training-team ride | tandem ride

Sleep	6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast	6:15 Am – cereal
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food	team ride – 1.5 large bottles each w/2 scoops HEED, gel tandem ride – water
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	team ride – 7:15 AM tandem ride – 12:30 PM
Workout Type	team ride – 6-8 min hills tandem ride – first one of the year!
Weather	team ride – low 40s to mid 50s, dry, sun tandem ride - 60+
Course
Distance	75 miles (total)
Time
Power
Results
Equipment	team ride – Road Bike 39/53, 12-25 Neuvation wheels
Clothing	team ride – knit shoe covers, knee warmers, bib shorts, Craft long sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers, OR Gripper gloves, cap tandem ride – bib shorts, sleeveless undershirt, short sleeve jersey

What a great day...! So great that I rode once with the 'boys' and once with the wife. Can't beat that.

I left home around 7:15 and headed north. On the way I hooked up with Dean J and Jeff W and we joined Tony B, Greg K, RC R and Lane S in Bothell.

I held back on the first hill (96th) as my legs were still not warmed up but not Greg. He surged once which gapped me and then really turned it on towards the top. I sorta kinda ramped it up and pulled everyone to within 50' of Greg by the top.

We turned left and headed up the south side of Norway Hill and again it was Greg going hard but this time he was joined by Lane and in short order Lane took the lead in what was to be par for the course for the remainder of this ride. These guys gapped me but I kept a little in reserve and shifted up across the top and managed to haul them back in.

Next up was the north side of Norway and this time when Lane went I went with. We had a gap right away. Mentally I was trying to psych myself up for a move half way up and shortly after making a right at the intersection there is an uphill right hand corner where I wanted to go but when we got there Lane accelerated too! Ouch. I went anyway. Instead of shifting up once I had to shift twice and in spite of a good push on my part Lane was having none of it and was right on my wheel. And then I started to explode... He passed me and even put 10' into me but as we neared the summit I got out of the saddle one more time and just managed to edge him before we slowed down. Whew.

Then we tackled Juanita from the Kirkland side. We were only going up to Holmes Point Dr so I knew it would all be big ring until then. I put in a big effort as we rounded the right hand corner and RC went with me but I could not quite maintain it all the way and died about 100' from the intersection where you turn. Greg, Lane and Dean went roaring past me and got a head start on the descent.

On the downhill I caught Tony and pulled him all the way along the water and made the junction just as we started to climb. I opted to keep right on going so rode through everyone except for Lane who was already scooting off the front again. No way was I catching him this time. This is a hard hill and although I closed a hair with my initial surge at the bottom he slowly pulled away from me all the way up. This was a huge effort. I tried standing twice and both time had to sit back down pretty much damn quickly. Too steep for me I guess.

Next up were four hills north of Bothell Way that I don't remember the names of. The first one ended in a wicked steep pitch and for a bit I was able to control Lane but he is so damn strong compared to me and I faded back by the top. As we hit the false flat near the top Greg came roaring past so I did my best to accelerate again and got close to him by the top so felt a little better. No full on explosions yet, just regular old fatigue.

Greg was really coming on now and the next two hills he and Lane gapped me. I would put in a good effort about half way up, not be able to maintain it and then Lane and Greg would pass me and I was not able to hang. It was partly mental but I was also pretty beat!

The last hill started out the same. I figured throw caution to the wind and stood really early and went hard. I gapped everyone but then first Lane and secondly Greg passed me when I faded. Greg said something to the effect of, "C'mon!" as he went by so I tried as hard as I could and got on his wheel. This time I managed to stand one more time near the top and we finished close together instead of me off the back.

WHAT A HARD WORKOUT. These hills are almost all longer than three minutes, most are in the six to eight minute range and so super stuff. Lane is strong! Greg is tenacious! Rolling home I joined Dean and we went along the Seattle waterfront for the views and it was postcard perfect.

After shoving food in my face and resting for a bit Shelley and I headed out for a spin to Seward Park in what was our first tandem ride of the year! By now it was nice and warm and we even stopped at Starbucks in Leschi on the way home. Damn there were a lot of people with expensive bikes there... One guy in a white Mellow Johnny's jersey and his girlfriend (daughter?) were all decked out riding carbon everything and both had on yellow Livestrong bracelets and the whole nine yards. You know...

• He had on this crazy expensive looking wrist watch.
• They both had iPhone 4s.
• He had his arm warmers pushed down although it was much too warm to have them on at all.
• White Oakley glasses.

Good times. I am so judgmental.

Then we crawled up Madrona (hello triple!) and up Union and home. And I promptly hit the deck in the prone position. It was my first day lying out in the sun this year.