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.