My Double Century Race Sunday (aka Scooby’s killer leg workout)
As many of you know, one of my fitness goals for 2012 is to do a double century – a 200 mile bike race. Well, my first attempt at accomplishing this goal will be on Sunday. I say attempt because its quite likely I may not succeed on my first attempt so I have already scheduled a second race in October. No time goal, my only goal is to finish the race before the course closes. Next year I can make it a goal to better my time by 10% but for now, just completing it will be an accomplishment enough. Although I have been keeping in very good cardio shape, I only started my double training in earnest 2.5 weeks ago which is hardly enough to get into top cycling shape. Conditions for the race look fair, not great but not bad. Temps will dip into the low ’30s which is far coolder than my preference but as long as it doesnt rain and the winds are under 25mph, I can’t complain. There is rain forecast for the following day so hopefully it wont come early! The race is 200 miles and has about 8000′ of vertical climbing if I remember correctly.
Tomorrow is time to do some zen-bonding with my bike. I will take it apart down to the last nubbin and clean, polish, and lubricate everything. Doing this is therapeutic for me and makes the bike happier too. In any case, having complete and total confidence in your machine helps with performance. I love the feeling of being on a well-lubricated and spotlessly clean bike knowing it will perform when called upon. Anyway, I will be out of touch this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for race preparations.
Wish me luck!
