Lots of riding lately: 65 hours in 3 weeks, with intensity. A good bit more than I've ever done before. (The purpose of this post is really just to upload this image, to link to on bikereg)
Race reports (or perhaps the occasional epic workout) from triathlons, cycling races, or other various endurance events
Monday, January 14, 2013
Long rides/ 2013 MIT X-Pot ITT preview
Lots of riding lately: 65 hours in 3 weeks, with intensity. A good bit more than I've ever done before. (The purpose of this post is really just to upload this image, to link to on bikereg)
Friday, January 4, 2013
Snow Biking!
Winter 2013
This year, I decided not to let the snowy weather force me on to the trainer. The collegiate road race season begins in early March, so January is a key training time, but riding a road bike in the winter in my hometown of Jackson, WY is nearly impossible. Typical winter road conditions look like this:
Right after landing in Jackson for winter break from MIT, I eagerly snatched up my dad's "snow bike". It is a Surly Pugsley that weighs about 40 lbs, looks like a dirtbike, and has no trouble whatsoever riding over packed snow and ice, albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace.
In a high-volume training week back on campus, I ride 500km many weeks. However, during the Rapha Festive 500 challenge (#festive500), I was stuck on the snow bike for the first 3 days so didn't think my chances of completing the challenge were very good. (I did end up completing it, by riding a lot in CA on a family vacation for the last 4 days -- 26 hour riding week, in total, which was exhausting!)
Anyway, I decided just to enjoy the snowy conditions and do some fun rides. One memorable excursion took me and my dad to Granite Hot Springs, a pool located 10 miles up a U.S. Forest Service road that was only accessible by snowmobile, dog-sled, or snow bike. Road conditions were awful; it had snowed recently, and the snowmobiles stirred up the powder so that it felt like riding up a mountain through sand that randomly moved and slipped around. By the time we reached the hot springs (over 2 hours after beginning), my upper body ached from stabilizing myself and minimizing slips and falls. (I don't get much upper-body exercise now that I'm focused mainly on road biking, hah). We dipped in the pool, then bundled up again to begin the descent:
This year, I decided not to let the snowy weather force me on to the trainer. The collegiate road race season begins in early March, so January is a key training time, but riding a road bike in the winter in my hometown of Jackson, WY is nearly impossible. Typical winter road conditions look like this:
Right after landing in Jackson for winter break from MIT, I eagerly snatched up my dad's "snow bike". It is a Surly Pugsley that weighs about 40 lbs, looks like a dirtbike, and has no trouble whatsoever riding over packed snow and ice, albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace.
In a high-volume training week back on campus, I ride 500km many weeks. However, during the Rapha Festive 500 challenge (#festive500), I was stuck on the snow bike for the first 3 days so didn't think my chances of completing the challenge were very good. (I did end up completing it, by riding a lot in CA on a family vacation for the last 4 days -- 26 hour riding week, in total, which was exhausting!)
Anyway, I decided just to enjoy the snowy conditions and do some fun rides. One memorable excursion took me and my dad to Granite Hot Springs, a pool located 10 miles up a U.S. Forest Service road that was only accessible by snowmobile, dog-sled, or snow bike. Road conditions were awful; it had snowed recently, and the snowmobiles stirred up the powder so that it felt like riding up a mountain through sand that randomly moved and slipped around. By the time we reached the hot springs (over 2 hours after beginning), my upper body ached from stabilizing myself and minimizing slips and falls. (I don't get much upper-body exercise now that I'm focused mainly on road biking, hah). We dipped in the pool, then bundled up again to begin the descent:
The descent was not relaxing. In fact, it took just as long to ride down as it did to ride up, so slow were the road conditions! After a grueling riding down, we finally reached the car, freezing with our wet clothes and the setting sun.
Much more of an adventure than riding on a trainer!
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