Swami's Cycling Club: Guru News

July 2023

Fellow Swami's members, a lot of cycling happened in June, making it the perfect lead-in to Tour de France Month, also known as July. The special events start right away with the Rouleur Slay Rides of Independence on July 1 and peak on July 15 with our Tour de France ride and party that answers the question "Should I watch the Tour, or should I ride?" with an emphatic "Both!" Let the Tour, and the July rides, begin!

Poker Ride is a Winner

The Swami’s Poker ride is in the books, and we want to thank all the volunteers for making the stations as fun as the ride. From the heights of Double Peak to Buccaneer Park on the coast, from Cadence Cyclery to Eliel, rider teams navigated their way around North County aiming for fastest time, greatest distance, most elevation, and many other prizes. At the stations, volunteers challenged the

teams’ ability to act, run barefoot, drink Fireball shots, throw at cornhole boards, and break the Velominati rules. The fun and craziness spilled over to the party and award ceremony afterward. We hope you didn’t miss this one!

The grand prize - fastest time - was won by Team E11even in a hotly-contested race with last year's winner, 3 Celos and a Fellow, that came down to a difference of 7½ minutes. Even more impressive was that Team E11even managed this despite two flats! With this victory, the Poker Ride trophy, a life-size bust of an ape we call Cornelius, is Team E11even's to keep - until next year.

The winners of each category are:

Fastest time: Swami's E11even Racing Team
Shortest route: 3 Celos and a Fellow TIED with More Cowbell
Most elevation: Fat Bastards
Best photo: D-stroyers
Best poker hand: 3 Celos and a Fellow
Worst poker hand: Fat Bastards
Best team name: 3 Slots and a Poker
Longest route: 2 Stooges and a Stoogette

For lots of pictures and memories, see our Facebook page. A special shoutout to the hosts of the Poker Ride stations: Cadence Cyclery, Eliel, and the San Marcos High School Mountain Bike Team!

RAAM-o-rama

On Sunday, June 17, we wished Swami’s member Patrick Hailey good luck as he and his seven teammates on team Tutapona left Oceanside Pier to start the Race Across America. Six days, 7 hours, and 9 minutes later, the team rolled into Annapolis, Maryland to take third place in the 2023 RAAM 8-person team competition!

Taking 15 minute pulls every 45 minutes at an average power of 336 watts, Patrick rode 442 miles at a daily average speed of 21 to 26 mph, leaving a 3000-mile long trail of new Strava leaderboard entries.

The team raised almost $120,000 to support Tutapona, an organization that provides quality mental health services to refugees and communities around the world affected by war. We congratulate Patrick and look forward to his future accomplishments!

7/1 Rouleur Independence Day Slay Rides

On Saturday, July 1, the fireworks are going to be in your legs! We’ll join the Rouleur Independence Day Slay Rides, leaving from Rouleur Brewing in Carlsbad (map) at 8:00 for the road rides and 9:00 for the gravel ride. Road riders have the choice of the rocket’s red glare, a 50 mile ride with 4,000’ of climbing, or the bombs bursting in air, 63 miles with 5,000’ feet of elevation. When you get back, gorge yourself on food by Thumbs Up Barbecue, and $5 pints all day long! Routes and other information are on the Rouleur Facebook Page.

7/2 Social Ride

On Sunday, July 2, we're hosting our monthly Swami's Social Ride. It’s a conversationally-paced ride where you can meet long-time as well as new Swami’s members. You can check out all of the details here. A reminder: we now start and finish the Social Rides at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Bressi Ranch (map). Wear a Swami's kit from any year to get a free pastry and coffee or drink of your choice.

7/15 Tour de France Ride and Viewing Party

The Tour de France is upon us again, and it’s the perfect excuse to get together with fellow cyclists and enjoy our favorite sport! On Saturday, July 15, we’ll kick off the day with a morning ride and return for food and beer while we watch Stage 14 - or just party!

We have two rides to choose from, and the start times are staggered so we all get back to Rouleur around the same time.

Roll times are 8:00 for the 58 mile ride or 8:30 for the 49 mile ride. Lunch and the first beer are included with registration, which is free for Swami’s members – beer provided by Rouleur, of course!

Remember, you need to sign up, so register here! Registration is free for Swami’s members and $20 for others, but prices go up on July 13, so don’t wait until the last minute!

7/16 Donut Ride

On Sunday, July 16, we’ll join the famous Donut Ride, leaving from Cadence Cyclery at 8:15 AM. NOTE: Because Camp Pendleton has paused renewing base passes, the route may change depending on the availability of military sponsors. For specifics, follow the Cadence Instagram account and check it as the date approaches. The one constant is that there will be donuts!

Wednesdays are Hoppy Days

With the sun setting at 8 pm now, it’s the perfect time to come to the Wednesday Hoppy Hour Ride! Starting at Rouleur Brewing Company in Carlsbad at 5:30 pm every Wednesday, the ride takes you on a challenging 19-mile loop that’s the perfect mid-week kick in the butt. Afterward, join the post-ride at Rouleur to talk about how it went down. If you wear your Swami’s kit, the first beer is free! See our Hoppy Hour page for more information.

UCSD Cycling

June was an eventful end to a great racing season for the UCSD cycling team. At the JKC Memorial Hunte Parkway Road Race, the team animated the Cat 3 and Cat 4 races, with Dennis Liang taking 4th place in the Cat 3’s out of a strong

breakaway group with the help of Issac Ye. The Cat 4 racers, Max Rosenbloom, YungYi Sun, and Alessandro Cirulli, participated in an ambitious but classically futile breakaway. At the Barrio Logan Grand Prix, Alessandro took 3rd place in the Cat 4’s group sprint, and Issac took 3rd place in a fast and furious Cat 3 race.

The season ended on a tasty note with UCSD’s famous Tour De Donuts! The Tour was a successful fundraiser for the UCSD team, thanks to record participation from students, alumni, and the San Diego cycling community. Alessandro Cirulli came out on top, somehow finding room in his climber's physique for 16 donuts! School is now out for the summer and the UCSD cyclists are home logging miles for another eventful year!

Do you know a cyclist who would make a good Guru?

Please share this newsletter with them and invite them to join Swami’s Cycling Club!

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Guru News: Swami's Newsletter, July 2023