Does This Count As A Brick

This past holiday weekend linked up nicely with a 17-day break from racing and allowed me to actually do some of that "training" stuff that other people like to write about. A more dedicated racer would have been out there doing a variety of powertap-driven interval workouts, but 1) I don't own a powertap 2) I was in northwestern Maine. If you think I'm going to go do some boring workout when I'm in place custom-made for epic rides (because you can't do a loop shorter than 30 miles, because there are no road, ha!), you might be a roadie... and not a very fun one at that.

Alienated yet, or should I keep going?

Anyway, 10 hours in 3 days is surely worth something, especially with 24 hours of GG coming up (I care a lot more about that than Nationals). The high/low light of the weekend was riding solo from Bethel to Augusta, which provided me the opportunity to firm up the ole tan lines, and stop for ice cream when I ran out of water. I ended the ride with a shortcut that ended up being a dirt road, and as luck would have it I flatted on the last five feet of dirt (where are the big, sharp rocks had collected). My spare (patched) tube didn't hold air, and I'm too cool to carry a patch kit, so that's the end of that.

My cell phone failed to conjure up a ride out of thin air (why am I even carrying that thing, then?) so I had to walk the last 3 miles. I had awesomely broken the buckle on one of my shoes in last weekend's Super D crash so my right shoe was a little bit loose...and 45 minutes of walking later, I arrived at my destination with a quarter-sized blister on my heel.

Worst. Cross-training. Ever.

Comments

solobreak said…
I know you richly deserve sponsorship, so I'm pledging a bag of marshmallows to your GG effort. And send me an invoice for a new buckle too.
Anonymous said…
When I want to cross train I tie a tape measure around my quads and flex. For a long time. I just keep doing that until they grow at least half an inch.
josh said…
in all seriousness, racing 24 hours is nuts.

if i can help in any way let me know.... :)
gewilli said…
u doing it solo this year Colin? (GG)

yeah - cell phones and Maine... don't mix at all kinda funny that ya know?

If you are gonna be all patching your tubes and shit - at least toss one of those glueless patch kits. They don't always work great, but they do work well enough to get you home (it'll likely be flat the next morning based on my experience using ooooooold glueless patch kits - and seeing as I haven't gotten a flat *knocking on wood* since i bought the NEW glueless kit to keep with the spare tube 'patched' i dunno if it was age or something else)

whew - long winded there...
Colin R said…
Yeah man... I really should try to fit a patch kit in my seat bag.

Linnea and I are doing a 2-person team for Great Glen. Feel like a wager, G? :)
G-ride said…
dont start with him, colin. or you wont be blessed with quiet, peaceful sleep during your time off the bike at GG. I promise.
Colin R said…
What kind of rookie sleeps on a 2-man team at Great Glen? Sheesh, I'm gonna spend all my non-racing time riding a trainer to stay loose while eating powerbars. Come try to bother me.
gewilli said…
a wager?

unless my team mate starts riding there ain't no way i'm wagering anyone
Cathy said…
Cell phones and Maine...nope. Mike and I did an epic last Friday from Bethel to Rumford, Roxbury, Andover, East B Hill Rd, Grafton Notch, Bethel.

On East B Hill Rd, we came across a hiker coming off the App Trail looking for directions, and a phone - phone I had, but no service. Like you, I began to wonder why I bother carrying that thing.

We followed up the epic Friday with a ride out North Rd on Saturday to Shelburne Falls, back to Evans and up a bit (not to the top, too much climbing the day before), and then home to Bethel. Loads of epic riding possibilities up there!
Colin R said…
My dad loves the Grafton Notch/East B Hill loop. If I remember correctly there's a 50 mph downhill out there on East B Hill going toward Andover... and also some dirt and bad pavement.

We did the North Rd -> Evans Notch -> Fryberg Harbor loop on Friday: map.
Cathy said…
East B Hill is all paved now. We rode it two years ago though, and it was partly dirt. Doing it from Grafton towards Andover is definitely the "easier" way, although even going the way we did, it has one 47-50 mph downhill... The one mile climb at 17% kinda stinks though... ;-)

And we've done that same loop in the past - it's a good one too.
G-ride said…
whatever, i am sleeping...probably all night.

i dont need to train, I have Gewilli.
MB said…
i think i have been co-opted into a GG team.

i'm scared

i haven't done one of these things since 1991

i haven't camped since, hmmmm, 1991 either.

shit
G-ride said…
GG is very managable. I have not done one since 2000 or so. Its like a bike path. Next they will be installing lighting.

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