Early Signs

This past Saturday I went up to ride with the big dogs on the Swami's A ride. I got spit out the back on dump hill, but still got some quality work in. One encouraging sign was that even with the lack of much effective or pain free riding I managed to maintain 319 watts for 20 minutes. That's my high LT from last season... hopefully a omen of good things to come. Now, if I could only maintain 400 watts for 20 minutes... and drop 30 pounds...

Bee's Knees

I've been having major issues with my knees. Years of team sports in high school and club sports in college left me with a torn ACL in my right knee, a torn MCL in my left, and a fair amount of my meniscus missing in both.

I had been training pretty hard for a two day stage race up in Bishop, lots of climbing, but two days before I was to leave my left knee popped out of joint... not as bad as in the past, and not as bad as last winter... but still enough to keep me from going.

I took that as a sign to keep off the bike for a while, so I spent the next three weeks staying away.

When I got back on, the knee pain returned. Slowly at first, but by this Monday I was really wondering if I might have to give cycling up. Today I went for a slow, easy ride up the coast and on the way back everything "clicked" into place. Earlier, the weekend before the Bishop race, our rep from WTB had sent us some new saddles to try out. I had been having a love / hate relationship with my current Fizik saddle (I had decided that even though it was one of the most uncomfortable saddles I had ever used - there was no way I was going to be defeated by a saddle) and was willing to try out something else. I bolted it on, keeping it at the same angle as my previous perch, and went for a ride. And there was the mistake. I have always set my saddles up slightly nose high and so set this one up the same way.

So on the ride back, I dropped the nose a few degrees and the pain disappeared! Who would have thunk? I guess rotating my hips forward also changed the way the pedaling forces go through my knees. I'll know for certain over the next few weeks.

Week One: Training Program 10.18 - 10.25

Monday: 2 hr Gym Workout

Tuesday: 2.5 hr w/ Spin Ups & ILTs

Wednesday: 5 hr Climbing @ low zone 1-2

Thursday: 2 hr Gym Workout; 1 hour on trainer

Friday: 2.25 hr low intensity zone 1-2

Saturday: 2.5 hr w/ Spin Ups & ILTs

Sunday: 1 hr x-train

Total: 17.5 hrs

Blue Trolley

I really piled on the miles this week. With the Everest Challenge and the Steamboat Stage Race coming up I'm looking at back to back racing with some long stages and even more daunting elevation gains. So with that in mind I did a 135 mile/10,000'+ day on Tuesday, a 76 mile / 5600'+ day on Wednesday, and a 106 mile/3000' day today; that made for a 28 hr week with 388.86 miles and 21,000' of climbing.

The goal this Sunday was to ride up to Fallbrook and back - with a stop at Pedro's Tacos for a Bean, Rice, and Potato Burrito. I haven't had one in years... a worthy goal. Sunday morning was fairly quiet, but by late morning the roads were filled the usual SUV and Harley craziness. Not fun.

Long days

17 hours of riding over the past two days... 206 miles... 10,709 kilojoules... 16,000'+ of climbing.

Tuesday was an epic day, I left the house at 6am and rode up though Escondido, grabbed a espresso and roll @ the Blue Mug, a couple of Bananas and a Granny Smith at a fruit stand and climbed up Valley Center Road towards... well, Valley Center. I dropped down Cole Grade and on a whim began to climb up Nate Harrison Grade... so steep. They are doing some road work on it, large trucks rumbled past, kicking up plumes of beige dust. At the top they were busy laying asphalt and so I had to turn around and slide back down the mountain.

I headed back up 76 and after Lake Henshaw took a right and climbed up Mesa Grande to Santa Ysabel. I hugged the white line and dropped down to Ramona and headed back home via Scripps Ranch. The new asphalt on Kearny Mesa Drive was well welcomed. 134 miles and some cramping legs. By the way, if you haven't tried DZNuts... run out and grab a tube now.

Wednesday was the weekly Cyclovet ride, with the two headed cycling monster of Arnie and Floyd - I was hoping for a slower day... Don, Jay, and I managed to get away on the first climb up to Jamul. We worked well together, I put in an effort towards the end of the climb and crested the climb solo. As I pulled into the stop, I looked over my shoulder and the two headed monster was just pulling in... barely made it.

One the second climb I struggled to stay with the two headed monster and Josh, but dropped back at the top and couldn't tag back on, although it looked like they slowed up for me. I dangled back about 20 meters and by the later portion Arnie/Floyd had gaped Josh as well. By the third section I was feeling the day before and struggled the rest of the way.

On the descent of Mexican Canyon the monster passed by like a freight train, and barreled by everyone, except for Don who latched on to a UPS truck's draft and and carried the speed through the sprint...Chapeau!

Week One

This week training for the Everest Challenge begins in earnest:

Monday: Trainer workout 1A

Tuesday: 85 miles with 10,000 feet of climbing @ 69-94% of LT

Wednesday: 75 miles with 5600 feet of climbing w/ 4 x 5 minute intervals @ > 4000' per hour

Thursday: Trainer workout 1B

Friday: 15 miles recovery ride

Saturday: 45 miles endurance ride @ 69-83% LT

Sunday: 50 miles endurance climbing 5 X 10 minute intervals @ >3000' per hour

285 miles with 26,000' of climbing

ouch...