Redux.

Tomorrow, registration opens for the 2011 Tour of the Battenkill.  Like a moth to the flame, I will return to upstate NY in April for one of the most unique, large-scale bike races in the U.S. 

This also means that training must commence.  The 2011 course is slightly different, and measurably harder than the 2010 edition due to some rerouting around construction near the town of Greenwich, NY. Barry, Porter and I are confirmed for Pirate Race Productions, and we hope to hook up with Frank Yeager from Richmond Velo Sports.  All in all, this is going to be a heckuva time.

Despite not finishing the race last year (broken shifter cable at mile 42, remember?), I enjoyed the journey immensely.  For 2011, now that I know what to expect, I can tweak the training, set-up the bike, and even eat more effectively than last year.  Truly, just crossing the line would be a thrilling feeling, and I fully plan to do that with my teammates this year.

Now that we're back to where we were just about a year ago, I'll suggest you read that fateful original post.  Great to see that Barry, who made a foreshadowing comment, is now committed.

Winter Training.

Barry, Porter and I hit the roads of Surry and Wilkes Counties for a gnarly spin Porter likes to call "The Beast of the Brushies."  He's referring to the Brushy Mountains, of course.  Read about them here.

Anyway, the summary is that winter training is upon us.  It's forecast to be a cold winter in NC, which means daddy needs some sweet new gloves and a balaclava. 

Barry, as usual, nailed the write-up and it's on his blog.  Check it!

http://www.vsporthealth.com/fallout-camp

We had a blast.  PERFECT training for America's Queen of the Classics.  We'll go back in the spring of 2011 for a little last minute torture prior to hitting 95 North...

Preview.

Climbing camp is definitely coming! 

Climbing camp is coming...

Coach and I are hosting a small cycling camp two weeks from now.  The location:  Meadows of Dan, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. The goal:  Bring a few like-minded Battenphiles along to suffer, climb, and kick on the off-season training.  Sound strange?  It is.

As the Tour of the Battenkill is an early-season race, one really can't wait until February to start riding in earnest.  North Carolina has a relatively mild winter (usually, knock on wood), hence cycling is often possible through the Dark Months.  Barry, Porter and I are currently planning to demolish the Cat 4 field, but that is simply a plan at this time - the execution requires quite a bit of work.  Our first steps include building a training framework specific to our early season focus.

I'll be scouting roads for most of the morning tomorrow, along with my good buddy Bus.  Bus and his lovely wife Amy will support the camp as well, cooking for the riders and providing some SAG support.  All in all, this is shaping up to be a solid 'proof of concept' test for the larger camp we plan to offer other teams in the Spring of 2011. 

Preview pictures to come tomorrow...

CL.

Back on the bike tonight. 

The Cervelo has been back for a few days now, and reassembly took place hours after its return.  It was time to test it out.

Coach was hosting Book Club tonight at the house, which meant that it was time to make myself scarce.  Cisco "TA" Morales and Dr. Rob ponied up for a City Loop after work.  After a brisk 26 mph warm-up down Country Club (yipes), we settled in to a short CL before doing 5 repeats on the Buena Vista hill.  Needless to say, Cisco won every single repeat while Rob and I licked our wounds.

Jeez it hurt, but it feels good to be back.  Climbing Camp weekend is less than a month away...

What I've been up to.

I have to admit, it has been strange to be without my road bike for the past month.  Very strange.

At first, I had those recurring thoughts that spontaneously enter the mind of a habitual rider:  "When will I ride next?  Man, that last ride was hard!  Wonder if Mitch and Barry wanna ride on Saturday?  I better mow the lawn Friday evening since I'll be on the bike for 4 hours Saturday and will probably want a nap afterwards."

Within a week, the thoughts and feelings became more dramatic:  "I can feel my legs undergoing atrophy, I am definitely slower than person X now and person Y has been riding alot, too.  I wonder if I could borrow someone's bike."

Some thoughts bordered on the extreme:  "What if I just buy a new bike now, and sell the Cervelo when it gets back?!  Yeah, that's the ticket!"

I pushed through the madness with Barry's help.  I'm borrowing his 'cross bike and trying to ride once a week or so.  Rob also came through big when the CLM 100K rolled around.  He loaned me his Storck Fenomalist with Shimano Di2.  In a word, that system is seamless.  I still cramped up, however, so it's not perfect.

Despite all of this, I am still twitching and worrying that my form is evaporating.  Comforting words such as "it's almost the off-season anyway" will find no home here.  Beyond the physical aspect (I am well aware of my pack-fill amateur rider status...it's all relative), it has been so long since I've been off the bike that I've forgotten how much I rely on it for my mental health.

My ever-patient wife and Coach will tell you that I've been challenging at times.  When on the bike, just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do my best to lay it down.  However, leave me around the house with most tasks accomplished and chores completed, and I might get a bit grumpy.  Fortunately, Jill has sensed this flaw in me and kept us busy with fun stuff, visiting friends, and a wonderful trip to the fall festivals of the NC high country.  With a trip to Baltimore coming up later this week and plenty to do in preparation, I think I'll make it through ok.

The bike is currently at Calfee, and should be back by Halloween, give or take a few days.  Once that re-build is final, I might not post up for a while as you'll be more likely to find me out on the road.  Until then, I'll be thinking of this thing called 'cycling' and how it is far more than a physical activity and a means to hang out with friends.  More and more, I'm relating to the subtitle of Barry's blog:  interpretation through cycling.  I continue to see cycling as a metaphor representing many aspects of life, but even after 4 weeks, I almost feel like I'm seeing a story written by someone else instead of by me and that's not a bad thing.

After all, interpretation must be taken from more than one view, even if the landscape seen from the saddle seems the most meaningful at the time.