Steve's Mountain Bike Page
Turlock, California

Fort Ord (Laguna Seca), Monterey

August 10, 2002

Since I'm going out of town and won't be able to ride for about 10 days I wanted a good aerobic workout with little chance of getting hurt. I figured it would be much cooler at Fort Ord, but it was probably as hot as it ever gets there, and there is absolutely no shade. I did the same ride as May 12, 2001. Despite the heat the 30 minute climb up Guidotti Road didn't seem as bad as I remembered and I didn't need any stops. However, about an hour into the ride I began to feel the heat so I took it easy for a half hour and recovered. I really began to feel the heat near the end on the one hour grind in the hot sun up Oilwell Road. Fortunately I took plenty of water, as I always do, and I watched out for signs of heat exhaustion. I have felt my knees improving the past week and they were fantastic, even on the initial 30 minute climb with no warm up. My aerobic capacity seemed quite good, only the heat seemed to slow me down, even on the long climbs. I took the following route: Toro Creek Rd., Guidotti Rd., Trails 47, 48, Skyline Rd., 11, 43, 41, Oilwell Rd., Skyline Rd., Guidotti Rd., Toro Creek Rd. Here is the route map. The color coding on the map is as follows: red - singletrack, green - singletrack/doubletrack, yellow- dirt road, blue - gravel road. 

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