A Visit from the Sponsors
This week, several of our biggest sponsors were visiting the area: Polly DuBois, Lloyd DuBois, and Fred Starr (our parents!). It was great to have them come by and see the action first hand.
Last Tuesday, as one of the last hard efforts before San Dimas Stage Race, we went on a 4 hour mountain ride. We toured our favorite areas: Highway 39, East Fork, Glendora Mountain Road all the way to Baldy Village. When you think about your training, you somehow forget all those hours in the rain or on the trainer. Instead, you remember days like this, with no cloud in the sky, smooth roads, no traffic, snow on both sides of the road. It was truly epic. On days like this, you know why you bike a lot, because you look over at Sam and think, "This is so badass."
Mom and Dad tagged along in the car with water and food in the trunk. Professional cyclists often do motor-pacing sessions to build strength: they ride just behind a car's back bumper to get the draft, and then slip out into the wind for a bit (which is much harder), and then get back into the car's slipstream to recover. The driver's job is hard because every tiny acceleration feels like a substantial acceleration when you're on a bicycle. Lloyd DuBois, who apparently once dreamed of racing motorcycles, took to the challenge and got the hang of it quickly. (It took him a few tries to realize we don't go 20 mph uphill until he saw Sam and I sprinting to stay on the back of the car!). Needless to say, we could see Mom was quite nervous with us riding just inches from the back bumper, but she was happy that it gave some good camera shots.
So this was one of the best bike rides I have ever had, hands down. Wasn't too hard, wasn't too easy. We stayed at about 280-310W on each of the three climbs, which felt like a reasonable tempo. My form felt good, like I was constantly holding back, purposely not switching on the real speed. But it's difficult to know whether or not that will translate into a fast race weekend.
Last Tuesday, as one of the last hard efforts before San Dimas Stage Race, we went on a 4 hour mountain ride. We toured our favorite areas: Highway 39, East Fork, Glendora Mountain Road all the way to Baldy Village. When you think about your training, you somehow forget all those hours in the rain or on the trainer. Instead, you remember days like this, with no cloud in the sky, smooth roads, no traffic, snow on both sides of the road. It was truly epic. On days like this, you know why you bike a lot, because you look over at Sam and think, "This is so badass."
Mom and Dad tagged along in the car with water and food in the trunk. Professional cyclists often do motor-pacing sessions to build strength: they ride just behind a car's back bumper to get the draft, and then slip out into the wind for a bit (which is much harder), and then get back into the car's slipstream to recover. The driver's job is hard because every tiny acceleration feels like a substantial acceleration when you're on a bicycle. Lloyd DuBois, who apparently once dreamed of racing motorcycles, took to the challenge and got the hang of it quickly. (It took him a few tries to realize we don't go 20 mph uphill until he saw Sam and I sprinting to stay on the back of the car!). Needless to say, we could see Mom was quite nervous with us riding just inches from the back bumper, but she was happy that it gave some good camera shots.
So this was one of the best bike rides I have ever had, hands down. Wasn't too hard, wasn't too easy. We stayed at about 280-310W on each of the three climbs, which felt like a reasonable tempo. My form felt good, like I was constantly holding back, purposely not switching on the real speed. But it's difficult to know whether or not that will translate into a fast race weekend.
posted by Unknown at 4:40 PM
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