It's not as if training is now over, but we managed to get through a good 3 month chunk of preparation for the first half of 2008's endeavours. We put the work in focusing on quality and made a few changes that were necessary for us to be contenders at the next level. It's one thing to race Elite/Pro, but it's a whole other story to really factor in the mix. One of my goals this year is to cause fear. I remember a few years ago, Glen (Rendall) and I were chatting and he said his goal for the team was to show up at a race and the other teams to say "...shit those guys are going to be here, it's going to be a hard day". Once we get things sorted out with boys (Jet Fuel) I hope that we can do that this year.
After countless hours on the trainer, I managed to sneak away for a nice little 130 km ride today. Natasha went up to pre-ride the Almonte course and I planned out a route that would get me there in four hours. To my suprise I got there way ahead of scheduel and did my own little Almonte Roubaix ride through the mine field of pot holes on the side roads. If you have never blasted down these torturous roads at 45 km/hr on 23 mm tires with aero wheels you don't know what you're missing. Man it was like walking a tight rope, there were lines to take through the endless potholes, but you had to be extremely vigilant. I think if Natasha saw me riding down these roads she would have had a heart attack. It was nice to get out there and do a point to point ride like that and have a lift back home. I like to be able to go out, keep the power up, do the correct training and achieve the desired goal. The problem is it's so easy to start really pushing it when there are others in a group...and you are feeling good...the sun is shinning man I can almost taste the sweet pain...but alas, I really feel like doing what you are supposed to do pays in the long run. Besides once I start out for a ride, to tell the truth I don't really like stoppping and waiting or slowing down. Obviously you have to think long term as well, I mean it's gotta be fun and ridining with others is definetly a good Rx for enjoyment and company. But the problem is you can't really always dictate the pace, so you go for your ride and enjoy the solo time. The SRM becomes my freind and I'm going to hate myself for saying this but I took Dr B's advice and downloaded Yoav's new album, it's suprisingly good. Good music, some numbers to look at, a chance to get out and do cool 130 km loop through places like Mannotick, North Gower, Missisipi Mills and not get ost, makes for a pretty cool afternoon. Maybe I'm a little anti-social...but it's kind of what it's all about. I figure I train my ass off if I want to ride at X/km an hour for four hours I'm going to do it. There's definetly something to be said about having the freedom in doing a good ride like this.
I remeber someone once asked me if I was a bike racer or a bike rider. Over the last few years I've definetly become a bike racer. But there was something special about the ride today. I had googlemapped the directions and stretched out the route to take the long way, I printed out the written directions and tucked them up my sleeve, so when I was riding I could just pull them out, look at how many km's I had to do, correlate it with the SRM distance and voila a la Almonte. It's little things like this that rememind me that I was once just a bike rider as well. It's the freedom to propel yourself a 130 km's in a few hours fuled by two bottles of juice, some pitas and some fruit. It's the freedom of cycling that drew me in years ago, it's the freedom that keeps me going.
After countless hours on the trainer, I managed to sneak away for a nice little 130 km ride today. Natasha went up to pre-ride the Almonte course and I planned out a route that would get me there in four hours. To my suprise I got there way ahead of scheduel and did my own little Almonte Roubaix ride through the mine field of pot holes on the side roads. If you have never blasted down these torturous roads at 45 km/hr on 23 mm tires with aero wheels you don't know what you're missing. Man it was like walking a tight rope, there were lines to take through the endless potholes, but you had to be extremely vigilant. I think if Natasha saw me riding down these roads she would have had a heart attack. It was nice to get out there and do a point to point ride like that and have a lift back home. I like to be able to go out, keep the power up, do the correct training and achieve the desired goal. The problem is it's so easy to start really pushing it when there are others in a group...and you are feeling good...the sun is shinning man I can almost taste the sweet pain...but alas, I really feel like doing what you are supposed to do pays in the long run. Besides once I start out for a ride, to tell the truth I don't really like stoppping and waiting or slowing down. Obviously you have to think long term as well, I mean it's gotta be fun and ridining with others is definetly a good Rx for enjoyment and company. But the problem is you can't really always dictate the pace, so you go for your ride and enjoy the solo time. The SRM becomes my freind and I'm going to hate myself for saying this but I took Dr B's advice and downloaded Yoav's new album, it's suprisingly good. Good music, some numbers to look at, a chance to get out and do cool 130 km loop through places like Mannotick, North Gower, Missisipi Mills and not get ost, makes for a pretty cool afternoon. Maybe I'm a little anti-social...but it's kind of what it's all about. I figure I train my ass off if I want to ride at X/km an hour for four hours I'm going to do it. There's definetly something to be said about having the freedom in doing a good ride like this.
I remeber someone once asked me if I was a bike racer or a bike rider. Over the last few years I've definetly become a bike racer. But there was something special about the ride today. I had googlemapped the directions and stretched out the route to take the long way, I printed out the written directions and tucked them up my sleeve, so when I was riding I could just pull them out, look at how many km's I had to do, correlate it with the SRM distance and voila a la Almonte. It's little things like this that rememind me that I was once just a bike rider as well. It's the freedom to propel yourself a 130 km's in a few hours fuled by two bottles of juice, some pitas and some fruit. It's the freedom of cycling that drew me in years ago, it's the freedom that keeps me going.
1 comment:
outta come out winter riding. Ice. Ice is freaky stuff.
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