Hi All! Well, the weekend has come and gone, was it long enough for you? Never is for me! This last week, I managed to get myself back on track with my training, after a rest week that lasted a bit longer then it should of, but ultimately, probably did more good then harm after all the extremely hard workouts I completed prior to it.
After a week of trainer interval workouts, and a week of extremely high temperatures around San Diego, Saturday's plan was to head out to Palomar for some repeats, but the forecast of possible thunderstorms with lightning, put an end to that! I decided instead to take a ride down the coast to La Jolla and back. I rode at a fairly good tempo pace, and as usual, came across a few riders who, as I was passing them, always latch on to my wheel, and sit in my draft. Most of the time this doesn't really bother me, but as I was approaching the base of the Torrey Pines climb, this one particular rider who had been cat & mousing me all the way through Del Mar, running red lights just to stay ahead of me, proceeds to sit on my wheel right up until the bottom of the climb, then decides to shoot around me as the road pitched up.
I could tell by this guy's build that he wasn't going to be able to hold the pace he was setting up the beginning of the climb, so I just sat on his wheel and waited for him to blow up. Before this happened, two riders came up on the outside of us, one a rider from UCLA, and the other a Swami. They went by us a good 4 or 5mph quicker then we were, and I immediately jumped in behind them, but intentionally staying a good twenty feet back.
It didn't take long for the Del Mar wheelsucker to blow up, then it was just the two other riders and myself. About halfway up the climb, the UCLA rider went around his Swami friend, and up'd the pace even more. The Swami rider had a climber's build, but the UCLA rider looked more like a sprinter. He was putting out some serious power, and I just kept hanging on. Not long after, the UCLA rider pulled off, job done, and the Swami kept the pace up, climbing hard! I just kept my distance, but not losing any either. I looked down and noticed my heart rate was at 182bpm, and I was definitely feeling the hurt!
A couple of times, I had the urge get out of the saddle, and attempt to overtake the Swami, but the level of suffering I was experiencing was just enough to keep me at bay. We both reached the top, still twenty feet apart, and as my heart rate settled back down, I smiled. There's nothing like a good battle up a climb to get the blood pumping! All in all, a good day on the road, 48-miles, 3600ft, and 1400 calories.
Today, a new PR of sorts. Again, I skipped Palomar because of an unfavorable forecast, but still wanted to get some good climbing in, so I decided that hill repeats would be the plan for the day. San Elijo and Twin Oaks. Great weather for repeats, overcast, high 60's, a light wind, bring it on! 8x San Elijo, and 2x Twin Oaks. Pushed fairly big gears, and kept the heart rate between 150-160bpm for the 2:45 ride, and another 1400 calories. Legs are feeling heavy tonight!
Thirteen days until the Death Valley Stage Race! Can't wait! Hope you all had a great weekend, until next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment