Swami's Cycling Club: Guru News

June 2024

Fellow Swami's members, we have a lot to tell you about this month! The Poker Ride is back, and though last year was a tough act to follow, we know you're up to it. We have kit updates including a new order window that is now open, new cycling opportunities, and lots of racing news. See you on the road!

6/2 Social Ride

On Sunday, June 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. The rides start and finish the at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Bressi Ranch (map). Wear a Swami's kit from any year to get a coffee and baked good on Swami’s!

6/22 Poker Ride!

The Poker Ride is here again! On Saturday, June 22, we will have our non-race up and down North County in pursuit of the best (or worst) poker hand, the most (or least) elevation, the best (or worst) team name, and more! Here are the basics - for all the info, see our Poker Ride web page!

Registration is required. You can register here. The ride is free for current Swami’s members.

We start and end at Aviara Community Park, 6435 Ambrosia Lane, Carlsbad (map) We'll be at the outlook.
Teams roll out as soon as all members are present and checked in. Check-in begins at 7:45 AM.
You need to be in a team of at least four riders.
There will be five card stations, including the start, where each team will receive a playing card and the location of the next station.
There are NO route sheets - each team figures out how to get to the next station.
There will be plenty of food and drinks at the end, but during the ride, make sure that you have enough nutrition for 50-60 miles. The stations will have water.

Have questions? For the latest Poker Ride news and details, go to our Poker Ride web page. PS We are looking for volunteers! If you can help make the fun happen, contact Susan Anthony at treas@swamis.org.

Kit news

Aero kit ordering window. Because so many of you have asked, the Swami's team store is now open for a special summer aero road suit order, featuring the summer 2024 theme! Swami's members can go to the Swami's kit web site to make their order. Remember to scroll to the bottom to see the styles!

The kit store will close at the end of Wednesday, June 5, so don't wait - this will be the last order of the 2024 kit style!

Summer kit order. For those of you who ordered during our summer kit window: your kit will be in mid to late June, with plenty of time to put to use on those hot summer and fall rides. A reminder: if you didn't request that your order be mailed to your home, it will be sent to Cadence Cyclery (map), where you can pick it up. If you want to pick up your order at Eliel, contact Susan Anthony at treas@swamis.org.

More ways to cycle!

The past few weeks have brought good news about a couple of long-awaited cycling options:

Camp Pendleton is issuing base passes again. Look for the return of San Clemente rides in the near future! The visitor’s center (map) has opened up again and some Swami’s members have reported a very smooth process. Make sure you have all the required information - just a driver’s license isn’t enough! If you don’t have a RealID you also need one of the following in addition to your driver’s license: US passport, US passport card, US permanent resident card, certificate of naturalization, or both your Social Security card and birth certificate. More information about visitor center hours and access is here.

The 56 Bike Path extension is complete! After many years of planning and multiple challenges to constructing a bike path under the I5, the SR-56 bike path extension project is now complete! Cyclists now have an unbroken path between the 56 bike path and all of the north-south paths accessible from Carmel Valley Road. Our own Swami’s member Dulie Malikyar, pictured holding the bicycle, oversaw the project as CalTrans senior project manager.

Swami's Cycling Team

Swami's team member Mark Palmer took First Place for Masters 65+ at the Hunte Parkway Road Race! Mark put on a strong effort and rode away from the field from the first lap! See more results here. There was plenty of team participation in CBR #5 Dominguez Hills, featuring a 4th place for Scott Claes (results), the Triton Crit where Mark Arrington placed 5th in a large Cat 4 field (results), and the Barry Wolfe Grand Prix, where Scott Claes again took 4th in the M60+ category (results).

The team's looking forward to strong showings at the CBR series finale in Carson City, the San Louis Rey Road Race, and the Barrio Logan Crit.

UCSD Cycling Team

The UCSD Tritons Cycling Team ended the season strong.The month started with the USA Cycling Road Collegiate Nationals in Albuquerque, NM and the the team did not disappoint! Dominic Orlando had a strong showing in both the Men’s Individual Time Trial and Road Race, but it was Elisa Luo coming away as the team MVP. Elisa finished with 4th place in the Women’s Individual Time Trial and 9th place in the Women’s Individual Road Race!

The Triton Crit saw a great turnout, with 130 racers bringing their thrilling vibes to the course along with 20 racers from the Triton team. With such strong participation they look forward to making this an annual event.

The grand finale was the team's signature ride, the Tour de Donuts! Thirty riders competed to see how many donuts they could inhale before it affected their VO2 max. The overall winner consumed 10 donuts, provided by Leucadia Donut Shoppe, and all riders left feeling quite satisfied!