Put a bow on it

It took longer than I expected to recover from the Winthrop Fondo. As if 157 kilometers and 3,600 meters of climbing on gravel wasn’t enough, the washboard this year made me feel like I had spent nine hours in a clothes dryer. My legs and underside were ready for more very quickly but my upper body and general fatigue level lingered beyond the normal day or two after a big gravel event. 

My season kicked off early in 2016 as I began the build up for the Dolomites as soon as the snow began melting.  Long rides and intervals filled my spring. Decades of competitive running followed by years of bike racing has taught me to accept the pay now, reap later nature of following a training plan.  

During those soggy winter rides I envisioned sunny climbs in Italy.  Later I pictured reaching the top of Freezeout ridge and Baldy ridge feeling strong.  With those dreams realized this past weekend I now look ahead to easy crisp fall riding and a smattering of Cyclocross races where I don’t even check the results. At this point, it’s all gravy.

My build up in 2016 started much earlier than in years where my focus is Cyclocross. Consequently I’ve been going hard for a long time and I’m ready to back off. Hottie has been supportive in letting me log the miles I needed and in recent months she has built her own fitness and we will share some riding this fall. 

After hitting every weekend over the last seven months with a specific training objective, this weekend I’m thinking waffles and riding with Hottie.