Road Trippin'

We just rolled back into town after a quick trip to visit family in Minden, NV and of course some riding in the Lake Tahoe area. Great weather meant lots of riding crammed into four days but for now I will leave you with a picture post. More details later...

A few hills...

When JayP calls and says he is thinking about a mountain bike ride with "a few hills" you better bring the climbing legs and your "A" game. Perfect! I was ready for a good thrashing and trying to keep Jay in my sights for 2 1/2 hours provided just that.

21 miles and 4,100' of climbing later we were back at the trucks and I had that raspy throat feeling that you get when your heart rate has been pegged for while and you are sucking as much air as possible through your mouth. Plus, I learned a couple new dirt climbs & trails to add to the training arsenal.

Jay is looking super strong and his new Orbea carbon 29er is light! That is a deadly combo GDR fans!

KTR Meltdown

I pulled the plug very early into my race when the contents of my stomach and intestines decided to leave my body repeatedly without much warning. Sorry for being gross but there is just no other way to say it.

This is not how I envisioned my race turning out when I was pre-riding with Lynda, or during the many hours on the trainer while it was snowing here in Driggs, or during the time I spent looking at maps and planning my hydration and calorie intake strategy.

There is a big void where the soreness, fatigue, and sense of accomplishment should be and I am scheming ways to fill it quickly.

Huge congrats go out to:
Lynda – 5th overall in her first race back after surgery. Amazing!
Adam – I haven’t heard how his race went but he deserves huge props for his composure while dealing with “The Man”
Chris – the force is strong in young Skywalker

And to everyone else who finished!

Mood swings

I expect there will be a few of them this weekend.
Thanks to Adam for the original graph.

Fun weekend

With KTR a week away this weekend was all about fun. I rode for a total of six hours and have been feeling better each day as I gradually clear this alien out of my sinuses. He's a tough little bastard but I think I got him beat now.

Sat was a 4 hour road ride and Rick joined me for the big climb portion of it up Teton Pass and then I continued on alone and climbed up to Targhee to finish up the ride. Notice the lack of arm warmers, vest, or knee warmers in the pick. Woohoo, sunshine!

Sun was a 2 hour mtn bike ride with Michelle, Rick & Joanne up in Horseshoe Canyon and the trails are in great shape. I showed the crew the new trail I discovered last Thurs and even hit the new log jump, yeah baby!

The rest of the week will be minimal riding and a bit of gear prep. The Flux needs new brake pads and good once-over before the race. After laying out all of my gear & calories it looks like I can carry everything I need with the bag system I have with room to spare. There is nothing light about this venture.