This almost seems to be a fitting title for myself these days. With busy work weeks I’m lucky to get in one or maybe two workouts of any value during the weekdays, so with the weekend comes bigger rides. It might not be the ideal training setup, but so far I’m still improving and having fun with it. I returned to Tucson after the SICI conference at midnight on Wednesday just in time for two days at work. Thursday also happened to be my birthday so it was fun to hang out with good friends. Thanks to Chloe for setting up a little party and to Alex for making homemade pasta noodles.
Luckily we do a three hour Friday morning group ride, so that got me back on the bike after four consecutive days off. Saturday was the third consecutive week that I’ve done the 105 mile version of the infamous Shootout ride. This included the normal ride, plus the out and back up Madera Canyon followed with the return climb up Helmet Peak and down Mission Road. This one makes for a solid five hours in the saddle with a lot of intensity.
Sunday I got out on the Fourstroke to do my personal favorite MTB ride in all of Tucson. It starts off with a 45 minute dirt road climb and finishes with 25 odd miles of desert singletrack that gets progressively more technically challenging. With all of the recent rain, Justin and I had a blast rallying the trail as we enjoyed excellent traction. It’s weird that way here because with the extra moisture, the otherwise loose trail holds together better underneath the knobbies. Some 20+ wet stream crossings later we returned to our starting point with huge half bonked smiles across our faces. Anytime you can rack up nearly 3000 KJ on the MTB in a 4.5 hour ride you’re bound to of had a blast. With zero flats, overcast skies, and perfect temps the ride couldn’t have been better. It’s the rides that take you to the middle of nowhere, wear you down, and challenge you every way imaginable that I love the most. I need to get out on the MTB more often for rides like this one.
This week in the office things are quite straightforward, but with a training camp on the horizon for next week I’m plenty busy getting things in order. Enjoy the Riding,
TJ
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Nice to see someone else’s power files, I was starting to think I was the only one posting them! Fontana’s gonna be here quick..I can’t wait to ride a mt bike again!
How do you like the fourstroke? Its a nice looking bike. I like to look at both yours and Mikes power tap files, if I still had my PT I could compare and see how well I was doing. Unfortunatly I had to give mine up,its the price one has to pay when they go back to school. Spring is right around the corner for us now : )
1085 Watts, that’s impressive!