19* and sunny

Who says 19 degrees is too cold to ride? I do! I spent 3 1/2 hours riding in it today. I actually started riding away from the sun and at the 4 mile mark of my ride I turned around and headed home. After turning into the sun I warmed up a little, just enough to make me reconsider and turn back around to finish the ride. It was weird because from then on I was never all that cold. It did start to warm up a bit, it was a balmy 30* by the end of the ride. Just because it doesn't snow much in VA and it is possible to ride most of the winter doesn't necessarily mean that you should.

More trainer miles:-(

I was on the trainer for another 2 hours today doing intervals at right below LT power. Start with a 10 minute warm up. Then 8 minutes on/ 2 minutes off and repeat x9. Finally finish it off with one final 10 minute interval and then a 10 minute cool down. I was suffering by the end but hopefully it will help out later on this summer (or even next month with a killer 12 hour effort). Hopefully tomorrow will be outside.

2 hour trainer ride

It was a fairly nice day outside. Very sunny but also very cold so I was inside on the trainer today. It's been a while since I was on the the trainer for 2 consecutive hours (with my trip to Fl helping me get some longer time on the bike). The first hour were intervals and the second hour was just a prolonged steady effort. Isn't it great that a bad day of riding inside on the trainer is still better than a good day doing other stuff. Think happy thoughts, Spring is right around the corner!

2 weeks in Ft. Myers, FL

I just got back Tuesday from being in Florida for 2 weeks. It wasn't really a training camp but it may as well have been. I really had no plans so basically all I did was ride and rest. On Sunday I got to ride the Tour de Cape (tour of Cape Coral). It wasn't a race, it was a 100 mile bicycle tour of the city. Someone should have told everyone else that it wasn't a race. I started in a really fast group and we covered the first 44 miles in 1hr 40min. We had a really nice pace line going until some guys on recumbents got in. The fact that they were was really no problem except that I got stuck behind them in the pace line for about two trips through so I basically had no break from the wind, and POP there I go off the back. Then I was on my own and that was a bad thing because the course wasn't marked correctly. So, I got lost and ended up making a big circle and would have done it again but I ran into another group being led by a police man in a Dodge Charger. I rode with them for a while but they were moving a little too slow for my tastes so I powered on ahead. The Charger stayed with me and the rest of the group was left with another cop on a motorcycle. Then at some point I was joined by another police SUV. So for the last 30 miles I had my very own 2 police car escort. I was really cool, they were stopping traffic at all of the intersections and I got to blow right through. I ended up riding 112 miles in a little over 5 hours. Riding in Florida is alot different. You get to ride faster because of no hills but I sure did miss resting on the downhills. Anyway, It was a great time and I'm ready for my next trip to Florida in February.

62* and sunny in Ft. Meyers

It's 62 degrees and sunny here this morning. Today is supposed to be around 78-80* this afternoon. I've been getting in 50 miles each day I've been here so far. I've done one loop on my TT bike where I just kill myself for the entire thing and then when I get home I get on the road bike and head back for another 25 easy miles with my Dad. The second 25 miles feels really good after the first 25 that are completely miserable.

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I'm off to Florida on Wednesday for 2 weeks of riding and basic goofing off. Race season starts soon so I hope all of you have been riding. Unless of course you are in any of my races, in which case I hope you haven't been training and have taken up competitive dough nut eating for the off season.