It's the weekend!

Wed group ride was fun as always. The 2.5 hours of mountain biking the day before made for a nice overload and the legs were feeling it on the hills. Got some good pedaling in and had nice conversation with the guys. Check out the ride info here. Nice job by Joel dropping the hammer to take the sprint........that guy has some legs!

Going to give Wausau a try on Sunday and see if I can't figure out the racing scene. The power and endurance is there, but the knowledge is lacking. Good luck to everyone else that racing this weekend.

The long road back

Loon on the nest....pretty cool to see

The single track in the Cities is interwoven with saddled horses of a different kind.

My blog fitness seems to be in as bad as shape as my physical fitness. The bacterial infection was more than the body could handle and took a real toll on my biking. I thought my strength was starting to come back last Sat until I attempted 3 - 20 minute steady states. The mind said go, but the legs said guess again. Sunday Jim and I went to the cities for 2 hours of sweet single track and then Craig called so I joined up with him for a 2 more hours at Lowe's Creek. The legs felt pretty good if I didn't go full throttle. Tuesday the rain came so Jim and I did a few hours on the road with the knobbies and discovered some new secret training spots. The rain kept up through Weds 1.5 hour group ride with the roadies. Work was starting to wear me down, so I took a day of vacation on Thursday and headed back to the cities for 2.5 hours of more single track......I love that place. Took Friday off and did an hour pre-race ride today. My goal is a mid pack Comp finish at Rhinelander given I am still not 100%.

Crazy stuff

Finally starting to feel a little better since the flu struck 1.5 weeks ago. Got out for a pretty solid 2 hours with the roadies on Wed and another 2 hours last night on the MTB, including some killer speed intervals.

picked up a stick in the trails and completely destroyed the rear derailleur, cassette and chain!

Jim had a really solid race in Iola. 3rd in his age group; racing comp.

Down to the final 10! soon the Clydesdale title will be a thing of the past. Back when Jim and I started biking for exercise, the scale tipped 300. Big Macs still taste better than an oarange.

Mad skills

A guy from the local mtb club sent out a link to this video. Hard if not impossible to describe.....Enjoy

Wed group ride

Had a nice turnout for the group tonight, despite the ominous weather. The intensity is starting to pick up, which made for some really good pedaling. Check out the interactive MotionBased link here

Biking just wouldn't be any fun with out all the little gadgets. This one is my favorite, now I just need to learn how to use it.

Less than two weeks before the real pain starts!

Learning curve

Completed my first TT today and got a first hand account of how CdA(Coefficient of drag x frontal area) plays into TT racing. I spent the entire 16 miles on the hoods of my SISU road bike in a less than a desirable aero position. Given today's wind, and the fact that I was on a road bike, I was generally pleased with my average speed 22.8mph. A true TT bike and helmet are definitely in my future! The speed suit is going to have to wait:)

Race file.
view MotionBased file here

Progression

Recovery weeks seem odd to me. The idea of doing less work to get stronger is the complete opposite of the natural thought process. I guess the key is knowing when and by how much to back off the throttle. I don't think there would be any 10 minute steady states intervals at 320 watts in my definition of a recovery week. Thanks to TJ, I don't have to think too much about it. He prescribes it and I just have to do it.

Snapshot of what I've been doing to prepare me for the start of the MTB racing season. The late nights in the basement after the whole house was sound asleep are countless. If I don't have to see the trainer till November, it will be too soon.