2 RIDES 2DAY

MY FRIEND KEN BOUGHT THE FASTEST BIKE I'VE EVEN OWNED FROM ME ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO.  I sold it because I needed the cash.  He bought it because... well, maybe just to help me out... but he said he wanted to get in shape.

I promised to ride with him.
Which I never did until today.

There are a million reasons why...none of them good.

Life is busy... yes, and that's the lamest reason.

It was good to see him.  He lives about 45 minutes away.  We met at Santiago Oaks.  

The ride was very short - 4 miles, 30 minutes.  But, it was fun.  It's always fun to catch up with a friend.

It was a short ride because he hadn't ridden for 18 months.  Can ya believe that?  He hasn't ridden the fastest bike I ever owned?

Having a little more in my tank, I decided to head over to the place that bike of Ken's had proved to be so fast.

Harding Truck Trail is a 9 mile, 3000' climb up a rocky fire road.  It's a great place to train for Leadville.  It's where I come to check my fitness.  Where was I today?  

I was way behind where I was 5 years ago.  Specifically, 10 minutes behind the PR I set on 2/22/14 at the annual Harding TT.  Ouch!  Was I all out racing?  No.   But I wasn't dogging it either.  Was I as light as possible?  No.  But I do weight about 7 lbs less, and I am in great shape... however, carrying 2 full bottles and riding heavy training wheels and knowing I was going to ride a lot more isn't ideal.  Was the temp perfect?  No, it was hottish.

Ideal or not, I have a long way to go to get ready for Leadville.  This may be my biggest challenge in years... changing my riding from explosive road racing to endurance mountain biking.

The positive side?... was anything positive?... well yeah!  The new bike is very fast downhill, and my skills don't seem to have diminished too much... that is only going to improve in the coming months.

Going fast at Leadville this year... heck qualifying at Tahoe... is going to take a high level of dedication.

I'm down for that.

 _____

0/0
Ride with us: click for info.