Super ride today for the most part. Coach had me out for 4.5 hours with 4 x 30 minute zone 3 tempos thrown in. Weather once again was super....except for a slight breeze in just about every direction I rode today....just enough to be a pain in the ass. The route was a 90 mile loop up to Estes Park and back.
I made my way up Hwy 34 towards Estes Park. The legs were solid and ticking along nicely with little wind in the canyon. The white capped mountains in the background would be the destination for the day.About 10 miles up the canyon I reached the small town of Drake where I then turned off Hwy 34 to hit up the back way into Estes Park via the town of Glen Haven. My legs still felt super...and I was fueling as needed with Cytomax and Power Bars.
Glen Haven was booming today.
Outside of Glen Haven is a series of switchbacks. They suck. They suck no matter how fresh your legs are. I think the 'Switchbacks of Doom' is what did me in....although I felt OK climbing them. The effort to get up them was just a bit much for having been sick, traveling, and off the bike for a week.
Once to the top it is all down hill to Estes Park. Who wouldn't want to move here? This is one of my fav rides from the house.
When I got in Estes Park I stopped and filled up my bottles and kept on going. The rest would be easy....so I thought. It was pretty much all down hill to the mouth of the canyon.
On the way out of town I had to wait on roughly 40 elk running down the middle of Hwy 34. I shot a movie of them running in front of me on the road....but it didn't turn out. Drat! So the photo of them off the road will have to do.The real fun began on the way down the canyon. By now it is mid-afternoon and a head wind has developed. I still had one more interval to do....but the legs had no gas. I tried to maintain the wattage numbers needed, but it wasn't happen. My speed going downhill was very close to that when climbing up to Estes Park....18ish mph. I stopped the interval and just spun home in survival mode. Ran into Faia and Dusty out on a training session and I welcomed the stop to chat. I was fried...cooked....game over. After a brief chat, I spun home to arrive some 5 hours after I started.
That is all for now. I am out'a here tomorrow in the early AM. I have a flight to catch to Indy for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Updates to follow as time and wifi access allow.