Well, this whole blogging thing is new to me so please be patient. I'll try not to bore you to death. I've started this as a way of tracking this year's training for myself as well as for those who actually care enough to want to read about my rides. I'm going to start carrying a camera with me so I can show you what I see when I'm out riding, and hopefully that will up the interest factor.
I'm getting ready to do Aids Lifecycle again this year (yes, another 545 miles!) as well as the Death Ride in July. If you want to find out more about that you can check it out at: http://www.deathride.com/ And as training for THAT ride, I'm going to attempt to finish all three stages of the "King of the Mountains" challenge. More info on that can be found at: http://www.planetultra.com/KOM/index.html
I know you're all shaking your heads right now and wondering why no one has called the van to have me picked up. But I have to have goals for the year, and if they're not difficult to achieve then what's the point???
I went for my first ride of the year today. Not a long one, only 23 miles on a route that I ride frequently for training, as it has a couple of pretty good climbs and lots of nice rolling hills. There also isn't alot of traffic which makes a huge difference in the enjoyment factor. I rode out through Hidden Valley, which is one of the best kept secrets of L.A. as far as I'm concerned. Once you get to the top of the first hill and start your descent, you find yourself in a valley covered with horse farms and cattle ranches. Miles of white fencing and fields of green (for now!) always makes me feel as if I've landed in Kentucky somewhere. The first big ranch on the right belongs to Rupert Murdoch and has got to be the largest ranch in the valley. It's a very beautiful and scenic ride through the valley, and at the end is the second big climb. It's not long but it's pretty steep and winding, and I was definitely winded when I got to the top. It's been awhile since I've done alot of consistent riding, and I could feel the difference. I wasn't as strong getting to the top as I was by the end of training last year, so I have some work ahead of me. It's a LONG fast descent from there into Newbury Park, and from then on it's mostly rolling hills all the way back home. The weather was fairly decent when I left the house, but by the time I got to the back end of the valley it was socked in fog, and by the time I got home I was FREEZING. I hadn't really dressed for THAT kind of cold, so I was very happy to get in the front door and get warmed up. All in all, for the first ride of the year it wasn't too bad. Being out in the cold like that always reminds me of being a kid outside playing. We don't do nearly enough of that as adults. I don't know why. But the feeling of coming inside after running around out in the cold is the best. The only thing missing is hot chocolate waiting for me on the counter.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment