Quick Pisgah Update

Pisgah-Cherokee-Pisgah was a success. It took around 10 hours, 15,000 feet of climbing, and 120 miles but Jim and myself did it. Tomorrow or Friday I should have a full post on the ride and next week lots of pictures to share.
Keep the rubber side down...
Captain Crunch

Carlise 40k TT

Last weekend was not as eventful as the last TT I had (no bike problems or flat tires this time). The Carlise TT was awesome. I rode 24.8 miles in 1 hour 8 minutes at a 20.9 mph average. That sounds good until you look at the results. Half of the field rode it in less than and hour. My time was good enough for 44 out of 48 riders. However, I feel that I made a huge improvement. I felt stronger and pushed myself much harder than the first TT. I was hurting really good by the end and had to dig deep (and I was freezing due to the steady rain for 3/4 of the race).

This week I am taking it easy in preparation for the PCP ride on Tuesday. I have a 30 mile ride lined up on Friday and then Saturday a 75 mile ride. Although I have less miles than last year I still feel on better form than this time last year and I'm totally ready to tackle PCP.

The last couple of weeks have made me rethink my goals for the year. Instead of trying to go for high milage I am really focusing on increasing my power and sustained speed (quality of training instead of quanity). I feel a difference already and should be able to increase it throughout the season using the my TT's to gauge my progress.

Thanks for reading. My next post should come either next Wednesday or Thursday after the PCP ride.

Captain Crunch

Carlise TT

Sorry to be so late with the update... I will have more about this race tomorrow. No pictures however.

Captain Crunch

Gold Mine Rd. and early season update

Last Saturday I went up to Gold Mine Rd. with Jim. It was a great day for a ride, low wind and slightly overcast to keep the heat down. For those of you that don't know what Gold Mine is, it is probably the closest thing we have in the Lancaster, Harrisburg area to a real mountain climb. It has multiple switchbacks and is not for those who don't like trying to defy gravity. On the plus side the downhill run to Tower City is scary fast at around 55-60 mph. Click the embedded link to see where it is. The total trip was 83 miles and just a hair over 5 hours long.

If you would have asked me to make this ride this time last year I would have laughed at you. But this year is different, I feel much stronger and I'm climbing better. I'm still about 200 miles behind last year, but I feel I'm on better form (aka: level of fitness) than this time last year and ready to tackle the PCP ride down on the BRP.

Thanks for reading
Captain Crunch

P.S. Check back the week of June 9 for special update. I'm hoping to see the U.S. Pro Championship in Philly. The worlds best riders take on the Manayunk Wall and other famous Philly hills.