Holy shit! Saturday's noon ride turned into a slugfest. It may have been a draw, but I came out bloodied and a bit beated. Going out, I knew it was going to be trouble on the return trip. I'm a decent climber when you take into account that I weigh a svelte 180 and race at @ 175, but when I'm tapping out a rhythm at close to 20 mph on a 2 km climb and my HR is 140, I'm getting a push from somewhere.
The route we took was shaped like a big triangle, so we had tailwind, crosswind and then dead, full blast, beat you about the upper torso, headwind for the last 45 minutes. I had a bit left in the tank, but it was definitely brutal. I feel bad for the guys who decided to do an extra 20km loop. They are all strongmen, make no mistake, but the wind did nothing but pick up as the day progressed. A 20mph headwind on a 45 degree, sunless day, makes for a ride that becomes less fun the longer it gets. I was glad to be home and have a Diet Coke and a turkey sammich.
The tempo was quick, even for the conditions, but it never hurt and I closed a gap that we let open after a climb with little difficulty. I could tell that the interval sessions had blown some of the carbon out of the pipes. I haven't ridden as much as last winter, but there's been more intensity. A few more step down sessions, some night, MUT sessions and a couple crit course visits and I'll be square.
The demo is done in the back room. Construction begins tomorrow. The new subfloor and the low sections of drywall will be getting installed. I finished the demo before yesterday's ride. I became quite weary of beating on and prying 50+ year old wood, so I broke out the big guns. Nothing says love like a Craftsman 8 amp reciprocating saw. The first half of the cabinet took about an hour to dismantle. The second half was on the pile after 15 minutes. Of course, in untrained hands, it could be a tool that quickly removes needed appendages. The wounds wouldn't be clean either...
Full TV day today. Daytona and the Tour of Cali prologue...
No comments:
Post a Comment