I was recently accused of being super stealth. The reality is I've just been to busy to blog...and is overtraining that interesting anyway? So here comes a random sampling of all the stuff I've been meaning to catch up on.
First off, dump truck drivers. These rednecks are the worst of the worst in La Plata county. I've been getting buzzed by them at least 4-5 times/year, they have no respect whatsover for cyclists, and what's worse, they intentially aim for them. Yesterday, case in point. I'm riding N on 550 up Shalona hill, about 6" right of the white line. There's 2 northbound lanes here since it's uphill. Not a single vehicle in sight, except Mr. Dumptruck who thinks its funny to buzz my skinny butt. He was ON the white line. He had an entire passing lane, wide open, to his left, yet he aimed for me. Yes, the truck grazed me. Yes, I was about as mad as I've been in recent years and HR jumped up 15 beats instantly. As I was going up past Tamarron, he was coming out of Tamarron, apparently having dumped his load. He had the audacity to toot his dam horn at me. Grrrr....
Mr. Dumptruck driver in La Plata county, you are a sad pitiful little man. We need your dirt but you can keep your shit to yourself.
On a more positive note, this was the second ride to Coal Bank this year. It's a bit early for heading over 10k, but hey, the roads were dry both times. In case you were wondering, climbing Coal Bank pass seems harder in the winter ;) OK, maybe it's the descent that is harder.
Last weekend was a beauty all around. I really let the cows outta the barn & rode myself silly. What do you get when you combine a relatively low CTL, a 10,000 kJ weekend, and an already negative TSB? A TSB of -122. I could only do this sort of training off-road being an MTBer at heart. The first day's route was Lockhart Basin rd from Needles to Moab. It's similar to the White Rim, but much less travelled, and in fact, there are a few spots that are impassable to jeeps or bigger. Zero tracks out there...the "road" gets difficult in spots with a series of rubbly steep rollers, then drops down a wash to the Colorado river at the base of Hurrah pass. Some scenes...
The start near Needles. An hour earlier it was 7F in Cortez. It must have been 40+ here, a real beauty of a day.
There were quite a few jets flying in formation overhead today.
Looking across the Colorado drainage to the White Rim near Shafer trail.
At the base of Hurrah pass is this lodge. It's for sale and can be yours, camels included.
Sunday the goal was to dial in nutrition and pacing for OP. White Rim is the perfect place for this. 'Twas a great day, respectable power and endurance. I've been training somewhat aggresively for a couple of months and have had a grand total of 3 days with TSB over 0 since early Dec...so I did exceed my expectations for this point in time.
White rim was oh so slow. From Potash to the base of Shafers is some of the most incredible scenery, especially during sunrise. I highly recommend the route...in general, the WR is at least a little sandy everywhere, and for miles and miles on the south and west sides it's like this:
At one point I noticed that at 250 W, going slightly downhill, I was getting all of 6 mph. The WR required by far the most kJ of any previouis ride I've done here, so it was super training. Riding it this time of year gives it's own type of rewards not seen other times of the year...
As for OP...right now I'm a diesel. This time last year I was a jackrabbit. There will be no sub 1 hour laps for me this year, and I'm OK with that. Since I really don't have any huge expectations for the race other than a good time on my bike for 24 hours, there's a freedom to experiment. It's an opportunity to test out some ideas and equipment in preparation for the WSC in September.
Lights will be new and different, my Cree creations. 800 lumens on the bar, 600 on the noggin should cover it. Did I mention the helmet mounted light will last all night on a single battery?
1 week to go and let's keep those fingers crossed for good weather. See ya out there!