Epic Training Pays Off
It’s like golf (or so I hear); the more you practice, the better you get until a limiting point. Then, it’s about making breakthrough sessions. (Guess I’ll have to ask Wells.)
After an on-the-ropes spring, I was fired up to get the fighting form back. I was angry. The race at Sea Otter wasn’t bad, but a lost chain made it frustrating to lose the top-5 and I’d badly wanted to hit pay dirt for Team Sho-Air/Cannondale
Since I stepped off the plane from Sea Otter, I decided to put all the chips IN! The past four weeks have been soldier training and things finally started to click.
Though there haven’t been many races since my win at the Cohutta 100,
I have been feeding the beast with a win at the Middle Mountain Momma and knocking down Strava segment like dominos.
It’s been a blast smashing it with the road pros Joe Dombroski (Kky) and Ben King (Garmin) as well as my protégés Cameron Cogburn (Cool Stop/Mountain Kakis) and Dave Flaten (US Armed Forces) on the big days. I took some awful beatings and then started handing out some beatings. My form has gone from decent to killer-2013 levels in 4 weeks! Of course there have been some epic soul dirt rides to near-uncharted regions and the tune-up at Catalina Island Gran Fondo was a great low-pressure chance to drive the pace and have some fun.
My energy level has been awesome lately, and I’ll find myself going for a spin only to find my thumb dropping five gears to attack a hill.
It feels good to fly! More time in the thin air of my altitude tent is paying off with some awesome VO2 max performances in the 7w/k range, and I am able to crack out big diesel endurance power like the 290w np for four hours yesterday on the Tomahawk Loop; and logged 74,000 feet of climbing in the last month.
The best part of being back is the good feeling that some pay off for Team Sho-Air/Cannondale is ahead; I have already reaped the rewards of some epic training. Stay tuned, but don’t blink cause I’ll be a flash of green and black and red.
Trans-Sylvania Epic is the next target and I’m coming at it like an un-caged gorilla.
I am in yellow after three rocky tough stages: Day one was a fast and furious prologue; I gave it everything and punched it hard. Stage two was long and hot; Lots of super technical rocks and deep dark forest that are the graveyard of bikes!
My trusty scalpel was amazing and my Kenda tires withstood a beating, Kona set a hard pace but as the final climb approached, I knew I had more in the tank and attacked for another win and GC lead of 4:30
It’s good timing too; TSE is perfect springboard for the national championships in July and the meaty part of the season.
Whatever happens this week I will give it my best and enjoy this good form and campground atmosphere here at the Trans-Sylvania Epic; the start of good things!
I owe a big thanks to Scott Tedro and the rest of Team Sho-Air/Cannondale for the support to make the magic happen!
Jeremiah
