Mountain Climbing

I finally rode some hills on Friday. I am up in Lake George, NY and I did a 24 mile ride along route 9N. The hills I encountered were nothing too major, but I did have a couple of good steady climbs. At one point, I climbed for a continuous two miles. I definitely did not ascend a mountain, but compared to the hill in Prospect Park, it may as well have been one. It is clear to me that I need to do a lot more of this type of training. I have only two months remaining before IMLP and I am definitely not ready for the hills.

On the ride back, I was able to kamikaze down the hill 2 mile hill I climbed. I reached terminal velocity at 41.6 MPH. I couldn’t go any faster as my windbreaker was a bit loose around my arms and the flapping of the material caused too much drag. It is satisfying to know, that I still have no fear of flying down hills on my bike. When I think about riding very fast downhill I sometimes get the willies. This trepidation must be a result of the crash I suffered two years ago at the West Point Triathlon (see Crash and Burn). However, once I am speeding down the hill, the only emotions I feel are excitement and pleasure.

Here are the stats:

Time: 1:27:00
Distance: 24
HR: 145/162
Speed (avg/max): 16.4 / 41.6
PWR: 275 AVG – No max reading, plus lost power sensor at end of ride
PI: 27
LRB: 50/50
TiZ2 (148/130): A – 37:01, I – 38:51, B – 11:50