Monday, May 26, 2008

Riding Solo vs Riding with Team

I have been down in a rut lately. I train by myself and then race on weekends and expect to be comfortable in a pack. Tuesday and Thursday night races are just not practical. I read Brad's blog entry about his awesome ride with his Byrne teammates - despite Brian's bonkatude. I got to thinking, I need to ride in more competitive training rides more frequently. Over the winter, I looked forward to the Saturday team ride, especially coming back through the arboretum when things get a little "spirited".
My race season is basically over. It is now time to plan for next year. My goal is to establish a cohort of riders who will train with me and kick my ass when I need it. I perform best in team situations despite my solo efforts. Prime example was Sunday. I rode down to Seattle and met up with a group riding up from the SC. Total ride 70 miles. I pushed myself through the sprinter hills and rode above my comfort zone, in fact I rode above my head.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/email/accept.mb?senderPk.pkValue=158823&unitSystemPkValue=2&episodePk.pkValue=5766010
I cut out at mile 60 to ride home. Unfortunately at mile 62, halfway up the wall on 164th my hams cramped and I could not move my legs. I took two minutes to stretch, down a gel pack and finish my water. The last 10 miles, I cooled down.

3 comments:

Brad said...

Dude,
You are always welcome to join us. I ill post it on my blog when we plan a big training ride. Why is your season almost over, the best part is et to come... CRITS!!!

B

fffcyclist said...

Brad,
I don't think that I am ready for Cat 3 riding. It would be cool to ride with you guys just to push myself. I see many Byrne team rides out in my area.
The only crits that I ride seem to be part of stage races. July will most likely be Skagit Omnium and perhaps preparation for hill climbs/TT's.

Brad said...

It is not just cat 3's, we take along some Martin (ex national champion)... And we have some 4's too, Leff Lynch and Kurt Argys. It is a good group.

Sound like road racing is you think. I love crits...

B