RTR Training: Back on the Road

The top of Dinosaur Ridge, looking northeast at the backside of Green Mountain.

It had been exactly two months and one day since I had last ridden the familiar roads of west Lakewood, Morrison, and Red Rocks that I spent so much time on last year. Between moving in early March, working, and the snowy weather I hadn't been able to make it back to my go-to route until today.

These roads are where it all started. Being able to ride right out my front door and roll through a challenging and scenic loop was pretty special. There are points around Morrison and Red Rocks where no cars are passing, it's quiet, and you're left with just the sound of your breath, the surrounding views, and the growl of the tires on the asphalt. Glancing east once atop Dino Ridge, you find yourself above the fray of the city, beyond all the cares that exist down there. It's a tremendous experience. Last summer I came to the realization that I couldn't stand taking all of this for granted anymore.

On this edition I spun a quick 22.2 miles and managed to set two PR's on Strava, both were downhill blasts. Any day that includes getting down in the drops and getting upwards of 40 mph effortlessly is a great one in my book.

However, I've still got some work to do on those climbing legs. My latest daytime occupation serves as both a huge boon and a fairly significant detriment. I haul trees, shrubs, and various other flora around a certain big box home improvement store which shall not be named for American Nursery Services. While this is tremendous for building overall strength, it also means I really only have one full day a week to recover and stay off of my feet. This will likely not be an issue going forward but I certainly felt the additional strain today.

One last thing: I saw more cyclists, mountain and road, out today than I have since last August. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I was working weekends last season and thus was riding on weekdays, but I think people really jumped at the chance to get out before this latest over-hyped weather system moves in. This has made me realize that I need to find and join a good weekend group ride in the very near future. If anyone knows of one I'd love to hear about it. I'll bring beer.

It looks like I'll be forced back on the trainer this coming week which is boring so I won't tell any of you who were gracious enough to read this about it. Hopefully next weekend I can make it up to Boulder for some climbing and a half-century loop.

Ride The Rockies 2013

 
 
I've never been particularly excited to write about myself. I don't know many people who are, it's a tough process. I will labor for days over a single cover letter, trying to hone it down to express just the right tone. (And a lot of good that's done me over the past year and a half.) Maybe it has something to do with my preference for standing behind the camera instead of in front of it.

Reports and essays, pieces constructed with research, observations, and experiences are things I've always felt more comfortable and adept at producing. So, naturally, as I embark on one of the most physically challenging undertakings of my life I want to document it.

But I've come to realize that one of the main reasons I first swung my leg over my Raleigh last June, and proceeded to make it all of 5 miles up a Lakewood hill at max effort before I felt sick, was to try and somehow find myself, to find out where my next step should be. There's never really an end point for something like that, you're always evolving, but I have a feeling that Ride the Rockies will tell me as much or more about myself than I've so far been able to deduce from my post-collegiate drift experience.

As I throw myself at the southern passes of the Rocky Mountains I plan on writing about it. Of course I'll be making pictures of the scenes and the people I meet along the way and telling a story about all of that, but I'm going to challenge myself to really get down to what the experience means to me.

I doubt the person that rolls into Colorado Springs on June 15 will be the same as the one that rolled out from Telluride on June 8, and I'm excited about that.

After a week off I've begun putting on the crucial miles. Riding on the trainer has already reached the point of tedium but, you know, springtime in Colorado. I really can't complain too much about my set-up. (Speakers not pictured)