OLD TOWN MONROVIA, CA

IRONCAMP WEST COAST: PREPARATIONS
I flew into LA on Wednesday night, met Rich and we rolled into his hometown of Monrovia. It wasn't until 30 mins into our ride the next morning that I lifted my head and saw the moutains (above). Sha-zaam! Like I told Rick, this place is better than advertised.

Thursday morning started off with a nice tempo ride with Rich and our mutual buddy, Rich Sawaris (of Wheelbuilder.com fame). About 35 miles of riding with more UPs than DOWNs (or so it seemed) and definitley more time above my FT than I thought was possible on day one. :) The rest of the day was spent hooking up Rich's new Ergomo power device and doing basic administrative stuff.

Friday had us up early, heading our for a nice 10-mile run up to a fire trail (in them thar mountains) with Riley, Rich's black lab. Super fun. Then after a nice breakfast -- and more work -- we rode off to the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center for a masters workout. Round trip is just under 20 miles on the bike and we got in an hour at the pool. Both of us talked good game and when we got out, complained of massive calf and hamstring cramps. So much for being tough.

Campers come into night and we fire up the camp with a group ride in the AM. More soon...

Patrick