Hill Repeats
Well, I'll be damned.
It's been a good ten years since I did any sort of hill repeats. Let me tell you - in ten year's time nothing has changed. Hill repeats still suck. They hurt. They last longer than they should. They are not fun. They make you fast.
The last part (pain), is of course, why we do them. Which brings me to my next point. Why do we do this? Cycling is not a fun sport. Object: Hurt more than the guy next to you. We strive to be in more pain than the guy next to us. At any particular competitive level, we're all within a few percent of each other, fitness wise. Thus, if you can hurt more than the other guy, you got a good shot at winning. The more you hurt yourself in training, the better you race. Most of us would qualify as OCD.
That being said, I'd go into business with most cyclists. I know they'd give their all to make any buisness venture work. If you have the work ethic to successfully race a bicycle, you can make a business work. There's no difference. Learn what techniques work best and put those into action. The only difference is business does not take a genetic advantage to succeed at an elite level.
Bill Gates - get your ass on a bike and lets see how you do.
posted by funai @ 9:28 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Hey, thanks for stopping by. I know the comeback trail all too well. I didn't race from 98 to 03. I rode a bit, but gained 30 lbs. Most of it is gone now...
FWIW, I found the really hard red zone stuff is where I haven't been able to get it back. Slightly easier, hard tempo stuff around LT seems almost easier than it used to. I think that is the sweet spot to train in until you can hang in the races.
The other big change over the years is gearing. People are smarter now. I can't imagine the gears we used to ride. If you're from the Ventura County area, you must know Yerba Buena Road off the PCH. I rode that in 1990 using a 42x21. What was I thinking? I rarely go anywhere without my 27 cog anymore, and I have a compact crank! It works, and it is a good way to train. Longs climbs at tempo with a reasonable cadence will get you back where you want to be faster than anything else. Good luck, I'll be checking in on your progress...
Yerba in a 42x21?!? Ouch. Those roads from PCH into the Conejo and San Fernando Valleys are great climbs. I didn't know how good I had it when I lived right near them.
Thanks for the encouragement. First race is only a couple months away, so we'll see how the legs respond when that first race pace attack goes.
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