Think of the three things that would make a bike ride really hard and what comes to mind. Lets see really hot temperatures, steep long hills, and wind, and I forgot really long time in the saddle. Well the Henshaw loop in North County San Diego has all of these. My buddy Larry Davidson and 4 other brave explorers, in way better shape than me, rode the route yesterday and I wanted to give anybody reading a taste for this ride (probably my hardest ride ever).
The ride started in Carsbad near the 5 fwy and rode inland to the looming mountains in the Cleveland National Forest. We left at 7AM and by 8AM only one hour into the ride it was around 85 degree’s. Lets talk about some highlights. For me the first stretch from Carlsbad to Romona after we were out of town was really mentally hard. The heat was now in the 90’s, there was very little air and the inclines seemed to go on and on.
After that point we were stopping almost every 15 to 20 miles to get more nutrition and water becuase you can drink to large bottles in that stretch. At about mile 65 there is a huge climb before a major 5 mile decent. About 3/4 of the way up my right quad started to cramp and become painful. Larry and Scott (my saviors) both handed me some salt stick pills to take and that combined with heavy hydration started to slowly bring me back. That 5 mile downhill I mentioned was screaming fast and that combined with about 115 degree temps felt like putting your into a heated oven.
After taking a water break at a taco stand at the bottom of the mountain we road out through Rincon and to the last 8 miles of climbing. I have never ridden in such hot conditions. As my condition improved two other riders in our crew worsened to a steady bonk as we moved closed to the ocean. When we reached Palamar Airport Road I can not tell you what a difference it made feeling the off shore ocean air blow in our faces. This was a bonding, mentally tough, ride that made a memory for me. Give it a try if you dare.
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