Vive le Tour

After a much needed week off the bike, I’ve been back at it getting some good ol’ bicycle riding in. I’ve been a bit contemplative about training and racing lately after hitting a wall so to speak in the weeks leading up to and including Nature Valley. I’m still trying to understand the popular training philosophies in cycling and how they work for me. I have found that racing every weekend for months on end leads to fatigue. I’m starting to re-subscribe to the thought that little in the way of intensity is needed during the week when racing that much--at least for me right now. I’ll be working with a coach soon, so luckily I won’t have to think about this stuff as much. Regardless, I’ve had a good couple weeks of riding since my week off, and I’ve had a lot of fun on my bicycle.

This past weekend I went out to Harrisonburg, VA to get some climbing in. I did a good climb up Reddish Knob on Saturday and then jumped in the Tour de Burg road stage on Sunday. I had so much fun I ended up staying Monday and nearly Tuesday as well—thanks to Ryan, Kurt, and Jenn for allowing me to slum longer. Tour de Burg is an unsanctioned grassroots stage race that combines mountain and road stages over 6 days. People came from all over to participate in a quite righteous event. There was even a contingency from Texas.

Sunday was a 100 mile road stage. It was another day of solid climbing, and my legs started off a little sluggish, but I was rolling by the end. I had the pleasure of hanging on a super speedy Nick Waite's wheel up some big climbs. I enjoy riding with very good climbers, because I pick stuff up about pacing and asskickery. Monday was a mountain biking stage. I did some mountain biking when I was very young, but I’m pretty challenged at it these days. I got a loaner bike and shoes and threw myself into the mix. Turns out the mountain biking in VA knocks the socks off of a lot of the stuff out West. I had an absolute blast and didn’t die; yet, I was humbled by guys (and gals) who are wicked savvy on mountain bikes.

I arrived home from the weekend to find a shiny new Quarq power meter thanks to a spectacular shop in Maryland—Just Riding Along Bikes. They’ve been great supporters of the cyclocross team I’m on, and this is a big time toy. I’ve sworn off power meters until recently but decided it would be necessary to get the most out of working with a coach.

Lastly, I raced my last Bryan Park training race here in Richmond and got my first victory. This was the venue for my first race less than a year ago, and I hadn’t won the A or B race yet. It was nice to get off the front for a while and then come in solo, but I had a little help from my friends.

Racing this weekend in NC and then nothing until July 19th when the Cascade Classic kicks off. I’ll try to report on that. I’m very excited to do that race, as I’ve wanted to do it since I started racing last summer. Beautiful country and big climbs!