Swami's Cycling Club: Guru News July 2026 |
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President's Corner It's July, the perfect month to get in as much riding as possible. Not only are the days warm and long, but this is the month that features the signature event of our sport, the Tour de France, and as we go on our rides, we can feel we are in some way participating. We'll be taking advantage of the summer opportunity with a number of long rides this month including Coronado, Soledad, and Lilac, and I'm looking forward to riding them with you. Thanks to those of you who answered our survey regarding a Mellow Monday ride. Because of the wide range of preferences for starting time and place, we're keeping this under consideration but not planning anything specific for now. |
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Finally, I'm glad to celebrate the achievements of two Swamis in this newsletter, Tony Marshall and Adam Cordi. Of all of the things that cycling has to offer us, I think one of the most inspiring is the challenge, when we think we have nothing left, to find inner resources we didn't know we had. Tony and Adam show us how to rise to this challenge against both national-level competitors and our own selves. Michael Reich |
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7/4 Independence Day Holiday Ride 2026On Saturday, July 4, we’ll celebrate with a ride that visits some of our favorite northern destinations. We’ll start at Cadence Cyclery (map), head north on the coast to Carlsbad, then turn east and ride through Vista to Lilac, Circle R, Champagne, and Jesmond Dene. For those of you who need to be home to start the grill, there’s a short alternative that will still give you a lot of bang for your buck. |
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7/5 Social RideOn Sunday, July 5, 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. Check out all of the details here. We 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 coffee and baked good on Swami’s! Have a classic bike you like to show off? This is the ride. Route: 33.5 mi/1539’ https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48626897 |
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7/11 Coronado RideOn Saturday, July 11, we’ll go on our summer Coronado adventure. We’ll leave from Cadence Cyclery (map) at 8:20 and head through downtown San Diego, then along the Silver Strand to Coronado, where we’ll take the ferry back across the bay and ride back to the start. Those who want to start further south can meet at the Torrey Pines Gliderport (map) and roll at 8:40.See our Coronado Ride event for all the details. Remember to pause your Strava on the ferry unless you’re planning on swimming alongside! |
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The cost of the ferry crossing is $9.00 per person. You can pay beforehand at the Coronado Ferry web site, or bring cash or a credit card for the ticket machine. Routes |
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7/18 Mt. SoledadOn Saturday, July 18, we’ll take on Mt. Soledad, a ride that’s as beautiful as it is challenging. This ride is dedicated to the memory of long-time Swami Mike Buc, who we lost suddenly and tragically in May. We’ll go to the top twice and in between explore some of Soledad that you may not have encountered. We’ll regroup at the top of climbs and take breaks as necessary. The ride leaves from Cadence Cyclery (map) at 8:20 am. The D group will leave from the Carmel Valley Park and Ride (map) at 8:30 am. Complete information is on our website. Routes |
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7/25 Tour de France Viewing and RideThe Tour de France is upon us again, and it’s the perfect excuse to get together with fellow cyclists and enjoy our favorite sport! Saturday, July 25 is the queen stage, a punishing 171 km ride with 5450 meters of climbing including the hors categorie Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Galibier, and Col de Sarenne climbs, culminating on the historic Alpe d'Huez. We’ll watch the stage, head out for our own ride, and come back and celebrate. More details as the date approaches. |
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Have Bike - Will GravelIn early April this year, Strava friends of Swami Adam Cordi stopped and stared at their feeds, which showed a ride of 388 miles over 39 hours, with 28,000 feet of elevation. No, a Strava glitch had not combined 2 weeks’ worth of data into one ride. Adam had just completed the Stagecoach 400, a tour of San Diego County that subjects riders to nearly 400 miles of dirt doubletrack, technical singletrack, urban bike paths, and meandering roads, including a soul-crushing,10-mile hike-a-bike through deep desert sand in Anza Borrego. During his weekend-long ordeal, Adam faced challenges both practical (figuring out how to keep his computer charged for the whole ride) and transcendental (entering states of consciousness that merged the second and third dimensions). |
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The ride was just the latest in a string of extreme challenges Adam has set for himself. In June 2025, Adam completed the Transpyr Mountain Bike Epic, a relentless, week-long stage race across the Pyrenees mountains in Spain that required riders to grind out an average of 60 miles and 8,000 feet of elevation gain each day for seven consecutive days. Although not knowing Spanish was another challenge, the riders could all understand the universal language of suffering. Just a couple of months after Transpyr, Adam threw himself at the Trans-San Gabriel ride, a self-supported gravel route of 220 miles and 25,000 feet of elevation that required him to fight sleep deprivation while teetering precariously on a cliffside trail in the dark. As these notes were being written, Adam finished Bones to Blue, a ride passing many scenic and historically significant areas around Lake Tahoe. While Adam has earned the right to say the ride was "only 245 miles," its 30,000 feet of elevation guaranteed that it was still a worthy challenge. All these achievements show that Adam is a beast of the first magnitude, and yet he is also one of the friendliest Swamis you could meet. You will often find him on FriDave coffee rides and Sunday recovery rides, as comfortable chatting in the peloton as he is portaging his MTB over endless desert sands. Adam says of his adventures, “For me, these events provide an avenue to challenge myself in ways that don’t necessarily require pinning on a race number or riding in a tight and fast-moving pack of cyclists. Sometimes winning simply constitutes finishing and achieving a goal that you set for yourself.” |
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A word from our ketone sponsorIf you haven't tried Kenetik yet, now's the time. Kenetik drinks provide bioavailable ketones in a variety of flavors and have gotten rave reviews from Swamis on both taste and performance benefits. Swami’s members get a 15% discount. To take advantage of the discount code, head to https://drinkkenetik.com/discount/KCP-SWAMIS or use KCP-SWAMIS at checkout. |
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Save the Date - 8/8 Cabrillo
- 8/15 Tour de Carlsbad
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Your bike is a discovery; your bike is freedom. It doesn’t matter where you are when you’re on the saddle; you’re taken away. – Doug Donaldson |
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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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© Copyright, 2026, Swami's Cycling Club 6965 El Camino Real, Suite 105 PMB 119 Carlsbad, CA 92009 |
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