Tri Sport Coaching Triathlon Training and Racing

Another Saturday ride with the UNM Tri team, Tri Sport and anyone else who felt like showing up. We had a few beginners -- first time on a road ride, first time in clipless pedals and so on. So I came up with a really fun ride plan that would start easy, get progressively harder as we went and allow for the 2-3 different skill level riders to customize their ride by just turning around at certain points.

After 20 years and probably about 50,000 miles of riding around this city and surrounding countryside - I tend to get a little bored with the same ol' routes, so I remembered this really cool ride I had done with Carolyn Donelley and the Starbucks group a few years back (sorry if I spelled your name wrong Carolyn) RIDE AROUND THE MOUNTAIN! All you have to do is start anywhere in Albuquerque, ride out north thru Corrales, Rio Rancho, take Hwy 550 east into Placitas & up the hill about 8-9 miles to the end of the pavement. But you don't stop there . . . continue up the dirt road 7 miles & approx 3,000 feet of climbing and come out 1 mile above the ski area on the Crest road, down the Crest road thru Cedar Crest, Tijeras and back to your starting point in Abq - piece of cake.

Sure, it may have been a little tough the last time I did it, but I only recalled maybe a 2 mile section that was hard - the gravel was so deep you stood up to pedal 'cause you were out of gears and about to fall over -- you would spin out and fall over anyway. I also thought I had done it 2 years ago but as today's ride went on begin to think. Hmmmm, maybe it was 3 years ago, 4?, no - it was 5 years ago, when I was a spry 36 years old. Time heals many wounds, and I think this may have been one of them.

Mike & Marti Greer, friends of mine put on a spectacular race outside of Lubbock, TX called the Buffalo Springs Lake 1/2 Ironman. This is one of the most grueling Half IM races in the US. I have yet to go under 5 hours and probably never will. Irregardless of what race strategy I follow --this 1/2 IM kicks my butt HARD for the last 3 miles -- one of those races you begin to wonder how in Gods name you ever thought this was fun. After finding myself signing up for it again this year after missing it for a year or two and wondering why, Mike explained it: Immediately after, well - you know how bad it hurts. But after a year or two, you only remember the good parts - just like that high school girlfriend who ripped your heart out, after an hour or two you have forgotten her and are chatting it up with the snack bar girl thinking how nice life is. Like Mike & Marti's race I really forgot how tough that one little section of dirt road can be.

But who among us doesn't like a gamble . . . .

Meeting at UNM at 8am, we had about 12 or so riders, a nice group of beginner thru expert. About 1/2 planned on riding part of the ride for about 40 miles, while Nathan & Fred rode to the ride and were turning around wherever they hit 80. After a nice cruise through Balloon Fiesta madness we headed towards Corrales when the 1st & 2nd attack moves were made. I had gotten some type of stomach flu a few days earlier, and still wasn't feeling real great - move 1. As we approached our first bathroom stop (this pleased me) Nathan made the 2nd move - attacking full off the front 1 mile from Diamond Shamrock going for bathroom first dibs. I had no choice in my present condition to try and cover the move, and then counter attack by riding head on into traffic to cut the corner and do a flying dismount & sprint for the toilet. Desperate times call for desperate actions - and yep, I won both those stages.

We rode Loma Larga including some of the dirt construction road all the way through Corrales (little warm up for the road ahead) and at the end of the Village, most of the group turned back. Jessica headed back to make her 11 pm class after 40 miles, & Steph & Megan P, it was their first real road ride and they easily hammered out the 40. Alexis had not ridden in a group, he also easily spun 40. Jim opted to head back as well, he was racing cross the next day. Nathan & Fred hit 80 at 528 & 550, and bid us goodbye. So at Bernalillio Dan, Aaron, Terri and Mark headed for the hills.

We rode Placitas Hwy for 4 miles, then turned off on the side road that climbs up as it parallels the hwy for 2-3 miles. Winding past the San Antonio church (which was built in 1840) the route is beautiful with little or no traffic - we only saw a kid on a BMX bike and his Grandpa who had a big wheel - Grandpa said if his grandson wasn't with them he'd cruise the big wheel to the top of the mountain with us. We also noticed a pit bull, who also noticed us - but his owner was nice enough to hang on to him THANK YOU!

Hitting the main road again, we had only a short, easy climb up to the end of the pavement. This was no big deal especially as the gas bubble forming in my gut possibly made me lighter. I still wasn't feeling real good, but I thought it wouldn't be too bad either - if I could just rip one good . . .ok, so we made it to the end of the pavement, regrouped and had a snack, chatted a bit. Being the motivated athlete I was (there is a nice bathroom 3 miles up the dirt road) I headed out with encouraging words for all - "wait for me at the top of the mountain".

With all the recent rains, the road was better than I had remembered - hard packed, not too many washboards if you rode wrong side as much as possible. Knowing it was 7-8 miles long, I was amazed at how easy the first mile was - although I ran out of gears within 100 feet of starting up the dirt. I was able to spin along with everyone else, maybe again due the weather balloon percolating in my lower intestines.

It got worse. Dan felt a burst of energy, sprinted a bit ahead and then reappeared after a while as the road got steeper, and rougher. Everyone kinda quit talking as much as the need for concentration and oxygen replaced happy thought sharing time. I had many jokes & stories to tell, to pass the time but as we were slowly separating from one another I thought it would be rude to not include everyone. (Personally I felt fine except for the lack of oxygen, burn in my legs & stomach pains). The road, although still much better packed than the years before ride is basically relentless from about mile 1.5 to mile 4+ You need to stay seated, focus and chase good lines across the road & back as you pound thru washboard, washouts and rocky sections. The toughest part for me is it never gives you a break in climbing for those miles - barely turning the cranks, like doing heavy lift squats non-stop for an hour. But a higher power no one else had was on my side - AT MILE 4 WAS A BATHROOM -- a nice one - I helped build it many years ago.

At long last, I saw a sign for a picnic area 1/4 mile ahead. The other 3 had triples on the front chainrings so for better or worse I was well ahead at this point just for sake of having to work that much harder. And it didn't matter that this was one of the steepest, rockiest road section as I picked up speed and hammered up that mountain road. Amazingly, as I approached the turn off to the toilet I had an incredible feeling of not wanting to stop - wow! I actually felt so bad, that I knew it would feel so good, if I could finish this climb even one minute sooner. So I slammed past the bathroom, continued up and lo & behold - it did get easier. The road mellowed out, my left eye un-crossed and although there were several more tough climbing sections I was able to pick up speed and finish the last 4 miles just feeling dizzy, gassy, dehydrated and butt kicking bonked. As I rounded the last corner to the pavement I passed a bunch of downhill mountain bikers who had just finished a run - I couldn't help but really slam the ol' road bike at 20 mph+ thru the ruts hard past 'em while whistling "The Girl from Ipanema"

I made it up - A bathroom in front of me and 4,000 feet of descending back the last 25 miles or so, few small hills, no big deal. After visiting the facilities, (thank god) the mountain bikers went tearing by me in their pick up truck. I faintly heard a mention of possibly bears in the area as they had heard loud growling from near the bathrooms. Mmmmm, I was just over there - I better keep an eye out. Terri showed up soon after having made the climb non-stop & the rest of the ride was unevental for me. I drank some flat coke after descending the Crest road, stomach was much better - Aaron gave a nice replay off what he looked like getting stuck in ruts climbing & falling over, Dan fought it out with a car on the way down the Crest. We cruised into Abq, 6 hours & 75 miles after we started, none of us talking much, each content in the acheivement of the ride (and maybe too tired to yak). It was one tough day for me, much harder than I remembered thanks to my flu, my not riding 7000 miles a year anymore, +5 years in age - ok, I'll stop.

But this ride - you know what? I am ready to do again, today. Shoot, it couldn't be any worse, right?