Como Street

Brandy and I did a casual 3 hour ride yesterday.  We visited her new place of employment.  We got a feel for the route she might use on her commute. I'm a little worried because it has a few sketchy areas.  People driving to work are always in a hurry and multi-tasking i.e. cell phones, texting, shaving, applying make up, and I've even seen people brushing their teeth. 

On our way home we took Back Bay and merged into a memorial ride for a Steve Hedrick. Steve was a competitive cyclist, among other things.  The turnout was impressive.  There were many riders wearing their team kit shorts with a Steve Hedrick memorial T-shirt.  My condolensces to the Hedrick family.

Today I did the Como Street ride.  I get dropped everytime I do the ride but I keep hoping that one day I'll stay in.  I usually get dropped going through Santiago Canyon near Modjeska Grade/Canyon.  I tried to stay on Jason Bausch's andJamie Paolinetti's wheel.  I was successful for a while but eventually I got shelled.  When I popped I was averaging 191 bpm for at least 2 minutes.  According to my Power Tap download on Training Peaks Software I avg 189 bpm for 5 minutes before I popped.  I was only 700 feet from reaching the crest of a roller where I could have recovered slightly.

My pacing was good, my positioning could have been better but I have to be happy with my performance.  I've been doing Ultras for so long that doing rides with this type of intensity is not my forte.  And of course there is the question of genetics.  Do I even have the genetics to stay with these guys and girls?  After the ride I rode home with Jason and he offered a couple of tips.  I told him I would be doing less Ultras next year and possibly some USCF racing.  I may focus more on Double Centuries next year and leave things like 400km, 600kms and 300 milers on the table.  I did the long events this year and I believe they led to my burnout.  Besides I have a goal to run more next year. 

After my ride my recovery consisted of Fluid Recovery Drink and my Skins Recovery Tights.  I am evaluating Fluid Recovery Drink.  I like their simple formula, low calories for faster absorbtion, high levels of L-Glutamine, Lactose free Whey Protien Isolates,  and heck it even taste great.  Read all about Fluid Recovery Drink I think you will be impressed how they differ. 

Stats of the ride.

Total mileage ---58.4  miles
Duration--------- 3 hours 9 mins
Total Elevation--1,900
Avg Speed------ 19.2 mph
Avg Power------ 163 watts
Normalized Power- 207 watts
Total Kjs----------  1784 kjs


Stats for just Como Street

Mileage------------  33 miles
Duration-----------  1 hour 35 mins
Elevation------------ 1600 feet
Avg Speed----------  21.4 mph
Avg Power----------  181 watts
Normalized Power---  231 watts
Total Kjs------------- 1007 kjs