Wrapping Up and Starting Again

Last weekend I spent another four days in Berea, KY. I drove down on Thursday with the family and met my parents there. Travelling with two small kids is harder than many of the other physical challenges that I undertake. Driving the tractor with my son on my lap makes it all worth it though.

Friday was beautiful. 66 degrees and sunny. I rode with just shorts and a wind vest. I actually managed to get some sun on my pasty legs. I rode 65 miles on a familiar route that has a mix of long climbs and rolling hills. My legs felt really good. Saturday turned colder; only 48 or so. I only rode for 40 miles as I was beginning to nurse a chest rattle. Sunday was even colder, but I still managed another 45 miles. I rode a couple of new lanes that I will definitely revisit next week.

Speaking of next week, I leave this Friday for the final training camp of the Spring. This coming week will see the end of base miles and a transition to more Tempo/Threshold riding. There are nine guys coming down. Jerome, Chris and Derek are coming from Toronto. L.C. is coming down from mid Michigan, and Glenn, Barry, Russ and Dave from Detroit. It will be nice to have a larger group to share some pulls on the longer rides.

This is going to be an important week as it will be my last solid training block before Paris-Ancaster and the May Endurance races. Having not raced for two years, I want to make sure that I am as fit as possible for the early races. If I can look in the mirror and honestly say that I am as prepared as possible, then there are no regrets.

A quick note about my Computrainer sessions at Fraser Cycle. I feel as though this has been really beneficial. My sustainable wattage is up 65 watts as of my last test. My strength is certainly much better. Our final session is tomorrow and our "final exam" is a simulated road race. Every rider for themselves and winner take all.

New Bike, More Power

I can't believe that it has been nearly a month since my last post. Time flies when you have snow days, two kids and the ACT test to prep students for. The past three weeks have been very hectic, but very productive. I took delivery of my new LeMond Buenos Aires a while back and thought that it was time to post some pictures.





The bike is amazing. My first outdoor ride was in KY last month. You never quite know how a new bike is going to behave on it's first long ride. I am happy to report that the ride quality, climbing ability and overall fit are everything that I hoped for and more. The Triomphe Carbon is smooth as silk. While the Buenos Aires is not as light as the Tete de Course, it is an enjoyable "all day" bike. The Ultegra shifters and derailleurs are smooth, the SRAM Rival compact cranks are nice and the 105 brakes are better than my six year old Ultegras were. The bike is rounded out with Bontrager Race wheels and Bontrager Race X Lite stem and bars. I have some new Look Keo's that are going on as well as a new Fizik Arione saddle.

A word on power. I just took another threshold test and my numbers were up again. I went from 252 to 276 sustainable watts. This keeps me on track to get to 300 by the end of the month. I'll have to turn myself inside out, but that's OK.