When I planned the virtual Giro I had no idea that the weather would cooperate so well. It's gone back and forth from hot to cold just like we're on the continent. I've been pretty lucky. It's rained the last three days and I've hardly gotten wet. Today I even began in the rain and it cleared. Now it's looking bad again. With my two biggest rides of the year planned this weekend I'm hoping for some virtual luck
Dustin sent a link today:
www.mapitpronto.com
Though one of the major roads around here isn't working for some reason (perhaps I've not got it sorted yet), it's a generally great tool for concocting rides, especially if you're trying to mirror something that's going on elsewhere. Tomorrow, for example, my ride is very similar to what they're doing in Italy. Albeit much slower and shorter, I'll being doing a similar amount of climbing. Sunday I'll mimick as well but I'm not going to attempt to come anywhere close to all that elevation gain. That, at this state, could be asking for some knee trouble. Sunday's stage is an absolute monster ride. I wish I could mimick their scenery. Check it out:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008//giro08/?id=stages/giro0815
Today's "flat" ride banked some elevation. Flat is difficult since I live above the flat area of town. According to the above site I did 1,300' of climbing over just under 30 miles. Tomorrow I'm riding Big Cottonwood and then Mill Creek. According to the site, it's 8,200' of climbing in 65 miles. Sunday I'll tag along with Dustin out East Canyon, so we'll do those climbs in both directions. Two longest days in the saddly, back to back. Should be fun, especially if it doesn't rain.
9 comments:
Y'all watching this? Today's final climb is brutal. Short, a but 10% average for 8k.
Went for a steep dog walk to check out some crags yesterday and, pathetically, am sore and stiff. At least it's not raining out. Just like the Giro, I'll be climbing into the snow today, twice.
Wow. What a stage! One of the comments said it took Visconti 2 minutes to cover 400 meters. Ugh.
Who are these dipshit Americans writing in predicting the Astanas to finish 1,2,3? How delusional was that? I'm psyched Contador was dropped. We've got a race.
That was a pretty good stage. I had to go catch my group ride about the time that Sella went over that last climb. I wanted to see the fireworks on the climb to the finish, but I wanted to get my miles in today with a group, so I had to settle for reading about it. Tomorrow I'll be watching, listening and reading about it. Can't wait.
I got 53 in today with just over 2,000 feet of climbing. Not nearly a simulation for the climbing, but not bad on distance. I finished with 159 miles for the week, which is the most in some time.
I hope to get another long ride in tomorrow and then Monday I will be out on the hippie bike, which will give me a lot less distance, but plenty of time.
Cheers,
~R
Yesterday was a great day on the bike. But I'm pretty tired. Today, with Dustin in mid-season form, could be difficult.
DiLuca is a tough son-of-a-bitch. If he had a moustache I'd like him as much as DaveZ.
I hope Ricco becomes a major contendor. He vowed to drop "The Kraut and the beach boy" and then went and did it. Rad. He could be the Ali of cycling. Course, he's not winning.
Ricco might not be winning, but he's only 33 seconds behind, so it should be a good last week. Di Luca is quite the fighter and it's only another 22 seconds behind Ricco for him, so he's definitely still in the chase.
And Sella is pretty damn impressive. Two days in a row like that has got to be hard.
I don't know what my ride will be like today. But, I don't think it will have a lot of climbing in it. I will try to do some, but I don't want to fuxor my knee so I will take it easy.
Good luck following Justin's wheel.
~R
Dustin "wasn't feeling well" so went out alone and suffered like a dog. Today's "time trial" up Mill Creek (quite similar to the Giro climb--same distance, ramps to 18% at the top, so less steep) is going to be hard. Who thought of this ridiculous challenge?
this stage looks brutal, btw. I also can't think of the last non-Italian to win the giro. Tonkov, maybe, a decade or so ago. So now I want to see Contador hold on.
Though I can't help root for DiLuca. I've liked him ever since his comment "I may not have the class of Basso but will fight nonetheless." Working class hereos, baby.
Contador is running a 34X28. I've got to get out of my old school head and get a compact.
That was a pretty good stage. DiLuca definitely has some heart. I like Contador and his heart as well as Ricco's. I'd actually like to see Simoni come around and have a couple of good days as well. It should be a good last week.
I think I'll skip the uphill time trial today and just go ride my hippie bike. I'm going to head up to the high desert and ride all the fun obstacles with Pat and maybe some other folks. Should be good.
Have fun with Mill Creek.
~R
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