Good Weekend of (Racing) Riding

Our training rides are always mini races. For example: Saturday morning ride has 6 sprints. These are all out races. I've won "real" races that were easier. It makes training hard easier because the rides are always hard. That's good for training.

Many years ago when I started riding with my grandfather, who was a great racer in his own right, he always ended our training ride with a sprint for a speed limit sign near home. For a couple of years starting when I was 13 or 14, he would train as he normally would but with me glued tightly to his wheel. Even after pulling me around in his slipstream (the rider in back does 10% to 30% less work) he would still dust me in the sprint. No mercy, tough love as I call it now. Then one day I did it, I sprinted( he was in his mid 60's mind you)got along beside him and pulled ahead. I was elated. He then told me that I had to start doing my fair share of the work on the rides, he wasn't going to pull me around all day just so I could beat him in the sprint. The next year he schooled me in sprinting tactics and I became a pretty good sprinter winning my fair share of races. To this day, 30 years later, I'm still a very crafty sprinter, not real fast but crafty enough to mix it up and if it's at the end of a long hard race, count on me for a podium finish.

Sooooo, years ago, I put sprints into our Saturday morning training route for my own good. Now it's bragging rights for a week to win the sprint competition on Saturday.

This week was my first week of "hard" efforts. I tested my legs 8 miles from the first sprint and found myself off the front with 2 other riders. Julie, 2005 womens state road champion and Florida point series winner and Joe, 2005 masters 50+state road race champ. We made it all the way to take the sprint. Then there is a neutral section where we regroup for the next sprint. I didn't go for any more except the last one up hill. It's not so much a sprint as a hill drag race. Surprisingly, I won easily.

Today was the San Antonio ride which is very hilly. About 2500 feet of climbing in 40 miles. Thats 850 vertical meters in 75 kilometers. I was anxious that I'd even be able to stay with the front group but I did. I was even able to lead out one of the local pro riders, Josh Thornton of Team Sierra Nevada, for the first sprint. After the 40 we did another 20 miles(33 k)on the race course of a February road race.

Legs are heavy now and I'm very hungry. Hopefully I'll be able to resist eating something bad for me but I really am craving some spicy fried chicken from Popeyes. "Popeyes chicken is the shiznit!"