Man oh man I am hurting today. It was just one of those days when you wake up that your legs still feel like you just got off the bike. Lactic acid started to creep into my thighs just from walking up and down the stairs at work. Today... today is not going to be a good day.
The video for today:
Preview video:
Yep. Pretty painful stuff. Although I have done this video a few times before, so I don't think there will be too many surprises in store for me today. Enough whining, time to get to the action!
Warm up: 6:30
Finally, a nice long warm up!
And footage from the San Diego Velodrome! WOOT! San Diego represent! Over/Unders: 10:00
Legs are feeling a little better after the warm up, but noticing that I can't raise my heart rate to the usual levels with the effort I am putting in. Just another sign that my body is fatigued.
Let's tackle these over/unders!
Low, fast, and powerful! Got it! Overs: just over your lactate threshold. Unders: just under your lactate threshold.
These actually really helped loosen up my legs. Just getting those pedals spinning near my LT really got them going again. Feeling pretty good going into the first climb! Rest: 3:00
A little detail of the climbs to follow
I expected nothing less from you Sufferfest, but maybe you could just give us one? Climb 1: 8:00
Off to a fast start, but the legs are cooperating thus far.
God. You knew it was going to happen, but that still doesn't make it any easier.
I can settle into a rhythm, even if it is in a bigger gear than my legs are comfortable turning.
Haha I must be doing something right!
And done! Wow that wasn't unbearable. High, sustained, intensity, but not too bad. Maybe my tolerance for suffering is just increasing.
Climb 2: 8:00
Interesting guideline. Sounds like there will be lots of attacks ahead.
Dang. Standing up and keeping a high cadence is harder than it looks! It just feels awkward to spin so fast!
Ok the legs are starting to burn now. You'd be surprised how much out of the saddle riding at lower resistance and high cadence kills your legs-- and arms for that matter.
Stay with Contador to the finish!!
Climb 3: 8:00
This is going to hurt. It's the mother of all cycling climbs. Yeah that's right, you guessed it
And if that wasn't motivation enough:
Going for a stage win with a mountain top finish on d'Huez? Say no more! I'm there!
Some how it always feels better when you are the one attacking and dishing out the pain than reacting to a move.
More pressure? I'm already going flat out! Good thing I brought my shovel, because I need to bury myself to keep this up!
Yeah, I think my face agrees with that statement. Only 2 minutes left! SO CLOSE YOU CAN TASTE IT!
Changing gears now and winding it up for the sprint!
GO!!!
And that's stage 5! I am completely toast as usual after the stage, but I at least feel good about it. Funny how just a little carrot like a stage win on Alpe d'Huez can make you dig so much deeper. I think it's the added objective at the end of the suffering that makes it better. Suffering just to suffer? Not many people want to do that. Suffering to win, however? Completely different. Then all the pain has a purpose! This has to be one of my favorite stages thus far.
Halfway done! Let's see how I do on stage 6 tomorrow!
No introduction this time. I'll cut to the chase and go straight to the cold hard facts!
Training Breakdown
Bike Miles: 270 miles
Bike Time: 17 hrs
Strength Time: 1 hr
Other Time: 10 hrs
Total Training Time: 28 hrs
I ramped up my time in the saddle and slightly decreased my side activity training time. And with this increase in riding time, I found some really fun new routes in the San Diego area!
This might be my favorite new door-to-door course. This route has a bit of everything in it-- climbs, flats, descents, and roundabouts. This variety of terrain keeps you interested throughout the ride and makes the miles tick by faster. It starts off with a nice category 4 climb up the Torrey Pines State Reserve that is 2.3 km/1.4 mi long at 5.2%. Nothing too crazy, and a good warm up for the legs-- not to mention that this is an absolutely beautiful stretch of road that takes you from the beaches of Del Mar, under the tree canopy of the Torrey Pine cliffs, and ends by the PGA golf course.
From there, the road flattens out by UC San Diego and you enjoy a quick plunge into downtown La Jolla. Even though there are a lot of traffic stops in downtown La Jolla, the overall feel of the road is similar to passing through a small Belgian village since the roads are lined and tightly packed with cafes, bars, and restaurants. After you pass through downtown, the flat stretch continues through several sets of roundabouts that add to its European feel.
After the flat stretch of road, its time for the major climb on the course: Mt. Soledad. I say major climb, but it really isn't anything too difficult. It's a category 3 climb that is 4.9 km/3.1 mi long at 4.1%. I like to think that this climb has some Belgian flavor to it since it is a very stair steppy climb, with sections of steep pavement followed by shallow reprieves. It reminds me of the Belgian classic climbs with their short and steep nature, just minus the cobbles. When you finally reach the top, you are treated to a panoramic view of the northern San Diego area!
Next comes a steep and technical descent. Lots of blind curves and tight corners that keep you on your toes. After this descent, you immediately start climbing again with the course's final hill: a category 4 that is 2.4 km/1.5 mi long at 3.9%. And after you conquer this last hill, you cruise past UCSD and descend down the Torrey Pines State Reserve back home, totaling just over 42 km/26 miles.
I'd like to think that this is one of the more picturesque courses in the San Diego area. However, this one is reserved for the weekends since I have to drive an hour or so to Julian California, but I believe the scenery and terrain are worth the trip. The ride starts by the Menghini Winery and takes the country roads into the town of Julian. The town of Julian itself I imagine has changed very little from when it was founded back in the days of the wild west. Wooden buildings line the main street in a decidedly western fashion, so much so, that one could picture a duel taking place at high noon in the middle of the street.
(I forgot to hit stop at the end of the video, so the last few seconds present a strange angle)
You quickly exit the town and continue to take country roads that run along the surrounding golden hills spotted with large California Oaks every now and then. The miles go bye pretty quickly as your head darts from left to right to soak in all the scenery. The course's only climb quickly approaches once you reach the Pine Hills-- a slow and dragging category 2 climb that is 7.7 km/4.8 mi at 5%. The climb is pretty steady with only a very steep section at the top. Otherwise, it's fairly easy to get into a rhythm and work your way up the mountain. However, since the climb starts at around 3,600 ft, I noticed that my heart rate was a little higher than usual. Once at the top, you are treated to a nice view of the valley below and the California mountains in the distance.
After filling back up on water at the top of the climb, since it gets a little toasty up there at around 95 deg F, the highway takes you down to the edge of Lake Cuyamaca. It truly is a beautiful sight seeing the water shimmering in the California Sun as you ride along the highway next to it.
You can nearly double the course's distance and total climbing by taking a turn off towards Mt. Laguna. But since, I wasn't feeling in tip top shape, mostly due to the change in altitude, I decided to head back towards Julian to cut the course short. You work your way back along similar country roads that are lined by ranches and open fields before finally making it back into the western town and finishing the ride. When it's all said and done, the shorter loop is a nice 41.5 km/25.8 mile ride in the golden hills of California.
Paris-Roubaix style route sheet on my top tube. Yellow indicates the climbing areas.
I've been enjoying a few weeks off the bike and finally had time to reflect upon my season so far. These transition weeks really help your body recover both physically and mentally from all the hard training done in the past 5 months. They also give you time away from the bike to re-evaluate yourself... for better or for worse.
The bike is getting ready to be back in action!
It's easy to say that the first half of my season didn't live up to expectations. My goals for the first half were to finish the KOM Challenge and place in the top 50 overall for the L'etape du California. If you just simply look at my results, I didn't come close to completing those goals. I only finished 2 out of the 3 stages in the KOM Challenge and I didn't even finish in the L'etape.
However, that isn't the whole story. A business trip forced me to miss Breathless and not complete the KOM challenge and a minor heat stroke during the L'etape made me skip the final ascent to Mt. Baldy. So in actuality, I didn't fall short of my goals due to a lack of form or mental toughness. These were forces that I could not control and I just have to accept the results. I acknowledge that I didn't complete my goals. Nothing can change that. But how many times have we seen a favorite in a major race pull out due to an illness. One would not criticize that rider's form or conditioning based on that specific performance, and one would look to future performances to determine their opinion.
This is why the second half of my season is so important. I need to make a statement in these upcoming races to prove that my previous performances weren't a reflection of my quality as a rider. I need to prove to myself and to others that I am capable of quality performances and that my previous failures were nothing more than bad luck. There are only two major races for me in the months to come: the Tour de Big Bear and the Mt. Diablo Challenge. And specifically, my goal for the second half is to finish the Mt. Diablo Challenge in under 1 hour. The pressure is on, but my eyes are locked onto the road in front of me.
.jpg)
