No wind, then lots of wind
Our overnight town, Las Vegas, NM was known for outlaws and lawlessness. It seems like every famous criminal spent sometime there from Jesse James to Billy the Kid. Here is the hotel we stayed in last night. Some folks were disappointed that no ones room was haunted. The Penske truck has all the mechanic's tools and supplies.
Today's ride: Las Vegas, NM to Tucumcari, NM: 109 miles, 3,900 feet of vertical climb. Temps were in the high 40s when we left and in the mid 90s when we got to the hotel.
As we left town, it opened up into fenced range land for as far as the eye could see in all four directions. Not a lot of livestock, but these horses made for a nice photo.
There was an occasional snow capped peak off in the distance.
At about the 40 mile mark, we descended down a couple of thousand feet onto a plateau at around 4,000 feet. Beautiful.
One of the riders told Linda she rides like Thibaut Pinot, a French cyclist that is an amazing climber, but gets passed on the descents. Linda said he is her new hero. If anyone has his jersey, we will buy it from you.
Had lunch at the 50 mile mark: PB&J, Doritos, Pepsi, Animal Crackers. Basically whatever is within reach.
We took off with some folks into a 16 to 20 mph headwind which seemed to go on forever. Then into some cross winds. Too short of an episode of a quartering tailwind. Then ended up with a headwind for the final 10 to 15 miles. The winds out here increase as the day goes on. A long time visitor said they "pick up as it heats up".
Whenever we hit a headwind, I hear Coach Phil Gs voice: "Don't use your big muscles against the wind, they will wear out quickly. Use your smaller muscle groups, get your cadence up over 100 and don't look at your speed."
To prepare for this trip, we worked out with a cycling coach. If not for his efforts, we would still be somewhere in California. We rode our bikes in his trainers. He had interesting workouts 6 days a week focusing on leg strength, heart rate recovery, VO2 Max, and a bunch of other areas. He would ride with us and show a race or stage of a race during the session. He would explain what was going on in the race and what each team was trying to do. He would also constantly share tips which are helping quite a bit. "Never stop pedaling. On the downhill, pedal just ahead of the chain to clear the lactic acid from your legs and get new oxygenated blood into your muscles. If you don't pedal, you will have dead legs at the bottom of the hill as you prepare for your next ascent." Phil, if you are reading this, thanks for all your wisdom. We use it all day, everyday.
To put Phil's sessions in perspective, we would ride for 60 to 75 minutes. Then sit for 30 to 45 minutes, eat protein, and share stories with the other folks in the class, as we tried to get our heart rates back down under 100. Go home, shower and go back to bed at 11 AM.
We will see how well we recover from today, as tomorrow is a 97 mile day with a bunch of climbs.
We just finished day 2 of a 9 day stretch where we ride with no days off. I don't think I have ever done that before.
With all the bumps our bikes go over, mine is making a few noises I have never heard before. I asked a couple of folks if they are hearing new, odd noises. One person said "Yes, lots of new creaks and groans. Plus my bike is making new noises". Rim shot. Another person said "My bike sounds and rides like a shopping cart". The bikes do get a bit finicky with all the miles. The mechanics are busy.
Today's ride: Las Vegas, NM to Tucumcari, NM: 109 miles, 3,900 feet of vertical climb. Temps were in the high 40s when we left and in the mid 90s when we got to the hotel.
As we left town, it opened up into fenced range land for as far as the eye could see in all four directions. Not a lot of livestock, but these horses made for a nice photo.
There was an occasional snow capped peak off in the distance.
At about the 40 mile mark, we descended down a couple of thousand feet onto a plateau at around 4,000 feet. Beautiful.
One of the riders told Linda she rides like Thibaut Pinot, a French cyclist that is an amazing climber, but gets passed on the descents. Linda said he is her new hero. If anyone has his jersey, we will buy it from you.
Had lunch at the 50 mile mark: PB&J, Doritos, Pepsi, Animal Crackers. Basically whatever is within reach.
We took off with some folks into a 16 to 20 mph headwind which seemed to go on forever. Then into some cross winds. Too short of an episode of a quartering tailwind. Then ended up with a headwind for the final 10 to 15 miles. The winds out here increase as the day goes on. A long time visitor said they "pick up as it heats up".
Whenever we hit a headwind, I hear Coach Phil Gs voice: "Don't use your big muscles against the wind, they will wear out quickly. Use your smaller muscle groups, get your cadence up over 100 and don't look at your speed."
To prepare for this trip, we worked out with a cycling coach. If not for his efforts, we would still be somewhere in California. We rode our bikes in his trainers. He had interesting workouts 6 days a week focusing on leg strength, heart rate recovery, VO2 Max, and a bunch of other areas. He would ride with us and show a race or stage of a race during the session. He would explain what was going on in the race and what each team was trying to do. He would also constantly share tips which are helping quite a bit. "Never stop pedaling. On the downhill, pedal just ahead of the chain to clear the lactic acid from your legs and get new oxygenated blood into your muscles. If you don't pedal, you will have dead legs at the bottom of the hill as you prepare for your next ascent." Phil, if you are reading this, thanks for all your wisdom. We use it all day, everyday.
To put Phil's sessions in perspective, we would ride for 60 to 75 minutes. Then sit for 30 to 45 minutes, eat protein, and share stories with the other folks in the class, as we tried to get our heart rates back down under 100. Go home, shower and go back to bed at 11 AM.
We will see how well we recover from today, as tomorrow is a 97 mile day with a bunch of climbs.
We just finished day 2 of a 9 day stretch where we ride with no days off. I don't think I have ever done that before.
With all the bumps our bikes go over, mine is making a few noises I have never heard before. I asked a couple of folks if they are hearing new, odd noises. One person said "Yes, lots of new creaks and groans. Plus my bike is making new noises". Rim shot. Another person said "My bike sounds and rides like a shopping cart". The bikes do get a bit finicky with all the miles. The mechanics are busy.
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