The girls in Jamestown, CO
The girls got their longest ride in ever -- 75 Miles -- as final preparation for their century ride in two weeks.
They are ready!
This route started from North Loveland, and puts the hardest climbing of their ride (Lyons to Jamestown) right in the middle, before looping back on different country roads to the start. I am in an awkward position where not doing anything all day, and even all week, would have more benefit for me than Leadville, but they wanted me to ride along as well. Though I suspect it's mostly for mechanicals and flats (none!) and routefinding, I also try to focus on nutrition, water, keeping the pace appropriate, and making sure there's no stopping on the climbs (possibly by slowing down the initial pace)...oh, and getting up early in the morning to beat the heat, rain, and traffic -- without being too overbearing (I hope)! With all the warning and mental preparation, they all handled the climb up to Jamestown easily! They'll be passing girls on the climb. And it was fun to hear them enjoy rolling past farms, ranches, and small towns, that most people never see on the highways, and enjoying the early morning start when the weather is cool and you can smell the plants in the air, yet still have the rest of your day when done. These are the things that I love about cycling!
We took a break at the top at the Jamestown Merc -- I've never been there, and it's certainly an iconic and cycling-friendly place.
They got a sense for the climb they had just done with a solid 7-mile no-pedals-needed descent back down the canyon.
So, they're ready. It's been fun watching them stay focused and help each other out, on the long rides as well as the weekday rides. They took the training seriously enough that they'll undoubtedly finish the century and be able to enjoy every bit of it.
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Por moi, that wasn't ideal Leadville tapering on paper, but it's hard to justify not joining your wife for a bike ride when I'm used to riding solo and she's getting into it. I took it really easy and hung off the back, including the Jamestown climb, and I've found that cycling feels like a long, good stretch. The niggling pains that I had the day before and generally have during running weeks all summer went away after yesterday's ride. I have no soreness or strange pains from riding, which suggests I don't push too much, just a difference in "pep" in the legs that I would have if I hadn't run at all. But, I trust that will come back in the next couple days. I am stoked to get up high and out on the trail!
Glad your rider in pink was not the one I saw up near Allenspark on Sunday. She'd turn around to talk and weave into the middle of the road and later I saw them stopped on the shoulder with her bike in the road. Aaa! I thought I was going to witness a grisly death.
ReplyDeleteI imagine you're in pretty good shape at this point, so a "little" bike ride won't hurt. heh
Never been up Left Hand or to Jamestown. 'Bout time.
I had only been up LH to Ward, but never to Jamestown, so it was cool to go somewhere new and definitely recommended.
ReplyDeleteThe girls have gotten pretty good at staying safe on the edge of the road, and I'm a stickler about not overlapping wheels in a blind spot. Going up the canyon and seeing all the other riders (as well as driving past part of a different ride the morning before), I forgot that these safety rules are easily taken for granted. So we talked a bit about the next step, which is anticipating and accommodating other users that may or may not be as safe as possible, such as anticipating oncoming cars that may want to pass cyclists on the other side of the road. Those sort of things are going to come into play during an organized ride, which always make me nervous with the number of riders of mixed abilities. It's amazing how much more protective I am of my wife's safety than my own -- I can only imagine what it will be like with kids!
But I was also reminded watching the "serious" dudes in matching jerseys climb up the hill and not say "Hi" (or return my "Hi", despite not going so fast that they couldn't talk) when going past, as to why I like trail running (or at least trail runners) more!