Tapering is Hard

I think I have figured out where I am with my training. It took a trip to Boone to do it (Boone does a good job of clearing one’s head). I started up at the campground. By the time I got to the bottom and started up the base climb was feeling really strong. I was clearing things in a higher gear and feeling good doing it. Maybe my training peak wasn’t lost after all. Mid-ride I decided to take it easy, and save some for Sunday at Fort Dodge.

I rode the whole course on the middle ring. I know that doesn’t sound too impressive for a welterweight, but for me, (46 years old, 195 pounds – down from 230 last fall, and a newby to mountain bike racing) it was pretty cool – all without overexerting myself. It’s nice see some good results from training. I hope to see the same on Sunday.

I think that my time on the Rig also has something to do with my increased climbing ability. I have noticed an increase in both strength, and standing climbing ability (which I was lacking).

For my race taper, I’ll take Wednesday off, and I’m going to skip the Bike World group ride on Thursday. With the pace of that ride, nothing good can come from it. I’ll go for an easy spin at Peterson’s on Thursday, take Friday off (tapering is hard), and maybe drive up to Fort Dodge on Saturday for a few laps to get the course dialed in.

I put some Michelin XCR A/Ts on the 8500, so, heaven forbid; now I have a mud bike.