Pre-game had me wondering today what would happen on the bike. Coach was having me do a 20 minute average power test up Rist Canyon. The format is simple.....ride a consistent pace uphill and average the highest wattage you can. Having been off and on the bike for the past 2 weeks I was wondering what the result would be. So, around 10 AM I sipped on some pre-workout drink mix....answered some emails....then headed west to Rist Canyon to meet Mr. Redline.
Colorado is still in the clutches of a heatwave. For the past 3 days temps have been climbing. Today....almost 75F! But, with warm weather comes crazy wind. And in Rist Canyon, it was a headwind....while going up hill. Super.
So close I can taste it. Only a few more minutes and I would arrive at the mouth of the canyon to begin the 20 minute interval. The palms are sweating now.
Game on! The interval started well with power sitting around 340 watts. I felt good. Of course as it went on, it went downhill kind'a fast. Sluggish legs in combination with a crazy headwind had me sitting around 310 watts....and a rpm near 70. Ugh.
Today was one of those days where I wish I had 11 speeds....or even 12. I would reach for that last 'click'....but it was never there. I finished out 20 minutes and hit 'stop' on the SRM. The average achieved was 1 watt better than when I did this same workout about 4 months ago. Meh. I know I can average a much higher number. The body needs to respond.