Leadville Pre-Race

Race week finally arrived.  After riding on Saturday, and because we were leaving early on Wednesday am, I thought it would be good to ride Del Cerro on Monday instead of Tuesday.  That way, we could also do an easy ride in Leadville on Thursday before racing on Saturday and I should be well rested.

We hit the road as planned on Wednesday am and drove to Green River, UT, about 2/3 of the way to Leadville.
We stayed at a little motel called the Robbers Roost, which was inexpensive and adequate.  Israel and I woke up and had breakfast in a local coffee house, which had a cool feel to it, except the help wasn't real friendly.  Strange for Utah.  We then picked up Susan and it the road to Leadville.  The plan was to get into Leadville, scope out the situation with checking in, etc., do a little ride, then head out to our motel in Buena Vista.



We finally arrived to town and you can see Leadville maintained the feel of a historic mining town. Here are pics from 1879 and present:

During the check in, we ran into Sonya Looney, who Israel and I both have a little crush on. What's not to like right?  Hot, awesome endurance mountain biker, and from her blogs, seemed to be really cool.  Well, we're both even bigger fans now.  She was totally cool and not only let us both take pics with her, but she spent extra time talking to us, even though it appeared her crew was ready to move on.

We also stopped by the 'Herbalife Base Camp', which was right near the registration area.  Susan made arrangements for us to hang out there and also for us to get Herbalife 24 race kits.  Cool.

We headed out to ride and decided to go out for about an hour, maybe a little more.  After scoping out the options we set out to ride the first part of the course, and maybe check out the first part of the St. Kevins climb.  After circling around some and trying to find our way, we ran into a group of guys who were also heading out to climb St. Kevins and they invited us along.  We started up St. Kevins, and it was fairly steady, but there were a few steep sections. It felt good to ride, but I felt the altitude, especially when trying to catch my breath.  Maybe it was riding with those other guys, but we went a little harder than planned, and also quite a bit longer.  We ended up doing a 2-hour ride.  Not crazy or stupid but not part of the game plan either, knowing it's harder to recover in the altitude, and I am always better off with more recovery time.  Was good to get some anxiety out though.

Week Ending August 5- Tapering

After the Harding ride there was just a couple of weeks until the race, so it was time to taper.  Because I felt like I was behind and still trying to catch up, this meant keeping the frequency, but dropping the intensity and duration.

We did a pretty easy ride at Del Cerro on Tuesday, then a moderate PV road ride on Thursday.  For the weekend ride, Israel, Matt and I headed to Santa Monica and climbed Westridge, rode over and did the Eagle Rock loop, then came back and descended Sullivan Canyon.  The side singletrack sections in the canyon were really fun!  Was still a descent ride, but nothing too long or hard.

After the ride, I felt like I had done all I could to get ready for the race.  I had the setback in May, but gradually ramped up the volume until I felt like at least I had my base back.  Didn't think my high end was where I wanted, but with my goal to simply make sure I get the belt buckle and finish in sub 12 hours, I felt like I was in good shape.

Week Ending July 29- Harding

After Big Bear and with just three weeks until Leadville, I normally would have tapered more, but because of my time off in May, I thought it would be good to get another good training week in, then taper the last two weeks.

Did the usual Del Cerro on Tuesday and PV road ride on Thursday, then decided to do Harding to the peak on Sunday.  I thought Harding would be the closest thing we have here in So Cal to the Columbine climb.

The whole Leadville crew joined in for the Harding climb.  We started up and I felt pretty good. Charlie gapped me, but I put a gap on Israel and Susan.  I decided to push the pace up to Four Corners and made it up in 1:24.  Here's the obligatory bike shot up at Four Corners.

Though I felt pretty good during the climb to Four Corners, once we started climbing to the peak my legs soon reminded me that I would need to pace myself at Leadville.  I think most of my base fitness was back, but I was not ready to maintain higher intensities.  The good thing though was my back was holding up nicely.  All the yoga, stretching, massage and chiropractic work was paying off.  We all made it up to the peak and celebrated our last semi-big training ride.  Leadville was almost upon us!

  

Week Ending July 22- Big Bear

After the big road ride, it was really time to step it up for the biggest training ride yet.  Three weeks out from Leadville, we wanted to get a good 8-9 hour ride in.  Charlie and Israel and I met and decided to ride on the 50 mile marathon course in Big Bear.  It was ideal because it was at elevation, would be cooler than our typical riding spots (90+ that weekend in the Saddleback area), and it was actually a 25 mile course where we go back to the car to refill water and refuel.

Israel picked up Susan and I and we headed out to meet Charlie in Big Bear.  We parked near a golf course driving range, got ready and headed out for the first lap.  Israel was navigating on the Garmin, and we headed up the Fern trail, which was a bit technical, steep and difficult in spots.  We then caught the main 2N10 fireroad which was nice and steady.  On the backside of the loop there was a pretty difficult singletrack climb which looped us back on to to fireroad.  Susan was having a difficult time with a cold, so Israel and Charlie and I were doing some up and backs to keep moving and get more ride time in.  There was some fun singletrack on the way back, which made the loop even more enjoyable.  We got back to the car in about 3:45.  Susan was also having a difficult time with her hand, so she chose to do her own thing for the remainder of the day.  Israel, Charlie and I did a second lap, though this time instead of climbing up Fern, we climbed the road next to Bear Mountain (steep) which turned into fireroad and eventually got us back on the loop.  I was actually feeling pretty good at this point, which was encouraging.  We finished the loop this time in about 3 hours.  We needed about 2 hours to get in 8 hours of ride time, which we were determined to do.  This time, we headed up the road again and the fireroad, and decided to keep going until we hit 7:30 of ride time, then turn around.  When we made it back, we ended up with 8:15 of ride time.  It was a great training ride, and by far was the best  I'd felt since my back went out in May.  Super encouraging three weeks from the race.

Week Ending Sunday, July 15- Angelus Crest

After having fun, but struggling a little bit with my fitness in Mammoth, I knew I had to be patient and keep training, and hopefully things would come around.  After all, it had been just 4 weeks since I started riding again.

After riding 3 days in Mammoth, I took it easy at Del Cerro on Tuesday and had a good road ride on Thursday around PV, though it rained a little.  Neal was there at the ride, and he mentioned he and his club were doing a big ride out at Angelus Crest.  Israel and I agreed this would be great training, so we joined him.

We met Neal and his club out in Duarte and it was a good turnout, with a good 20+ riders ready for a big day.  I brought the Crosscheck, but switched the cross tires to regular road tires.  There was about a 20 mile flatish warm-up through Sierra Madre and Alta Dena before we hit the Angelus Crest Highway and the long 35 mile climb.  The climb started a little steeper at about 8%, but quickly it settled into an easier grade and seemed to stay between 4-6% for the majority of the time.  I felt pretty good, but knew I wasn't as strong as I would've liked to be.  My legs were glad there were no steeper sections, but were feeling good enough to keep spinning along.  We had a long rest stop at Newcomb's Ranch, which is a nice biker stop on the highway.  After lugging up a third water bottle for most of the climb that I  didn't even touch, I decided not to fill all 3 bottles there, which turned out to be a mistake.  There was another 5-6 mile climb after that and it started to get hot.  Here's a pic of Israel, Neal and I near the top.

The descent down HWY 39 was interesting, especially the first several miles, which were unmaintained.  I was glad I had the Crosscheck here, because even with road tires, it seemed stable and the steel seemed to smooth things out.  After awhile, the road was more maintained, then we dropped in next to the San Gabriel reservoir.  I was already out of water and the terrain began to roll a little, requiring more pedaling effort.  I finally made it down, but made a wrong turn into a residential area.  I was hoping to find a drinking fountain there, but no avail.  I made my way out to the river trail and it was only a few miles back to the car.  A really good training ride with just under 90 miles and 9K feet of climbing, and though I  didn't feel awesome, it was a step in the right direction.

Week Ending Sunday, July 8- Mammoth!

On Tuesday, we went to Del Cerro and my main intent was to dust off the Mojo and get used to it again, as I'd be riding it all weekend in Mammoth and I hadn't been on it in some time.  I was really glad I did, as I immediately noticed the positioning was uncomfortable and put pressure on my back.  I moved the seat forward and it definitely helped.  It also just took some time to get used to the 26" wheels, the different geometry, and even the dropper seatpost.  For the ride it turned out to just be Israel and I, and we got a few good laps in.

Mammoth was an opportunity to test ourselves in altitude, but also to have some fun with some awesome trails.  Matt, Israel and I drove up Thursday to meet Charlie, while Susan was arriving late that night.


When we arrived on Thursday, we met Charlie at the campsite.  It was a really nice campground called Coldwater next to a stream and not far from Twin Lakes.  We did a short ride from our campsite into the Mammoth Mountain park to show Israel and Matt around.  We did a steep loose climb from Lake Mary Road called Lakes Trail, did some of Paper Route, then descended a fun trail called Juniper, then headed back to camp.
   
On Friday morning we decided to ride Lower Rock Creek.  Most people ride this trail downhill, some ride up the adjacent road then descend it, but of course we had to climb up it, then head down.  Charlie gave a really good description of the climb.  Steep and loose sections along with some technical rock garden areas to get across in the first half, with the trail smoothing out for the second half.  It was a tough climb, but it was a beautiful trail with varying terrain and surroundings.  I recall there even being an Aspen grove we cut through.  The downhill was awesome.  Unfortunately Susan's hand was hurting so she took the road down while the rest of us had a great descent.  There were a couple of pretty technical rock/boulder gardens.  Charlie was the only one to clean the first one, but he skipped the next one and Israel, Matt and I cleaned that one.  In any case, a great ride and highly recommended if one wants to venture outside the park for a day.


On Saturday, Charlie did his own thing early so he could ride with the family afterward.  Susan also decided to ride a combo of road and mellower trails due to her hand.  Israel, Matt and I set off to do a fairly big ride in the park.  The plan was to try and ride to the top.  We parked at the Village and started up Uptown, which was a very nice climb.  I wasn't used to riding consecutive days though--let alone three days in a row--and my legs were making this very apparent.  We heard from Charlie that the park officials told him not to climb all the way to the top due to too much traffic coming down from the Gondola.  We continued up with the idea of finding an alternate route across.  We caught Beach Cruiser and thought we could then catch Bearing Straits across the mountain, then catch some fun single diamond DH and climb some more blue trails.  The problem was, we couldn't find the entrance to Bearing Straits.  It looked pretty clear on the map, but after circling around for awhile and doing an extra fire road climb, we finally ended up back at the same place and realized Bearing Straits is a one-way trail that ended where we were looking for an entrance--hence, no sign.  At this point we were a little frustrated and decided to head up Off the Top (where Charlie was told not to ride), but not climb the whole thing, just enough until we could cut across Gravy Train.  Well, we climbed up to the junction of Gravy Train and saw a couple of fast looking guys in spandex who told us we really should just climb up Off the Top all the way up.  They assured us there was ample visibility, so we could just pull over if people were descending.  We all liked the idea of climbing to the top, so we went for it.  By this time, my legs were feeling pretty fried, but fortunately my back seemed to be doing okay with the consecutive days, so I soldiered on.  Israel was feeling good, so he pulled way ahead, and I also let Matt pass me and he started to gap me as well.  About this time, I saw a family up ahead descending down the trail.  Turned out, it was the Gilmores.  I just think it's so cool Charlie can ride with his wife and kids at the bike park!  I said hello for a brief moment, then continued up the climb.  We were above the tree line and could see the huge switchbacks ahead of us.  I had trouble pedaling anything that required above minimal power, but luckily the climb was pretty tame.  I did walk a few concrete switchbacks.  Soon enough (or not!) I reached the top and met up with Israel and Matt.

Time for some fun descending!  The plan was to take Skid Marks (single diamond) to Bridge the Gap (blue) then down Follow Me (single diamond) all the way to Canyon Lodge.  Somehow though we missed Follow Me and found ourselves on Bullet (double black!).  Some of it was challenging in a fun way, but there were a few sections that just seemed impossible to us.  When we had the chance, we cut across Big Ring, then finished the descent with Shotgun (single diamond).  Overall, the descent was super fun.  I brought along the GoPro and got some pretty cool footage.  Here are the ride stats:

Week Ending Sunday, July 1

After Sundays ride, I started to feel more hopeful but still wish I had more time to train.  Less than 7 weeks until Leadville!

On Tuesday, I met Charlie, Israel and Matt at Del Cerro.  Charlie brought his new Tallboy, which I had a chance to ride for a lap.  It definitely felt more plush, especially the fork.  I think the seat was positioned a little further back than my Spearfish, and it put a little strain on my back, but I'm sure that can be adjusted.  In any case, a sweet ride for certain.  We ended up doing more than 2 hours of ride time and nearly 3500 ft. of climbing, which was good for a Tuesday.

It turns out a friend was in town and wanted to get together on Thursday night, so I had to skip the PV road ride and wait for the weekend.

Saturday was a busy day with my nephew's birthday party and a pub crawl planned in the afternoon, so Israel, Susan, Matt and I got an early start with the goal of a good four hour ride.  We went to Santa Monica and decided to do a ride similar to what Israel and I did a few weeks earlier.

We started up Westridge, and I still wanted to pace myself and keep it fairly moderate, but push a little bit harder than I had been.  Israel and I stayed together and Matt was close behind.  We then went across and down Sullivan Ridge to the boy scout camp gate and climbed back up to the top of Sullivan Canyon.  We descended the canyon and it was really fun.  Some of the side singletrack trails connect together well, and the main canyon is in good shape, with some good opportunities for jumps and drops.  Climbing back up was good too, as Israel and I kept a pretty good pace.  We made it over to Hectic and dropped in there.  It's always amazing how many hikers like to come up Hectic.  Luckily, my timing was good this time and people were able to pull to the side as I descended and I was able to clean the whole run.  It just shows the Spearfish is a pretty capable descender.  The last climb out of Caballero Canyon is always tough, but again, I felt pretty good.  Even when I got gassed I was able to recover.  We ended up climbing back up to the start of Broken Arrow (car trail) then back to Sullivan Ridge.  I wanted to get 4 hours of ride time in so we descended Sullivan Ridge down to the big tree, then climbed back up to Sullivan Canyon for a last descent.  I had to get to my nephew's birthday party, so I bombed down and stayed mostly on the main trail.  I made it to the car and the ride time was right at 4 hours.  Felt good!  Israel and Susan stayed to do a little extra, but I found out later that Susan crashed on Sullivan Canyon and hurt her hand.  Hopefully she'll be okay for Mammoth next week.


After the fairly big ride Saturday, then the pub crawl and a few too many beers, it took me all day to rally on Sunday.  I finally got off the couch, ran a few errands, then decided to go for an early evening road ride on the Crosscheck.  I was hoping to get about 3 hours in with some steady climbing.  Didn't quite get 3 in, but almost.  Turned out to be a great afternoon for a ride.  Was overcast for much of it, but good temperature.  Here's a pic along the rugged coast of PV:

Here's the ride info.  First time all year that I rode on both Saturday and Sunday.  We'll see how the back holds up!

Week Ending Sunday, June 24

After suffering a bit on the Sunday ride, I was at least glad my back seemed to be holding up.  Did yoga on Monday and it felt great.  Rode Del Cerro on Tuesday with Charlie, Israel and Matt and felt okay.  I still got a little tired towards the end, even though we weren't going very hard.  I skipped Thursday's ride and instead Israel and I planned a fairly big ride on Friday am.  We decided to do Blackstar Motorway then head up Maple Springs.  Matt decided to join for the Blackstar Motorway part, his first time on it.

The way my rides were going, I was a little worried about doing this ride.  The Main Divide can put the hurt on you if you're not in shape, which I knew I wasn't.  I knew I had to do my best to pace myself and leave some energy for Maple Springs.  Plus, the forecast was for mid to high 80s and I don't do very well in the heat.

We parked at Maple Springs, did the 6 mile fast pavement ride over to Blackstar and started to head up.  I hadn't ridden Blackstar since VQ and it was quite soft and sandy.  Still, I felt decent and kept my HR a little lower than the previous rides.  Israel pulled ahead and I hung back a little with Matt.  We made it to the golf ball in 1:13 which wasn't too bad.  Really impressive for Matt, esp considering how little he rides compared to the rest of us.  The ride over to the Main Divide was pretty tough.  I always consider Blackstar Motorway a true test of where my fitness is: the steady climb up Blackstar and the steep relentless climbs on the Main Divide.  I don't think I passed.  I tried my best to pace myself up the steep climbs and avoid spiking my HR, but I just wasn't in the kind of shape to do so.  Still, I did okay and made it over to the Motorway without feeling too bad.

Headed down the Motorway, which was fun, then refueled at the car.  Matt took off, and Israel and I headed up Maple Springs.  It started to get warm, but I felt okay at first.  Still, knowing I wasn't at my best I told Israel that if he got ahead we could regroup at Four Corners.  That last mile or so of the pavement when it gets steep is where I started to suffer.  Israel was riding strong and gapped me here and I figured I just needed to get past the steep first mile or so of the dirt, then I should be okay up to Four Corners.  Was I wrong!  I suffered really bad at this point.  In hindsight, was definitely experiencing some mild heat exhaustion brought on because I was out of shape.  My HR wouldn't come down below 180 and I felt really fatigued all over.  I had to stop several times but at least wanted to make it to Four Corners.  Up near the top Israel came down and met me.  I told him later that if it was much farther from the top when he met me, I might have just headed down.  I did tough it out and made it up to Four Corners in 1:38, almost 30 minutes slower than my VQ split.  A very humbling experience and now I was truly concerned for Leadville, which was only 7 weeks away!

On Saturday, I decided to do a recovery ride and took the Crosscheck to the beach and headed north to Playa Del Rey.  It felt really good to spin the legs at a steady, but moderate pace.

On Sunday, I wasn't sure how I would feel but decided to go to Santa Monica and do a similar ride to what Israel and I did the week prior.  I parked at Amalfi and headed up Sullivan Ridge.  It took awhile to warm up, and some guy on a singlespeed dropped me right away, but I still felt decent and kept my heart rate in the mid to high 160s.  A definite improvement.  I got to the top and decided to go straight to Hectic, wanting to do the climb out of Cabellero Canyon while it was still cool.  My HR spiked up a bit on this climb, but I was encouraged that it recovered quickly.  And what a difference a week makes!  On the fireroad climb back up towards Sullivan Ridge a week ago, I was in granny gear and couldn't get my HR to drop below 180.  On this day, I was in the big chain ring as I should be, comfortably in the 150s and 160s and probably going 7mph vs 4.  I went down Sullivan Canyon, climbed back up and still felt good.  Got to the top and decided to go do the car trail.  Felt equally good on the return, which was really encouraging.  Finished the ride and was really happy.  I knew I still wasn't primed for Leadville, but it sure looked significantly better than just 48 hours earlier.

On a side note, I was over at my sisters house and she wanted to get rid of what was my first mountain bike: a 1991 Trek 950 I sold her about 10 years ago that she probably only rode a handful of times.  A true classic and my latest project!  I immediately removed the huge bar ends, the big comfort seat and kickstand and put some new rubber on it.  Next I need to work on the drivetrain, but that may take a little time.  I think I need to install new cables and housing and see if I can get the shifters working right.  It's a 7 speed, so the parts I have lying around won't work.  To be continued, but here's a pic so far:

Week ending Sunday, June 17

After the big Maple Springs ride, I was a little concerned about my fitness, but then realized it was perfectly normal to have lost some fitness after relative inactivity for the past month.  Still though, the back injury certainly put me behind schedule for Leadville.  I thought hard about how to ramp up the miles and take care of my back at the same time.

I decided to join the Thursday night road ride and brought the Crosscheck.  It turned out to be Dave, a new friend he met on his Saturday ride, and Israel, who was riding his old Trek mountain bike.  Interesting looking group for sure.  Dave's friend was pretty strong, and we did a pretty good pace up the first climb and took turns on the way over to the switchbacks.  Israel took some turns too, which was impressive since he was on a mountain bike!  I got more tired than I expected and again my heart rate was up pretty high.  I remembered from before that I estimated my anaerobic threshold HR to be somewhere around 170.  It exceeded that on most of this ride.  Still, it was fun to be out riding on a Thursday night in beautiful Palos Verdes.

After a much needed massage and adjustment on Friday, Israel and I went to Santa Monica on Saturday and did a pretty big one: we rode up Westridge, down Sullivan Canyon and back up, down Sullivan Ridge and back up, then down Hectic, up Caballero Canyon, then down the car trail, and back down Sullivan Canyon.

Sullivan Canyon was really fun and so was Hectic.  It was climbing out of Caballero where I started to feel really tired.  Again, tried to keep it nice and steady, but my heart rate reached the mid to high 180s!  In hindsight, I think it was a combination of the heat and being out of shape.  Doing the fireroad climb back to the car trail afterward seemed to take forever, and my HR would not come down from the high 170s and low 180s even though I was in granny gear going much slower than usual.  Did the car trail and really suffered on that same climb on the way back to Sullivan Canyon.  Still, was a good ride and hopefully just at the beginning stages of getting my fitness back.

Catching Up Since the Whiskey Off Road

Much has happened since the Whiskey Off Road, but unfortunately not much on the bike.  After taking a couple of planned easy weeks, I ended up with back spasms again.

It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, but there were a number of possible factors.  I played golf for the first time in 2 years, though I only got in 3 holes before separating some ribs on a tee shot.  I did go to the range the week prior, and also hit about 30 or 40 balls to warm up before the round started though.  We also had a sub instructor in Yoga, and though class was fun, we tried some unusual poses that may have contributed.  The following day, I woke up slightly stiff.  I felt it as soon as I tried to get out of bed, and again when it was difficult to put on my socks.  I had acupuncture done that day at noon, and by the afternoon, the back was quite a bit more stiff.  I actually still rode Del Cerro that night, but felt back tightness the whole time.  Not surprisingly, I woke up stiff and sore.  It still felt less severe than in the past though, but as the days went on it actually got worse.  Looking back, the last time I hurt my back it felt a little worse initially, but I was only off the bike less than 2 weeks.

This time it took three weeks.  Started with massage and adjustments, then light stretching, then some stationary bike and I finally was able to get back on the bike.  Was going to ride that Thursday night, but just didn't feel ready so I waited until that Sunday.  I ended up riding Maple Springs to Motorway with Susan, and it felt so good to be out there!  Predictably, my legs felt good early on because they were well rested.  My heart and lungs, however were a different story.  I decided to wear a HR monitor for the first time in years.  I recall that my heart rate runs pretty high even when I'm in shape, but I was surprised to see it jump up to the high 170s when the pavement got steeper.  I tried to settle down and make sure to pace myself, but my heart rate hovered in the high 170s and low 180s the whole time to 4 corners!  Still, I felt pretty good, and made it up in 1:17, so not too bad.  We went up to the first set of towers, then headed back down and across to Motorway.  That steep climb on the way over really hurt! Here I am taking a break next to my old bike, the Merlin Works I sold to Susan.  Such a beautiful bike! I miss it, but the Spearfish is a better bike for me.

Finished the ride and felt tired, but happy.  Did a bigger ride than I should have for sure, but the back felt good.

Whiskey Off Road 50

After a seven hour drive, got into Prescott (pronounced 'Press-kit') and checked in at the Springhill Suites, which was an ideal place to stay.  Only a few minutes walk to the race/expo, so really close to ride over on race morning.  I walked over to pick up my race packet and check things out. It seemed like a really cool atmosphere.

Was able to check out some of the Pro Fat Tire crit, which was pretty cool too.  Afterwards, I went exploring to find dinner and ended up at the Prescott Brewing Company.  Sat up at the bar and ended up talking to a nice guy from Phoenix who was doing the 25 proof.  Probably should have eaten a little healthier, but I couldn't resist the BBQ pulled pork sandwich.  Yum!

And of course, a nice porter to go with it.

The bartender was nice enough to let me sample some other beers, but right before I ordered another pint, I remembered I was doing a 50 mile mountain bike race the next day in altitude and heat and switched to water.

Went to the pre-race meeting (where the race director made the course sound very intimidating) then got back to the room, got all my gear ready, then called it a night.

Work up early on race morning and went to the lobby to get some coffee and oatmeal, then headed back to the room to get ready.  Was a little worried that it would be cold standing around at the start.  Weather.com said it would be 49 degrees at start time (7:30).  Didn't want to bring a jacket that I would have to carry for the rest of the day either, so I settled on a vest and light arm covers.  I got to the start around 7:15 and ended up pretty far back (probably in the rear 10-15%).  Maybe it was all the bodies, but it felt pretty warm and I ended up stowing the vest even before the race started and was fine.

The start was fun.  Countdown, gunshot, and the mass of riders (close to 600) were off through the streets of Prescott escorted by motorcycle.  While still on the streets, I saw Willie, then Ben and Mykta of team Troupe.  As we began to climb, I decided to try to inch my way up little by little and started to feel the altitude.    Because I heard about a logjam up at the singletrack, I wanted to get past as many slower people I could, but without putting out too much effort.

We hit the dirt, and not too long after came upon the big logjam and came to a screeching halt.  It probably took about 10 minutes to get 150 yards, but I was entertained by the couple of guys who just had to snake their way through the rest of us who were stopped, and by the gal who decided to drop her shorts and take a leak right in front of about 50 guys.

I finally cleared this major logjam, but it was still slow going through singletrack climbing sections.  There were a few tough sections, but it was still crowded enough where if anything semi technical came up, there was no choice but to walk because of all the people walking on the trail.  Even on the downhill sections, I was going quite a bit slower than I would have liked.  I recall the downhill being fast and flowy with a few technical areas, but all very rideable.  Would have been fun to have clear trail in front during this part.

The next section opened up to a fireroad that had multiple short little ups.  It was nice to finally be able to dictate my own pace.  I then came across aid station #1, which meant I was 15 miles in with the descent into Skull Valley ahead.  I had enough water, so I passed the aid station and started heading down.  Then I remembered I was going to eat something at the aid station, so I pulled out a Clif Bar and struggled to get it open and eat it while descending.  The first part of the descent was pretty fast, but the rest didn't seem very steep and there was actually a little climbing.  At least this meant the climb back up wasn't going to be too bad.  I got to the bottom of Skull Valley and the route took us into town and aid station #2 and the turn around was in a church parking lot.  I took this opportunity to drink some Heed, use the outhouse, reapply some sunscreen, fill up my hydration pack, then headed back up.

As I started to climb Skull Valley, I thought it would be really nice here to have my iPod.  I decided to pass the time by seeing how many people I could pass on the climb to the aid station.  I was feeling pretty good at this point and the tally started adding up.    About 8 miles into the climb, things started to get steeper and I felt like I was starting to slow down, but I was still passing people, so that made me feel better.  I saw Ben from Troupe and he was the 63rd person I passed on the climb.  Right around that same time, a guy on a Seven hardtail passed me.  Unbelievably, he was the only one on that whole climb. That only meant that I really should have started closer up to the front.  Got to the aid station and the tally was 66 - 1, net 65.

I skipped the aid station again even though I was feeling kinda crappy at this point, but I figured I would just keep moving.  I was a bit dismayed to see that the route continued to climb.  I ended up riding with a couple of singlespeeders at this point and remembered thinking how nice it was to have my little gears.  It turns out the last couple of miles before the aid station and about 3 miles after were the hardest part of the climb.  At this point I was really tired and began to feel cramping come on.  And I wasn't even to 'Cramp Hill' yet!  First my inner thighs (weird how those always seem to be the first), then hamstrings and quads.  I stopped to pop a few more Endurolytes, took a few big swigs of water, then just tried to continue to pedal easy.    There was some fun singletrack, then I started up a steep twisty loose climb.  This had to be Cramp Hill.  Before I even got to it, I had resigned myself to walking it based on how I felt, but I figured I would at least see how it went.  Surprisingly, I cleared it, passing a couple of people as I did.  After this was probably the must fun part of the course, rolling, twisty singleltrack and some pretty deep creek crossings.  It was still some work though, and I was pretty beat.  I started to look at the mileage and think about the race director saying you finally know you're about done when you hit the pavement.

The pavement came, and as I was fighting some shifting issues in my largest gears, a group of about 5-6 riders came whizzing by.  I figured I'd go ahead and jump in this pack and ride with them to the finish.  It was mostly downhill and very fast, but this group was really trying to hammer home, so it was still painful.  Kinda reminded me of the feeling at Vision Quest when you hit Trabuco Wash and have that slight downhill to the finish.  Moving fast, but still pedaling hard to finish strong.  The group was still intact and we wound through town, sped down the last hill to the big left turn and the finish.  It was really cool to finish in town with people lined up and cheering.  This of course is not me, it's Geoff Kabush, who won the pro race.

The Garmin said 4:25, but I forgot til later that it was set on moving time, so my official time was 4:34.  Now off to the beer garden and Whiskey Row!

April: Pre Whiskey Off-Road

After Vision Quest, I took a full week off to recover and tried to focus on the yoga and stretching, and get a few adjustments and massages.  I was getting ready to do the Whiskey Off Road, but figured if I just recovered, then ramped up just a little, I should be okay.  Plus, I was just doing the Whiskey for the fun and experience of it.

I did ride Old Camp Luge on 4/15 and rode Aliso with Matt on 4/21, and also rode Del Cerro on 3 occasions during the week between VQ and the Whiskey.  Rode the Voodoo at Del Cerro on Thursday the 19th and took a pretty good crash heading down the telephone pole descent.  Was carrying too much speed, didn't quite make the sharp right turn, went off trail and OTB.  Hit my hip hard, hit my head hard enough to where my sunglass lens popped out.  Hip was bruised and pretty sore, and my neck was also sore.  Was able to finish the ride though, so I wasn't too worried about it.  Here's a pic of Del Cerro.  So lucky to ride a trail like this as a weekday workout ride.  Notice the ocean and a glimpse of Catalina island in the background!

On Monday the 23rd, I got rear ended coming back to work from Subway and the guy took off hit and run!  This pic doesn't do it justice.  The rack was smashed into the back of my car and is worthless.  I got the guy's license plate though, so hopefully I'll eventually get reimbursed for the new bike rack I had to buy. We'll see.

On Wednesday before the Whiskey, I went into Whole Health Clinic and had a really good massage--thanks Roberta! Dr. Hong seemed a bit overzealous though.  I told her about my crash and bruised hip and she proceeded to adjust me in about 10 places, then did some fairly intense Active Release Therapy right on my sore hip.  Ouch!  Not only was it painful at the time, it got swollen and tight and remained that way up till race morning.  Hopefully it'll be okay for the race!

Vision Quest

The big day had finally arrived.  I had been feeling a little more anxious about Vision Quest this year because I trained hard and actually set a challenging time target.  I had always wanted to finish under 8 hours, and was on pace to do that 2 years ago, but suffered multiple flats on Trabuco and didn't make it.  This year, I was riding stronger, so I set a more aggressive goal of 7:30.  I thought if I could get through without any flats, no mechanicals, and I paced myself well, I should be able to do it.

Was able to get to sleep fairly early (~9:30) and actually got some decent sleep before the alarm went off at 2:30am.   Got up, ate some breakfast, got the last items ready and went to pick up my training partner Susan at 3:30 then headed to Blackstar and the check in.  When we arrived, the temp gauge in my car said it was already almost 60 degrees, which was nice at the time, but I was worried about heat later in the day.  On to the race:

Section 1) Blackstar/Motorway- steady 8 mile climb followed by another 8 miles of steep ups and downs, then a fast, loose 3 mile downhill: I lined up in the back half and didn't see Susan or my friend Charlie at the start, who probably wanted to start further up towards the front.  The gun went off at 5:30, and off we went.  I slowly picked my way through and caught Susan in the beginning of the climb.  It's always so cool on the Blackstar climb to see all the lights stretched out above and below.  I was really trying to pace myself well, knowing that going out too hard on Blackstar would really hurt me later on.  I got to the golfball in just over 1 hour, so I was on track.  I took a quick hip flexor stretch break, took a swig of gel and headed towards Motorway.  By this time, I started to go back and forth with some riders, including AJMTB from Strava, who ended up being the top female finisher.  I really tried not to over exert on the numerous steeps on the Main Divide, thinking about the analogy of having a limited number of matches to burn.  Got to the start of the Motorway in just under 2 hours, so I was definitely on track and feeling pretty good.  On Motorway, I found myself behind some slower descenders, but patiently waited for good opportunities to pass.  I found it interesting that slowing down made things noticeably sketchier, and made my arms more tired.

Section 2) Maple Springs to Santiago Peak/Holy Jim- long, steady 11 mile climb to the peak, then down Upper Holy Jim (more technical) and Lower Holy Jim (fast and fun, with some stream crossings): at the bottom of Motorway, the friendly volunteers helped me quickly fill up my hydration pack.  I also filled up my bottle with the Prolong mix, went up the road for a quick nature break, then began the grind up Maple Springs.  Was feeling pretty good at this point, and knew I just needed to pace myself through the last steep part of the pavement through the first mile or so of the dirt, after which the climbing becomes more moderate.  Saw AJ a few times more, said hello to Neil from The Path riding a SS, then a couple of miles from Four Corners I saw Laura from Troupe.  I stayed behind her and kept her in my sights until Four Corners, but I took another quick stretch break there.  I took off with her and another gal barely in my sights, and they eventually pulled ahead out of sight.  Made it to the peak in 1:52 from the bottom, which was still on track.  Upper Holy Jim is fun but risky when tired, so I dropped the seatpost and decided if in doubt I would walk sections.  I walked a few of the sketchy turns, but still passed a number of people and made it out unscathed.  I found out later that Charlie had a bad crash here and finished the race with a busted lip requiring some stitches post race.  That's tough!  Lower Holy Jim was really fun, and I passed quite a few people on this section, including Laura and the other gal who dropped me on the way to Santiago Peak.  There were quite a few hikers on the trail--they picked a bad day to hike Holy Jim with hundreds of mountain bikers descending--but they were all nice and didn't slow me down much.  It was fun to ride through some of the creek crossings too, though the wet socks I believe contributed to the rubbing and blister problems on WHT later on.  Strava said 47 minutes down from the peak to the VQ/CC split, and my total time at this point was 5 hours even.  Exactly on target to reach 7:30.

Section 3) Trabuco/West Horsethief/Trabuco- tough, steep 2.5 mile climb up Trabuco to the West Horsethief 1.5 mile hike a bike, then across the Main Divide, down Trabuco and out on the Trabuco wash to the finish: I quickly refilled the bottle and pack again, and saw Roy from Troupe who was there supporting his team.  He was nice enough to lube my chain, then off I went.  By this time, it was getting warm and I knew this section was going to be really tough.  Got to the start of Trabuco and was doing okay for the first part, but as it got tougher, I started to walk the bike more.  I saw Ben from Troupe, who let me pass a bit before we reached WHT.  Finally made it to WHT, and started to hike it up.  I'm not sure why--maybe it was the heat--but I think WHT gets tougher every year.  Fighting through blisters on the back of my heels and my back getting stiff, I kept telling myself to just keep going.  It's about as deep as I ever had to dig.  Someone was talking after the race about a guy who was ahead of him on WHT, but then said 'f... this!', turned around, hiked down and DNF'd!  It did make me feel somewhat better that I slowly caught and passed two other racers, so I couldn't have been doing that bad.  I finally got up near the top where I could actually ride my bike again and on the slight downhill section, I veered off towards the side of the trail, hit some kind of stump hidden by the shrubs and went OTB!  Am I the only person in the history of VQ to crash on WHT?? I must have been really tired.  Anyway, finally made it to the top.  I passed on having a burger (thanks, but no thanks!), but grabbed a potato chip, some Gatorade and headed towards Trabuco.  Strava said I made it over in 17:47, but it seemed to take forever.  Before heading down I quickly did the math in my head, adding up my ride time and rest time and saw it was at 6:46.  This meant I had less than 45 minutes to break my goal time of 7:30...wuh woh! Heading down Trabuco was fun, but by this time, my arms were on fire, especially anytime I had to brake.  I just tried to relax, think about yoga breathing, have fun and keep going.   I caught up to another of the guys I had been going back and forth with earlier who said he was done.  I told him, c'mon, we're almost to the finish and it's all downhill from here!

When I passed the section where Trabuco intersects the bottom of WHT, I saw numerous people going up Trabuco, including Willie from Troupe.  I was thinking how they were on the tough part that was about to get even tougher, but Willie still said hi with a smile on her face.  I made it to the gate at the bottom of Trabuco and knew I needed to push it to make 7:30.  The first part was rolling and fast, but the last flatter part of the road had a slight headwind and seemed to take forever.  I knew it was going to be close.  I finally made it around a turn and saw some people, then the finish line and just hoped my Garmin and my math was right.  I saw the official clock and it read 7:28 when I crossed.  Was really happy, but also vowed it would be my last VQ!  Would have been so pleasant to just turn right at the VQ/CC cutoff and head to the finish instead of trudging through the H-E-double hockey sticks that is WHT.

The traditional finish line shot with the VQ feather:

Ride stats (moving time of 7:10 with stopped time of :18):

Bike notes: everything felt and worked great on the Spearfish.  No flats!  I guess the Ikon Exos were worth it.  My arms seemed to get tired fast, which made me think my saddle might have been pointed down slightly.  Speaking of the saddle, my ass hurt, but not any worse than expected.  The Silverado seems to be a good choice for me.

Nutrition notes:  made it through predominantly on the mix of Herbalife Prolong/Perpetum in a 3:1 mix, with some tea extract added in.  Otherwise only had half a Clif Mojo bar and half a Honey Stinger Waffle, and half a flask of Hammer Gel Tropical.  By the time I was heading down LHJ and the heat came, it was difficult to eat or drink anything, and in fact it was hard to eat after the race.  I think I probably had about 750 cals from the drink mix, 250 from Hammer Gel and another 250 from the Clif Bar and Waffle.  Also popped 4-5 Endurolytes even though the drink mix also had electrolytes.  I think I drank about 150L total from the hydration pack, plus the 2.5 bottles of drink mix and the dixie cup of gatorade mix a the top of WHT.  Felt some very preliminary twinges, but didn't fully cramp at all, which was great, especially considering the heat on WHT.

A quick thanks to my friends at Whole Health Clinic who kept my back healthy the past 3-4 months.

Next up: the Whiskey Off Road, then Leadville!

Week Ending Sunday, April 1

After the big training ride on March 16, I've spent the last two weeks tapering, trying to make sure I'm well rested for Vision Quest on April 7.

Trying to keep up the Yoga, stretching, swimming and massage/chiro and have been feeling great lately.  I also think resting between rides has been key.  I  used to ride every Saturday and Sunday, but haven't ridden on consecutive days all year.  Was a bit disappointed to find out the Fitness Center pool will be closed for the next  few weeks.  I really think the swimming and kicking has helped my hip flexibility.  Also of note, I took the Sunday Level 1-2 Yoga class at Harmony with Kimberly and really liked it.

Got the singlespeed out for Del Cerro on Tuesday the 20th, then rode Old Camp Luge on Saturday the 24th with Matt.  Funny how 2-3 hour rides seem so short right now.  Here's the Spearfish down at Old Camp proper.

Did Del Cerro on the SS again on Tuesday the 27, and actually did one Burma lap pretty hard (11:23).  Was good to get the Voodoo out a few times.  I hadn't ridden it since December.  

Thursday night I rode the Spearfish at del Cerro with Charlie and Israel, and we kept it fairly moderate.  The views have been spectacular at Del Cerro since daylight savings, so I brought the GoPro.  Of course it was cloudy and foggy so the footage didn't come out.  Will try again some other time and post.

On Sunday, I rode Pt. Mugu with Susan.  It rained some the night before, but we figured it would be okay.  Well, shortly into the Overlook climb, the mud built up on our tires so thick our wheels wouldn't turn.  We decided to head back down to the main fireroad, then head towards Backbone, so see if that was rideable.  It was a bit muddy in spots, but we managed to make the climb.  This was up at the top, after clearing some mud off!

We headed back down Backbone, then climbed Guadalasca, which was in good shape.  I  was packing some mud on the tires in spots, but was able to keep moving.  Made the climb in 23 minutes.  Would be interesting to see how fast I could do it in dry conditions with the Spearfish.

We headed down Guadalasca and it was super fun.  I was focusing in on dropping the seatpost and keeping my COG nice and low, and it felt great! Love the Mojo!  When we got to the bottom, we went around the back and did Two Foxes, then climbed Guadalasca again.  To finish off the ride, we headed across, descended Backbone again and headed back out.  Turned out to be a really good ride.  I really like climbing Backbone and Guadalasca.  I think we can add Overlook and Hell Hill for a really good training ride later on.

Bike notes:  loved the Reverb as mentioned.  Actually contemplated what it would be like on the Spearfish for VQ, but I don't think I'd want the added weight.  Also, though I've been loving the Shimano pedals, I do see how Crank Bros pedals are far superior in mud.  Luckily we don't ride in mud too much in So Cal.

Week Ending Sunday, 3/18

With a storm forecast for the weekend, Susan and I had to adjust our training plans.  We had a big ride scheduled for Sunday which we moved to Friday.  Therefore, we also skipped Thursday night.

No massage or chiro this week, but I did 2 yoga classes, continued to do my own stretching, and got in the pool on Thursday.

Tuesday night was a good ride.  Rode a couple of laps with Israel, and a few on my own.  Was interesting with daylight savings to actually see the trail with sunlight.  Rockier up top than I thought, and looser in the turns than I thought going down Ishibashi.  I think I rode slower being able to see better!

Friday was another big ride, the last really big one before Vision Quest.  Susan, Israel and I wanted to do at least 6 hours, so we opted to do Blackstar Motorway, plus Maple Springs to the peak, with the possibility of heading across to MW again if we needed more saddle time.

We parked at Maple, so we could refill water half way through if needed.  The ride over to Blackstar was a bit chilly at 45 degrees, but I layered up and was fine.  Heading up BS, I was focused on my pacing, using this as a gauge for VQ.  I wanted to ride a good pace, but avoid intensity spikes that would cost me later.  I actually made it up to the golf ball in about an hour from the gate, which was great, considering I was trying to keep my pace moderate.  I had the same mindset heading over to the MW, especially trying to keep my intensity down on the steep climbs of the Main Divide.  I made it from the golf ball to the MW in just over an hour, so ride time, without breaks and extra credit, was just over 2 hours from the start area of VQ to the MW.  Pretty happy with that, and felt pretty good.

Headed down the MW and actually lost control a little on the first fast loose section.  Gotta remember to keep that under control.  Still made it down in a new PR, so getting a little better.  Israel was taking a break from the pounding he gets from the hardtail and took this pic of me descending.  He still just about caught me at the bottom.

At the bottom, I had plenty of water in the pack, so at Israel's truck I just filled my water bottle to the top and we started up MS.  Israel and I started up the pavement on a pretty good pace, and I was feeling it.  He fell back a little and I trudged on.  Started to feel that general fatigue again, where the legs felt pretty good, but as a whole, my body started to feel tired.  Nutrition or hydration maybe?  I do think I need to drink more and take in more calories on BS/MW during VQ.  I made it up to the Main Divide in about 1:12 from the lower gate, though I don't know how much extra that is from the bottom of MW.  Israel came up about 5 mins later and we took a few pics of the Salsas: the Spearfish and the Mamasita!

Susan came up a little later and we decided to head up to the peak, then back down MS to the car.  I was pretty tired by this time, and it was a little tough to fight through the rocky section up to the first tower.  Was happy to just keep pace with Israel to the peak, and we got up there in just under 42 mins.

We bombed down MS to the car, where cold beer awaited.  With the extra credit I did at Beek's and just before MW, it was another ride with over 9,000ft of climbing:

Bike notes:  front shifter came loose on MS, and I dropped my chain.  Creaking came back too, still can't figure it out.  The Pushed Monarch felt good, and it looked like I was using the right amount of travel.  The Avid front brake lost pressure coming down MS, but I was planning to install the XTR the next day anyway.  Done with upgrades?  We'll see.  The Spearfish is now down to 25.7lbs. and feels great.

Week Ending Sunday, 3/11

Another week of training in the books.  Lower on the volume this week, especially Sunday.  The big news this week was the new car.  Picked up my Lexus CT200h on Monday!

Much smaller than the RX, but much friendlier at the gas pump with 42 mpg.  The question is will I be able to get all my gear in there?  We'll see.  I was able to squeeze the Spearfish in the back on Tuesday and Thursday for my Del Cerro rides, since I didn't have a rack on yet.  

Speaking of Del Cerro, had a good ride on Tuesday with Israel, Matt and Charlie.  Thursday ended up being a solo effort, as Susan had to bail out last minute.  The first lap was gorgeous, catching the sunset as I was heading down Ishibashi.  Wish I would've taken a photo.  We should see more great views from now though, as daylight savings begins next week.  

Installed the hitch and rack on Saturday.  Went with the Yakima Hold Up this time and I really like it.  I think the only downside is not being able to adjust the positioning of the bikes.  I think we'll have to move seatposts, but that's not a huge deal.  Here it is with the Spearfish on.

On Sunday, Charlie, Israel, Susan and I rode San Juan with the Viejo Tie add-on, one of my favorite rides.  Was cold when we started, but warmed up quickly on the climb.  I rode the Mojo and intended to ride at a moderate but solid pace.  I think I overdid it a little (the Strava effect), and/or was a bit tired to start with, because the legs felt pretty fried by the time I started hitting the more technical sections.  My legs were burning and I wasn't recovering, so I just pushed on.  Made it to Cocktail Rock in 1:04, which I believe is a PR, though I hadn't pushed up non stop in a long time.  And it also included taking a tumble down into the bushes when I tipped over in the rock garden near the top.  Would be interesting to see how fast I could go on the Spearfish and with fresher legs.  The Mojo climbs really well, but the geometry is so different from the Spearfish, which I'm more used to now.  I felt a little cramped and my hip flexors tightened up some. 

The back loop with Viejo Tie was a blast and so was heading down the main trail.  Here are the ride stats.  Funny that no achievements were recorded, especially since I PRd the climb to Cocktail.  

Finished up and hit Los Golondrinas (a must when we do San Juan) for a machaca burrito to cap a great day.

Bike notes:  the Mojo felt great, though I'm used to the 29 tires rolling over rocks now.  Felt like the wheels got hung up going thru many of the rock gardens.  Still like the manuverability of the Mojo though, esp on the tight switchbacks.  The Formula One brakes felt great too, esp compared to the Elixir R's on the Spearfish.  One bummer: on one of my tumbles, the rail on my WTB Laser came out.  I was able to finish the ride, but I'll have to get a new saddle.  Felt like the Laser was too wide for any rides with significant pedaling though, so not a tragedy.  

Week Ending Sunday, 3/4

Had a great week of training, starting off with Yoga on Monday, rides at Del Cerro on Tuesday and Thursday, swimming, massage and chiro on Friday, then a huge training ride on Saturday.

Tuesday was the first ride with the upgraded parts on the Spearfish, and it felt good.  Not sure how much was mental, but the near pound off the wheels and tires sure seemed to make the bike feel quicker on the climbs.  After riding a few laps with Israel and Matt, I decided to do a hard lap up Burma.  Ended up doing 11:15, beating my old PR by over 30 seconds.  Ended up getting a little tight sore in the hips and left low back, so I just did some easy spinning on Thursday.

After Friday's swimming and treatment, I felt good on Saturday.  Good thing, because Susan and I had a huge ride ahead: up Harding, across the Main Divide and down Motorway, up Maple Springs to Santiago Peak, then down Upper and Lower Holy Jim and back on the road to where we parked at Cook's Corner.

The ride from Cook's to the start of Harding was about 25 minutes.  I wanted to pace myself up Harding to make sure I left enough in the legs for the rest of the day.  I felt pretty good though and ended up getting to Four Corners in 1:33, including a 5 minute stretch break.  As you can see, it was a beautiful day.

After taking a break and waiting for Susan, we rode across to Motorway.  Strava told me this took 34:28. Motorway was fun.  Feeling a little more comfortable letting the bike roll on the rocky loose stuff.

The climb up Maple Springs was good, though I started to feel a little fatigued.  I didn't look at the time when I started up, so I didn't have any idea how I was doing.  I just wanted to keep it steady, and Strava told me I ended up making it up to Four Corners in 1:09.  Was thinking about getting some extra credit and riding down to meet Susan, but felt a cramp coming on in the hammies, so decided otherwise.  Good choice too, because after stretching, a snack and some endurolytes, I felt much better as we headed up to Santiago Peak.  Got up to the peak in 41 minutes, which meant 1:50 ride time from the bottom of Maple Springs.  Pretty cool to still have some snow on the trail.

Upper Holy Jim was fun.  Most of it was rideable, though there's still that sketchy left turn that I prefer to dismount on.  Was also fun to ride lower Holy Jim again, though I felt the legs cramp on that little climb in the very beginning.  The creek crossings were not as rideable as they have been, so unless that changes over the next few weeks, that'll slow things down for VQ.

The ride out on Trabuco Creek was super dusty from all the vehicle traffic, but we made it out in good time.  The last part was the road ride back to Cook's.  Didn't know how this would be, as I had only driven it.  After 45 miles and over 8500 feet of climbing, it wasn't pleasant.  More climbing than I thought and longer.  I think it ended up being 4-5 miles and 6-700 more feet of climbing.  Not terrible, but not pleasant at the end of such a long ride.

Here are the ride stats from Strava:

Bike notes:  the creaking came back.  Still not sure, but I think it's prob the qr.  Otherwise, the bike felt great.  The Ikons seem to be ideal for VQ.  Shock has been discharging oil since the Path fixed the air leak.  4 rides and quite a bit of oil coming out.  Still holding air though!

Week Ending Sunday, 2/26

The back is doing better and better.  Took Yoga with Jaclyn at Harmony Yoga on Monday, then rode Del Cerro Tuesday and Thursday.  After 3 weeks straight of long rides on the weekend, decided to do a shorter, fun ride this week.  Rode Malibu Backbone from Corral to Encinal with Susan and had a really nice ride.  Took out the Mojo, which I hadn't ridden in awhile, and it felt great!

There were quite a few hikers on the trail, but it was all good.  No rush!

Meanwhile, I also installed the X9 front shifter, the XTR rear shifter and XT derailleur, the Stan's Crest wheels and Ikon tires onto the Spearfish.  25.8 lbs.  Not bad, but not a 22lb. hardtail either.  We'll see how it rides on Tuesday.

Six weeks till Vision Quest!

Week Ending Sunday, 2/19

After another good Thursday night ride, I went in for massage and adjustment on Friday and was a little concerned as I was feeling soreness in my left side low back and glute area.  Did the best I could with stretching, Ice, jacuzzi on Friday and Saturday, trying to make sure I was ready for a big training ride on Sunday with Susan and Charlie.

Kudos to The Path too.  My rear shock was losing air, so I took a chance and brought it in on Saturday.  Despite the fact they were scheduling service appointments more than a week out, they installed a new seal kit for me on the spot.  Awesome!

We decided to climb Harding to Four Corners, cut across the Main Divide and descend Silverado Motorway, then climb back up Maple Springs to Four Corners, then back down Harding to the car.

Starting up Harding, Charlie and I were talking but soon distanced ourselves from Susan.  I remembered 2 weeks ago when I went a little too hard up Blackstar and ended up struggling up Maple Springs though, so I told Charlie to ride ahead and I was going to slow down to save some energy.  So we were all on our own and I put some tunes on and just tried to keep a solid pace up Harding.  Was really happy that my back seemed to feel fine.  I believe it was an instance where I get sore after an adjustment, but once I get moving, things loosen up.  Approaching Four Corners, it was pretty cool to see some snow on the ground.  I was curious about my pace, as I had done the climb on my Crosscheck before Thanksgiving in 1:27.  When I finally saw Four Corners, I realized I was behind that pace a bit, but that was okay (again, trying to save myself for the Maple Springs climb).  Got there in 1:31, which wasn't bad and best of all, I felt like I still had some gas in the tank.

We headed across the Main Divide to the Motorway, and I still felt pretty good, keeping a steady pace up the couple of steep climbs.  Heading down the Motorway, I'm always a little cautious in the fast, loose rocky stuff plus the crash there from a few years ago and resulting trip to the ER were still in the back of my mind.  Still, the Motorway  was in good shape, so I decided to push it a little bit faster.  The Spearfish felt great, very balanced and stable.  Surprisingly, I kept Charlie in my sights and ended up finishing the descent in 13:26, beating my time from 2 weeks prior by 51 seconds, even though we had to slow down a few times for hikers.

Was really curious to see how I'd feel going up Maple Springs, since I had the big struggle up it 2 weeks prior.  Again, I told Charlie to go on ahead and I settled into a steady pace.  Felt much better than the last time, and just tried to keep it steady through the last part of the pavement and the first mile or two of dirt, which are the steepest parts.  Time seemed to go much faster than last time too, and soon Four Corners came into view.  Made it up in 1:10, which was 10 minutes faster than last time.  Still felt good too, which was a great sign.  It shows how important pacing is!  I could give up 5 minutes on Blackstar by throttling back some and easily make it up and more on Maple Springs and feel better in the process.

Turned out to be a great ride!  Bike did great, rear shock held air.  Rear derailleur was still a little off, so I think I'm going to replace the X9 with a Shimano XT.  Most importantly, body felt great.  7,500 feet of climbing and I felt like I could still do more!

I think we'll do a more moderate fun ride next week.  Will be a good excuse to break out the Mojo.