The Razor's Edge

Over the last two weeks, I've gone from generating some big watts, to sick with a cold, to laid up with some back pain. One the things I've learned about my body through bike racing is that it is finicky. One moment you can be on top of your game and the next pedaling like I did when I had training wheels. Fitness is like a razor's edge, any little thing can push you off. The one thing I always struggle with is listening to my body. It tells me when to slow down, but I usually miss the signal.

I had a great race on the Mt. Constitution Hill climb, besting my time from last year by nearly 4 minutes. It was only good enough for second place, but I was motoring and happy with my effort. I cranked out about 310 watts for just over 38 minutes. The power-to-weight ratio is exactly where it needs to be to do well for the coming months MTB races. I will be smoking fast if I can build to an even higher level by Mt Snow.

Here's a few photos from the hill climb:

Ready to launch... 3.. 2.. 1...


How's the front tire look?


Beauty goes unnoticed in the pain cave.


Thought to self: Are there any more watts in those legs?


The sign says it all.


The week following the hill climb my legs were smoked and my energy level was low. Failing to notice my bodies cue to take more time to recover, I pushed myself off the edge by trying to do some high intensity intervals. My body rejected them and I promptly started to feel like crap as the cold set in to my upper respiratory system.

Still refusing to accept my impending illness, the weekend after Mt. Constitution, Thayes, SLR, and myself rolled over to Leavenworth, WA for the Bavarian Bike & Brews MTB festival. It is a beautiful race in the Freund Canyon outside of town. The problem was it was like a blast furnace with temps reaching 95 degrees. The first lap went all right, but I was not climbing like I have been this year and had to let a group of leaders go. The second lap I started to notice I really wasn't feeling good. Bombing down the descent on the backside of the course, I started to get dizzy and was getting cold despite the intense heat. It finally clicked in my brain: I'm sick and you better pull the plug and skip the last lap. I took a voluntary DNF (unusual for me). Back at the car, I was wrecked. Hot/cold spells, nausea, joint pain.

The next week I was laid up in bed more than not. It was a struggle to even breath let alone ride. I finally kicked the cold to the curb on Friday, just in time to get some miles in for the weekend. My body had different ideas though. I woke up on Saturday with a stiff back that stabbed me with pain with any twisting motion. Luckily riding doesn't involve twisting, so I am still able to train. Hopefully, the muscles work themselves out by next weekend when I'll be off to Deer Valley, UT for the next NMBS race. It will be a quick trip with not much time for enjoying the mountains: fly in Saturday, race Sunday at 8am, fly home Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping to bring home some big series points though. We shall see.

Until next time,
Blue Star