Monday, July 24, 2006

Back on the Bike


A much long overdue update.

Training for the upcoming Adventure Race season began in earnest shortly after my big 50K.

My routine is pretty similar to the ultra training with 2 days at the gym for strength and endurance training mixed in with some running (cuz I like it so much). A total of 5 days of training total. But back on the menu is plenty of delicious mountain biking...dessert...for the sweathead.

My racing partner and a third mountain biking only partner--let's just call him Tinker-- have increasingly been spending some time riding the ridge and surrounding areas. Man I love being back on a bike! My climbs are a strong pace, my downhills pretty decent. Technically, Moab buffed my shine but there's much to be learned. The ride is a custom race frame--"The King"--a scadnium Kona with full suspension, 80mm Fox FLRT front shock, Hayes disks, Shimano XLT dereilleurs, titatanium Shimano SPD pedals, Mavvik SLC wheels, carbon fiber cranks, post, and bars. It weighs in at 25lbs and the weight is nicely and evenly distributed across the bike. I love it!

We've been getting in some nice rides preparing for the upcoming 12 and 24 hour races. Training rides have typically been 16-25 mile rides with a mix of dual and single track. Lots of good climbing. Technically speaking, however, the trails suck. However, even a mediocre ride is better than nothing.

Last week, I put in a good 5 hour brick workout. 1 hour run, 2.75 hour mtb ride, 30 min. strength, 15 min. on the jump rope, and 30 min. on the elliptical. I maintained a nice even level 5-7 effort through most of the brick and finished feeling strong and ready.

I'm feeling strong. My bike is awesome.