pedaling again

Okay, point taken. My blog is neglected, but not without reason. Lots of changes over the past couple few weeks! I also haven't had steady internet access recently since I moved. That inconvenience will be fixed this week. More on that stuff next post.

I have a few minutes to type something. I'm at the Sugarbush Lodge in VT, awaiting the start of the third day of the Green Mtn Stage Race, and it looks like today's ride is going to be epic. It's in the 50's, windy, and raining as hurricane remnants gust through these parts. We depart on our 65-mile journey through the mountains at 9:40 this morning and will finish at the summit of the Appalachian Gap some 3 hours later. It feels like spring classic weather, not end of summer.

Yesterday's circuit race was needlessly difficult for me, with two mysterious mechanical issues that forced me to dismount each time. I chased for much of each lap, then worked to set Anna
up for the sprint points after catching back on. Leading out is hard but fun! Riding for the team offers deeper reward and makes me push much harder than riding just for myself. My legs were cramping in the last lap, which is so rare for me, and I was truly "done" at the finish.

Day one, the time trial up the Mad River side of App Gap, was such a shock to my system. I hadn't trained or ridden hard since Superweek. I had forgotten how much this sport hurt! I have certainly lost a good amount of my horsepower at this point, but that's why I'm back to base training for cross now. I felt burn in my legs far worse than I remember in recent memory. I still had enough juice to sprint in the last 200 meters, though, so maybe I rode a little too conservatively. Doesn't matter, there's more to come.

Okay, I'm off to the start.... where's my winter base layer and rain jacket??