The Traverse and Training

I have to admit I've been really lazy lately with the blog. I always want to post lots of pictures in each post to make the posts more interesting, but man it's a pain to include pictures. I have to re-size them for the blog, upload them and just ... bleh.

So last week I did three rides.

1. Singlespeed to Beek's
2. Singlespeed halfway up Maple Springs, Matt's bike second half of Maple
3. THE TRAVERSE

Beek's:

The ride to Beek's was easier than the previous SS ride I had done on this trail. I had to stand a lot, but I made it to the top without stopping and even set a personal best time of 1:00. I really think if I push hard I can get it down to maybe 55 minutes on the geared bike.


Maple Springs:

The second ride of the week was pretty tough. My bike was in the shop (thanks Rock and Road for ignoring my bike =/) and so I was stuck with the rigid SS for Maple Springs. The whole point of the ride was to stash water at Four Corners for a Traverse pre-ride.

I guessed that it was going to be hot on Saturday and so I thought it would be a good idea to store some water for the halfway point of The Traverse. I ended up carrying a full gallon of water on my back all the way to Four Corners.

For the record a gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds. That's a lot of extra weight on my poor back.

I made it all the way up the pavement on my SS with the water, but maybe half a mile past where the pavement ends I had to stop. My heart rate was a constant 190 and I felt like I was pedaling under water. I just couldn't take it anymore.

I traded bikes with Matt and finished ok. Well if by "ok" I mean almost getting hit by a white truck on the way down. Also if "ok" means riding a very bumpy trail on a rigid fork. I will _never_ make that mistake again. My arms were not designed to be shock absorbers. =(


The Traverse:

This was a tough ride for me. The mileage is something around 45 miles and the elevation gain is over 8,000 feet. It's roughly the same dimensions as Counting Coup, but I would argue tougher.

Troy showed up to join Matt and I, which was a pleasant surprise. I was worried that Troy and Matt would compete to stay in front the entire ride, but they didn't. They waited for me at various points and we stayed together for the most part.

The pace was slow and I was fighting cramping in the first 45 minutes, but managed to stay cramp free. I think the cramp pills I take help a lot to stave off the damage.

I had been on every part of the course except for the climb from the top of the Motorway to Four Corners. I had come the other direction plenty of times, but had never ridden it in reverse.

I must say that section of the course is by far the worst. Maybe that's just because I've never done it and didn't know what to expect. Maybe it's because it must have been 90+ degrees outside when we did it. Maybe it's because it has some pretty steep and loose climbs. For whatever reason, that section _sucks_.

Halfway to Four Corners from the Motorway I realized I had broken a spoke in my rear wheel. I thought I was done, but Troy and Matt called me a wuss and so I finished the ride with the broken spoke. I ended up getting the entire wheel re-built after the ride at The Bike Company since it had almost 3,000 miles on it. We'll see how that shakes out.

Unfortunately a few miles before Four Corners we discovered that Troy had broken his frame. It's the first time I've ever been on a ride when someone has broken their _frame_. I feel bad for Troy because I think if I had to vote for the worst bike luck out of every rider I know ... Troy would win. If there was an American Idol that was about bike luck instead of singing ... Troy would get the most votes.

We ran into Junior and Frank at Four Corners and took a much needed break before parting ways with Troy. I have to say I'm impressed by Frank. I remember the first time I rode with him at Whiting and he was in the back of the pack. But the guy just keeps riding and it's amazing to see his progress.

From Four Corners nothing all that interesting happened until Upper Holy Jim. Matt and I saw a ton of hikers and other riders, but nothing super noteworthy.

The trip down Upper Holy Jim was awesome for me. It was probably the best descent I've ever had down UHJ. I cleared some stuff I hadn't even tried on previous rides and got through it feeling relaxed and safe. I'm learning to be decisive and relaxed on descents. Ride what you can ride, take a chance or two, and walk what feels bad.

Matt and I ended up stopping one time between the bottom of UHJ and the top of Trabuco to rest. The rest combined with food and water really helped. I really think the heat is what made this ride so difficult.

The ride down Trabuco was also very good. I was surprised since I was obviously feeling spent after 5 hours of riding in the heat, but it was awesome. I felt very confident and never felt in danger of being out of control.

Overall it was a tough week of riding capped by a pretty brutal Saturday ride. If the weather is better for the real race, I think I'll be ok. I just need to drink even _more_ in the heat and make sure I eat solid food instead of a "gel only" diet.

The total riding time was about 6 hours, which isn't bad, but isn't the best either. The average speed was 7.6mph, which is pretty good for me on such a long ride. I'd like to get that up to 8.0mph, but we'll see.

Race day is going to see me just wanting to finish. I have no goal for time or placing.