AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA
This is Phil’s Cookie Fondo. As I write this I have a fresh huge chocolate chip cookie on my hotel’s nightstand that I will never eat. But this was a bike ride with the Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookie routes today. Tomorrow is the main event and will have the Double Fudge route, a whooping 117 miles and the Mini Chip rides as well as more Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookie rides.
As soon as I went through check-in, I saw Phil Gaimon, complete with his Cookie Monster head. He called out my name and we got a quick photo. I first met Phil 10 years ago at the Mount Washington Auto Road Hillclimb and he has never forgotten. (Think on that)
We had a police escort for the first 3-4 miles. Not really sure when they peeled off. The group of about 100 riders stayed mostly together for a while and I was comfortable sitting in. Around five miles I decided I wasn’t going to keep up the pace we had been traveling.
I climbed Palomar Mountain on Wednesday, Mount Baldy on Thursday, Gibraltar Road yesterday. My legs were dead. And there would be climbing on this ride. I didn’t try to keep up. Besides, I can’t take pictures while I’m in the group.
It was a beautiful route but it wasn’t flat. Topanga Canyon was nice but oh, that climb. We would climb 6,000′ in 48 miles.
The longer route for Phil’s Fondo Bonus Day goes over the peaceful Old Topanga Canyon into Fernwood. Take a break on the climb because it’s steep, but tell your friends you just had to get that the photo of the beautiful view of LA. Enjoy a cookie and another amazing photo op at Saddle Peak before you descent Piuma back to the expo.
At Mile 21 in we turned up. The road was a residential area but it was a climb. It would be a five-mile climb. Countless times it looked like the hill would crest. You could see the top of the hill and dreamed of the descent that waited over the hill. But arriving at “the top” the road would turn and keep climbing. And you could see more hill. Repeat. I didn’t research this climb and don’t know that it would have made any difference.
The views from Saddle Peak were gorgeous. The road we took looked like it would take us to the ocean and I think it would have taken us down to the Pacific Coast Highway. But after a mile and one half descent we turned back and began the climb back up (damn him). I thought we would go back to where we had been but the map shows we did not repeat our route in this area.
It was hot. Garmin showed 90° although it may have only been 88°. Rest stop one I ate a cookie. Rest stop two I ate a cookie. I did not take on more water because I had 1/2 bottle and it was ice cold. Topping it off would take off the chill. Although the next stop was eight miles away, five of it was uphill. I ran out of water.
I drank and refilled (with ice) at rest stop three. And it didn’t last me long. I was glad to get to stop four which was a repeat of stop one. And that bottle certainly didn’t last long.
My legs are tired. During the second half of this ride, I made the decision not to do the full Chocolate Chip ride (88 miles) tomorrow. When I got back I asked a woman how her ride was. She said “horrible.” She told me she was going to ride to the beach tomorrow.
She had come from Dallas and I thought it was a little silly to make the trip then ride the baby route (30 miles). But today’s ride would make you do that. I did understand.
This evening I went to a reception. Phil gave me a hug (is he ever skinny). I showed him our first picture and he told me that he remembers what I told him at Mount Washington ten years ago. Toms Skujins, a rider from Trek – Segafredo (Latvia), came over and introduced himself. How refreshing.
I am planning do ride the Sugar Cookie route for tomorrow. It’s 50 miles but with not as much climbing as today. My legs are shot and I know it. And the cookie sits uneaten.
