This had been the one I was really looking forward to. While it is on the back end of a solid (!) week of training – the body had been holding up well and we had an epic ride planned. Early morning rise into a swim is always hard – that first wake up movement is always a but achy and stiff (yes – even when 27 yrs old vs. 45) – and while the coffee kicked in well, the 7am swim is what will really wake you up. 2700 yrs of some speed and aerobic work, and quickly out of the pool to get some breakfast. Note to self: swimming at 7000ft in a pool with turns and breathing patterns is different than a lake a 7000ft…harder! And – all of us noted together that after swimming the body feels looser and more refreshed – ready for 6 hrs on the bike!
Quick bagel breakfast (3 bagel with eggs, sausage and cheese as well as bacon – need fuel and fat for the day! – and off to pack bikes, gear for the day.
Driving out to the bike start we review the course – the terrain and how we want the day to go – whether not getting dropped too quickly – or how to get picked up at a certain spot – we were ready for a long 15 mile climb over Summit Pass and turning around in a tiny Utah town of Hanna. Myself I knew I want to climb smart – be conservative early to get a feel for the terrain and then ride the return knowing how I’ll work in different sections. What an epic ride! Not only do we ride by beautiful ranches with horses and buffalo (!) – but also a spectacular canyon with fly fishing streams and a big open pass that displays the grandeur of the Uinta Mountain Range. Steep – aggressive climbing from the one side – but after 6 miles of solid 8-10% climbing we roll over the summit – 9500ft – and descend into the next valley. Pictures below…
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Once in Hanna (temperatures quickly rising into the 80s) we stop for fuel and water. But this fuel was a bit different as we sat for a full 75 min lunch with pizza and ham sandwiches. While this might not be your usual refuel stop on a long ride – today was a long casual ride – we did our work and interval for the week, we did the load until now – today was just about riding…so a long lunch and then turn around and ride back over this spectacular pass….and while I was well fueled, the food sat low in the belly – which meant the restart was somewhat uncomfortable…gradually – 12 miles into the return climb the legs and stomach had recovered and we crested the pass with some great TT and steady work on the return. Quick turnaround at the car and I rolled out to pull/guide the lost puppy Florida based rider back to the rendezvous point of out finish.
An epic day ended with a great dinner and fun at High West Distillery & Restaurant in old town Park City.
84 miles of cycling – 6000ft of climbing (all at once) – 5 hrs. 7 bottles of water (24oz each) – 1x ClifBar – 2 slices of cheese pizza – 1 ham and cheese sandwich with tortilla chips and pickle – no idea how to apply those calories…!
Observations: riding at that altitude is not an issue for me – controlled breathing and nothing too sudden allowed for HR to stabilize and the riding to be steady – climbing front side was higher wattages but due to grade – not effort/riding style. Back side of climb was longer, lesser incline so the steady climbing cadence was more fluid at times and allowed for higher watts longer, not as spikey. Also – need to be careful to drink and – in racing – to pour water on me for the descents as one feels quite lethargic restarting after a long 10 mile descent. Lastly – pizza is not a good fuel for cycling (or running I assume).