Up, up, and away!!!

Hi All! How's it going? Just sittng here, enjoying more morning cup of coffee and getting caught up in what's going on in the world. Yesterday capped off a solid week of training that I'll be repeating for the next three weeks in an effort to keep, and improve the fitness that I have in order to be competitve at the Mt. Charleston Hill Climb in late September.

I've decided that instead of letting the fitness go, and then trying to regain it before the event, it would just be easier to keep what I have and build off that, slowly ramping up the intensity of my training leading up to the race date. My current training schedule looks like this...

Monday: Rest Day (no riding at all)
Tuesday: 60-minutes on the trainer (2x20min FTP intervals)
Wednesday: Repeat Tuesday's workout
Thursday: 60-minute tempo ride
Friday: Recovery Ride
Saturday: 3-4 hours fast-paced group ride (Swamis)
Sunday: 3-4 hours hill work

I just completed that work out yesterday, and feel pretty good considering. The weekend was great, I was able to get 8.5 hours on the bike, beginning with the Swamis Ride Saturday morning, then adding additional miles with my training partner Mark up in Valley Center, and throwing in Cole Grade Road for kicks!

Sunday was an incredible day on the bike! Over the last year, my good friend Art, a gentlemen who lives up in Valley Center, and rides two days a week with the
North County Cycle Clubs Cruisers, has invited to take me up in the hills around Julian, Lake Cuyamaca, Mt Laguna, etc, to show me the hills he use to ride back in his bigger mileage days. Not to ride with me mind you, but to follow me in his truck! That's a rare opportunity for any cyclist, to have someone volunteer to provide SAG support for a training ride! Truly a great gesture from someone who really appreciates and loves the sport of cycling.

We began our ride at the beginning of Wynola Road in Julian, and made our way through Pine Hills, up and over Engineers Road down to Lake Cuyamaca. From there we climbed up to the top of Mt. Laguna, where we stopped at the Laguna Lodge so I could get some calories in me. From there we back tracked to Highway 79, and finally back to Julian. 4 hours, 62 miles, 6000ft of climb, 2200 calories. A great day on the bike, covering miles of some of the best roads I've ever ridden! Thanks again Art!!!

Hope all is well! Until next time...