[CR]Ride Report/ Secret Masi Ride

(Example: Events:Cirque du Cyclisme:2002)

Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:15:12 -0800
From: "Brian Baylis" <rocklube@adnc.com>
To: classic rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Ride Report/ Secret Masi Ride

Dear listmembers,

Got a minute now while dinner cooks, so I'll try to capture the highlights of the ride held this past Sunday starting in Solana Beach. Last week the ride, except for Charles, was postponed due to uncertain weather. JB put it well; we have so many beautiful days in San Diego there really isn't any reason to ride when it's crappy outside. I would prefer to sit at home by the fire and catch up with my knitting. I had the extreme pleasure of bringing Joe Bell with me as we went to pick up Pergolizzi in La Jolla on the way up. John was expecting me when the knock came at his door. There was something "staged" for my benifit inside the apartment which JB witnessed instead, and I don't know what it was. Anyway, we collected John and we were early enough to have time to take the scenic coastal route to our destination. The day was already warm and glorious. We arrived and parked directly behind the Pizza Port which was prime parking area. Soon Dave Staub rode up and several others began to loiter around the car as we unloaded. We actually had plenty of time to get ready and enjoy the conversation before the ride.

The crowd ended up being fairly large for such an occassion. There were several group photos taken, I will try to remember everyone who was there, but forgive me if I leave someone out. Guy Apple from Sunnyvale, CA was there with a very nice Legnano he got from Dale apparently. Chuck Schmidt on his '71 Masi Gran Criterium. Pergolizzi on his Rivendell, Sterling Peters on his Masi GC, Jay Vande Velde on a Carlsbad Masi, Charles Andrews on a Carlsbad Masi GC, Dave Staub on his Waterford, Joe Bell on his Custom lugged steel Holland frame, Craig Fenstermaker on his snazzy 650c wheel Baylis, Dwight Moore on an OS tubing Baylis, Eddie Wilkinson (THE Fast Eddie) on a Rob Roberson built custom gold plated and pearl white Masi GC, built I think at the Roland Sahm estate in about 1979. Jim Kadonaga was riding a Pinarello of some modern design, and a gentleman from LA named Burl and his son whose name I didn't get, were riding some TI bikes I think. I rode my 1969 Masi Special, the white and red one that I like to ride. Tom Hanson joined us shortly after we got into Rancho Santa Fe riding a DeRosa.

We departed the coast and headed directly east just about right on time. I think we rode maybe 300 yards before the road began to climb. The very first thing one encounters heading away from the coast is a hill that you must get over. No worries, we're all manly men. A little climb won't hurt us, right? So we climb and climb and climb. Steady uphill all the way into Rancho Sante Fe which is a few miles from the coast. Nice way to begin the beautiful morning actually. When the weather is this nice it really doesn't matter what the road is like. Anyway, we enter RSF (the richest community per capita in the US, I understand!) and the road is curvy and rolling up and down and it is just wonderful to pedal through there in a pack of old cycling geezers. We stop for the first regrouping in the "middle of town" by a big tree, where a photo was taken. We gather up everyone before be cruise down the main drag and then out of town. We pass the Village Chruch, location of Roland Sahms' funeral service a few months ago. Soon we are at the vast corner parcel that is the Roland Sahm estate. The house sits atop a hill overlooking acres of lemon and other citrus trees, a man made stream and pond, a driveway with gate that cost one Million dollars to build in 1973. We stood around and things looked a little different on the property to JB and I, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I think they may have relocated the barn and added a guest house to the property.

We then proceeded north and rode around the water reserve and on to one of my favorite stretches of road in RSF. The treelined road is rolling through fenced estates when it suddenly begins to drop a little and get kinda curvy. Perfect place to slam it into your top gear and roll down and around the curves at high speed. The down side is that it goes up again just enough to make you regret blowing all your cookies on the downhill. We make a right turn and again we are climbing over another "bump". Ouch. But then a downhill and I know that from here it is flat for a while. Or IS it? Craig, who knows the area directs us to a "safer and easier" way to get to La Costa Ave. He was right, but he forgot to mention that instead of going flat we were going to climb a hill only to go down the other side. I think this jog is where we may have lost Burl. When we stopped to regroup we realized one rider wasn't with us. No one knew when he was last with us. We had stopped, but apparently not long enough at one of the turns. I don't know what happened from there.

The group turned onto La Costa Ave. and headed towards the coast like a bullet train. We covered the next mile or two and finally hit the Coast Highway (Hwy 1) and turned north to ride to the location of the original Masi factory. Riding here is so refreshing. You see the clear ocean on your left as the lightly trafficed road leads you north. Perfect for a nice doddle on a Sunday afternoon with a bunch of friends. Life was indeed wonderful. About a mile from the target stop Sterling Peters gets a flat tire. Couldn't have happened at a nicer spot. A beautiful grass area just happened to be there, in front of some houses I've never seen before, and I've ridden past here thousands of times since 1973. Anyway, I'm going to pause here to stuff my piehole. I'll take up with an account of a "slow motion" tire change that was priceless to watch. JB and I were seriously cracking up. And then the sacred ceremony at the Masi site. Stay tuned.

Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA