That what the training schedule called for. And although a pile of miles is MUCH funnier done in a new environment, I just couldn’t do it after being gone for the last two weekends. So, long local rides are what’s on the menu for this weekend. In reality, I’m looking forward to doing more and… Read More Piles of Miles
Ok, well not yet… but soon… with practice. This last weekend, I took a mountain bike skills camp up in the Laguna Mountain area. It was scary, hard and amazing. I’ve always been a strong rider… but let’s face it: I didn’t grow up BMX-ing and sometimes the technical stuff leaves me with scraps and bruises.… Read More Mad Skills
Today was a good day on the bike. 28 miles and 2,900+ feet of climbing at altitude. The local mountain bike club up here at Mammoth Lakes puts on a yearly ride this time of year, the “Big Friggin’ Loop”… the long distance guys go 50+ miles, I opted for the mini at 27 miles.… Read More Mammoth’s (mini) Big Friggin’ Loop
As someone that lives by the beach, being in the mountains is so different. The dryness of the air, the morning chill, how quiet the world can be, how heavy I can breathe just walking up the stairs. But the payoff is that when you mountain bike ride, you can get views like this: It… Read More In the mountains
In a past lifetime, a coach said to me… “Really… you are a fat kid squeezed into an athletic body!” What he meant is that I have a (slight) obsession with food… and I think about it all the time. The fattier and more unhealthy, the better. The good thing is that gone are the… Read More Oink! Oink!
Let’s take a moment to talk about cycling fashion. Gone are my days of lycra and spandex, I embraced those when I was Ironman training. But now that the speed is slower, the falls more frequent and the post-ride beer more common… I’ve completely gotten into the baggies. So, now that I’m getting into more… Read More To spandex, or not to spandex?
Everyone knows that I’m a planner. Every vacation, work travel, event, social gathering, etc I’ll usually plan. (I’m not sure if everyone else is lazy or I’m just a control freak!) But having a plan doesn’t mean that you have to stick to the plan, that’s what a lot of people don’t understand. It just means… Read More Exploring
Recent surgery aside, I’m certainly asking myself: “Really, are we gearing up for 2 more races this season… You know, you’ve only got 5 more weekends to train…” *sigh* Why do I always bite off more than I can chew? So, yes. This weekend will be my first ‘real’ weekend of training since before the… Read More Am I really doing this?
Today, I’m six days post op. It already seems like ages ago. The good news is that the surgeon got what she was looking for… The bad news is that I’ll have to have another (more extensive) surgery. 😦 At this point, I’m just trying to focus on healing today and keeping my events lined up.… Read More Baby steps back to training
Last Wednesday, we were supposed to leave for Belize. Scheduled months ago – we were looking forward to diving, warm water, lying on the beach and rum drinking. Then I got the call: “We weren’t sure if you were aware that a tropical storm is headed our way…” Waaaaa??? Tropical stormed turned into Hurricane Earl… Read More Impromptu Santa Cruz Riding
The Rambling Biker 