roads with some truly crappy surfaces.  I know that it is the hallmark of the novice to complain about the condition of roads, but I'll take advantage of that status to openly bitch about the rotten roads.  These are farm roads, and, clearly, they are used by heavy farm equipment.  Suffice to say that the prostate got a thorough massage for the second half of the ride.  I do know that rough roads are part of the deal.  Some roads, like Foxen Canyon Road on the Solvang Prelude, are rough for a mile or two, and then improve; it seemed that these roads, however, had crappy surfaces that went on forever.

Shortly after the last rest stop, when I discovered that the ride was 70 miles and not 61, the last and most significant climb started.  Drum Canyon was, as a guy who passed me said, "a cruel climb:" a lengthy, consistent climb that ranged from 5 to 10%.  Challenging, but certainly do-able, but my knees were sore and at one point I had to walk about 100 feet up a short, steep section.  Pretty pissed about that; it was the first time that I've had to walk my road bike up a hill.  (I walk my mountain bike up just about every hill, but that's a different story.)  At least I was able to unclip and avoided falling down.

The downhill on the far side of Drum Canyon should have been an exhilarating ride:  it was pretty, steep, and swoopy.  The surface was about as rough as I've ridden, and it didn't get better until I got to Highway 246.  Wrists hurt, knees hurt, and cussing all the way.  Thankfully, the last few miles were on the smooth shoulder of the highway. 

If I had posted this right after the ride, it would have been filled with #$%!ing and a promise to never ride Solvang again.  I've lightened up a bit on that, but this event is clearly not at the top of my fun list.  I would like to conquer this century, but I'm gonna need a bit more training and zen to do so.  And I would think that with 4000 riders who paid what they did for the ride, someone could put a couple bucks into paving the roads.

On the plus side, the support from local law enforcement at major intersections was superb.  Thanks to those folks for making the ride safer and more fun.

And, on the way out of town, the Solvang Traffic Jam!

The numbers:
6:05 total time from start to finish
5:27 total ride time
3315' of climbing
70.82 miles
12.90 avg speed

So, a tale of two cities:  A great little ride close to home, and an frustrating big ride that had potential but really didn't pan out.