Despite having done several 3-hour rides since Mulholland, I've been taking it pretty easy overall in the last two weeks. Two days before Diablo I went out for a spin and came back 3 hours later with 50 miles on the ole odometer, which put me in a very confident mood.
Reuben and I decided to ride the Diablo Century unsupported, since it features half the climbing of Mulholland Challenge or Breathless Agony. We didn't think there would be much challenge to 100 miles and 6500 feet of climbing now that we're joining the ranks of the KOM riders. After a stellar first 50 miles that featured a speedy ascent of Morgan Territory and some pacelining to Sunol, things took a turn for the worse.
Realizing we'd forgotten sunscreen and had become a bit hungry from killing it through the first half, we stopped at a store for supplies. Upon returning to the route we missed a turn and ended up riding 6 miles down a valley road into a nasty headwind. By the time we'd retraced our steps back to Sunol, we'd wasted an hour and become noticeably fatigued. Nearly 3 hours later, we followed the wrong marker up a 15% grade. More fun. Sun blazing down on our burnt faces, we crossed the finish 9 hours in with an on-the-bike average of 14.3mph. Bring on the Chipotle and alcohol!
The Diablo Century was an often beautiful, but deceptively difficult event. Hopefully that will translate to the perfect final training ride before Breathless Agony this coming weekend.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Preparing for Mulholland
Since my last post, I got over the bug I had and went for a mini-camp in the Bay Area with my buddy Reuben. I did Mt. Hamilton in San Jose in the first day, then met up with Reuben for Mt. Tam and Sonoma on days two and three. Totals for that weekend were 126mi/11,000ft elevation gain.
The next week I was on vacation, and though Johanna and I brought our bikes, we didn't do as much riding as I had hoped. Still, it was a great, active week of hiking and cycling, and a much-needed change of pace.
This last weekend, I previewed the Breathless Agony route by tackling Oak Glen and Part of Angelus Oaks. Day two was I cold, epic ride up Latigo/Mulholland/Stunt in the Santa Monica Mountains. Total mileage for the weekend was 77mi/9,000ft elevation gain.
Now I'm tapering into this weekend; just a couple more easy rides in Santa Barbara. Getting excited!
The next week I was on vacation, and though Johanna and I brought our bikes, we didn't do as much riding as I had hoped. Still, it was a great, active week of hiking and cycling, and a much-needed change of pace.
This last weekend, I previewed the Breathless Agony route by tackling Oak Glen and Part of Angelus Oaks. Day two was I cold, epic ride up Latigo/Mulholland/Stunt in the Santa Monica Mountains. Total mileage for the weekend was 77mi/9,000ft elevation gain.
Now I'm tapering into this weekend; just a couple more easy rides in Santa Barbara. Getting excited!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Background
In order to know where I stand and where I'm headed, I'm taking this opportunity to sum up my history with the sport of cycling.
Age 2: Learned to ride tricycle, promptly fell off and cut chin open.
Age 6: Started riding bikes with the neighborhood kids.
Age 11: Watched Tour de France for the first time (half-hour recaps on ESPN, with Bjarne Riis winning and Jan Ullrich, his teammate at Telecom finishing second). Began riding the 4-mile route to school once a week.
Age 12: Topped 40mph for the first time while riding down the only steep hill in my neighborhood. Also experienced high-speed wobble for the first time. Broken elbow and wrist, road rash everywhere. Stopped riding to school.
Age 14: Got my first road bike; it was a bright yellow, bottom of the line Giant. Several months later, had said Giant road bike stolen out of garage.
Age 19: Decided to buy a bike (red Specialized Allez Elite) to help my roommate Reuben train for Habitat for Humanity's Habitat Bicycle Challenge. His trip: 4,000 miles over 60 days, from New Haven to San Francisco in the summer of 2007. Our training: one month of rides 10-20 miles in length.
Age 20: While I had been the stronger rider during our brief training sessions, when Reuben came back, he came back STRONG! I could not comprehend that he had ridden more than 100 miles in a single day, and he'd done it multiple times. Though I'd been a regular follower of cycling for three weeks of July for the last ten years, this was the moment I decided to become a cyclist.
Since that time:
2007: LA River Ride Century (DNF @ 20 miles after snapping crank off...learned I have some high-end power), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (DNF @ 72 miles due to a full day of 20mph headwinds), Tour de Foothills Metric Century (Finished the 62-mile course, but only just, and experienced first cramps while cycling).
2008: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 7:15, exhausted and sunburnt), San Diego Century (DNF @ 65 miles, having not properly prepared), Inland Express Century (Finished in 7 hours flat), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (Finished in 7:15 and, along with the 190 other brave souls who came back, got revenge on the desert wind in what was to be the last year of this event).
2009: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 6:40, feeling nowhere near as tired as the previous year), Breathless Agony (Reached the top in 8:48 after experiencing simultaneous cramping in quads and hamstrings beginning on Damnation Alley...OUCH!!!), Road the entire 70-mile Santa Ana River Trail from Redlands to Huntington Beach and back in a single day, Pedaled 350 of the 450 miles coastal miles from San Francisco to Malibu in five days on a family-supported trip.
2010: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 5:35 and just in time for a USTA Men's League tennis match, but was given a default when my opponent didn't show)
In summary, while I rode bikes in my youth like most kids, my experience with the world of endurance cycling has only just begun. I hope that I can inspire, encourage, or otherwise affect those that stumble onto this blog by sharing my experiences with this uniquely challenging sport.
Age 2: Learned to ride tricycle, promptly fell off and cut chin open.
Age 6: Started riding bikes with the neighborhood kids.
Age 11: Watched Tour de France for the first time (half-hour recaps on ESPN, with Bjarne Riis winning and Jan Ullrich, his teammate at Telecom finishing second). Began riding the 4-mile route to school once a week.
Age 12: Topped 40mph for the first time while riding down the only steep hill in my neighborhood. Also experienced high-speed wobble for the first time. Broken elbow and wrist, road rash everywhere. Stopped riding to school.
Age 14: Got my first road bike; it was a bright yellow, bottom of the line Giant. Several months later, had said Giant road bike stolen out of garage.
Age 19: Decided to buy a bike (red Specialized Allez Elite) to help my roommate Reuben train for Habitat for Humanity's Habitat Bicycle Challenge. His trip: 4,000 miles over 60 days, from New Haven to San Francisco in the summer of 2007. Our training: one month of rides 10-20 miles in length.
Age 20: While I had been the stronger rider during our brief training sessions, when Reuben came back, he came back STRONG! I could not comprehend that he had ridden more than 100 miles in a single day, and he'd done it multiple times. Though I'd been a regular follower of cycling for three weeks of July for the last ten years, this was the moment I decided to become a cyclist.
Since that time:
2007: LA River Ride Century (DNF @ 20 miles after snapping crank off...learned I have some high-end power), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (DNF @ 72 miles due to a full day of 20mph headwinds), Tour de Foothills Metric Century (Finished the 62-mile course, but only just, and experienced first cramps while cycling).
2008: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 7:15, exhausted and sunburnt), San Diego Century (DNF @ 65 miles, having not properly prepared), Inland Express Century (Finished in 7 hours flat), Tour of Borrego Springs Century (Finished in 7:15 and, along with the 190 other brave souls who came back, got revenge on the desert wind in what was to be the last year of this event).
2009: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 6:40, feeling nowhere near as tired as the previous year), Breathless Agony (Reached the top in 8:48 after experiencing simultaneous cramping in quads and hamstrings beginning on Damnation Alley...OUCH!!!), Road the entire 70-mile Santa Ana River Trail from Redlands to Huntington Beach and back in a single day, Pedaled 350 of the 450 miles coastal miles from San Francisco to Malibu in five days on a family-supported trip.
2010: Tour of Palm Springs Century (Finished in 5:35 and just in time for a USTA Men's League tennis match, but was given a default when my opponent didn't show)
In summary, while I rode bikes in my youth like most kids, my experience with the world of endurance cycling has only just begun. I hope that I can inspire, encourage, or otherwise affect those that stumble onto this blog by sharing my experiences with this uniquely challenging sport.
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