April 7th...Monday...Back to training on the road!

As my friend Greg Thomas reminded my today via email, I have exactly two months 'till race day...the day I put on my 'game face' and all of my training and planning materialize with success. In this context, success is racing smart, riding my game plan, being prepared for most anything reasonable, and using good judgment and maturity in the decision making process. I have a beautiful wife, children,  friends, and home awaiting my return. My success is not taking myself so seriously that I jeopardize my health and safety of those qualities I hold so dear. 

Today was my first ride on my rebuilt socked GoldRush. In a word it exceeded my expectations especially in light of this being my first ride on this platform in nearly three months. As recumbent riders have known for quite sometime, moving from one bent to another usually requires a period of adjustment to acquaint the muscles, and their firing sequence, to the new change in position. It's like hiking up a steep trail vs hiking down a steep trail. Same movement, same muscles, but hiking down usually gets the muscles more sore than hiking up the hill. Bents are no different.

For the record, I've trained for nearly two months only on my high bottom bracket Carbent. The bent I rode today features the low BB position. I did well considering all things.

I'm under the belief that to do well at bent ultra distance riding you don't need to wear yourself out during the training phase. Getting use to the "saddle" is not the issue like road bikes in general. Today, I found myself cruising on flat smooth road at 21.5 mph at a HR of 110-112... my race pace. Obviously, heart-rate drift and fatigue will sit in, so in reality,  this may or may not be the case.

It may not be the case because I have two more months of training and, if this ride(race) proves to similar to my last TransAm back in 2002, I became stronger, not weaker, as the days progressed.

I had very little training prior to the start of that 2900 mile ride w/a rolling weight of nearly 260 lbs. and still managed to cover the distance in 23 riding days. Of course I'm twelve years older now which will have some impact on my recovery rate no doubt.

Anyway, today I was much faster on the socked GR than my Carbent. Noticeably faster on all except the 6-8% climbs. Could of used it at the LCVMG last weekend and would of probably finished out in front of most of the velos overall with the exception of Greg and Steve ;)

The GR and the build?

Bent is three pounds lighter than before.

Carbon fork works miracles on chip seal

58 tooth big ring helps maintain speeds delaying 'run-out'

I'm personally 10-12 lbs lighter since January 1st.

I'm definitely stronger aerobically and in power production evident in my climbing speed and recovery heart-rate.

Note:

I didn't run my rear disc cover today, nor did I tuck my head inside my sock when I hit the 52mph on my coastdown hill  though it was about 12 degrees warmer which helps. Last January 10th, IIRC, I hit 53mph w/disc and head tucked in fairing so I need to go back and visit it again.

There were numerous places along my ride where I hit PRs w/the GR when compared with my best in my Quest and I'm not talking climbing. I didn't realize until I got back on relatively light bents how much of my energy it took to accelerate the Quest up to speed.

Most of my training today was like most of my training I've done throughout the last 10 years. 

Challenge a hill...not all hills, though; sprint coming off a hill for 30-60 secs. Push some flats...hard.

Recover. What I try to do most , not all, workouts is to have fun on the bike. T least 5-6 hard, hard pulls of 20 secs to three minutes and sometimes longer.

My stats:

48 miles

Max speed. 52 mph /no disc

Avg:17+mph

Intervals: 8

Body weight after riding and eating: 156.5 lbs.

I'm too tired to proof-read this an am going to give my legs something to work on over night...

a protein smoothy w/about 35 grams of protein.

Note: A quick trip to the skin doctor tomorrow for a suspicious spot on my hand. It's probably nothing but my good friend, "Startle" said it looks like textbook melanoma. I was alarmed this morning as it had noticeably grown  over night. I trust in the Lord so...no worries, at least not yet ;)