During my 70 mile training ride last weekend, I experienced something for the first time. My training schedule for the week had called for some intense workouts with a lot of hill climbing on Wednesday, high-intensity intervals on Thursday, and then 2 back-to-back long rides on the weekend of 70 miles and 80 miles each. By Thursday I knew I … Read More
The power of team
At first glance cycling seems like an individual sport. A sport where you hop on your bike, take off for miles and ride till you die. The opposite is true. Cycling is a team sport where together as a unit so much more can be achieved. Together, a team is powerful. Together, a team can breeze for miles climbing hills … Read More
HardCORE
Let’s face it, we all know the core is important for pretty much everything we do. “A strong core is essential for blah blah blah.” We’ve heard it all before…for years. And yet it seems that I know more people that don’t do ANYTHING for their core strength! Marathon runners, triathletes, cyclists, swimmers – every single one of them would … Read More
The Spin Zone
For about three years now I have attended spinning classes as an alternative to riding my bike outside through all eight months of Cleveland, Ohio’s winter. I go to spin class for the music, the sweat and the motivation from the instructor. This past January my fitness center invested in Spinner® Blade ION™ bikes which have turned spinning into a … Read More
Lesson Learned from the Road
Surviving Disaster: On Wednesday morning, Mike (a fellow Fort Collins resident) and I met in front of the high school and headed up to route to meet his buddies from year’s past RTRs. We were going to head out in a 4-man group and tackle Wolf Creek Pass together. I had met two of them a few nights earlier. They … Read More
Packing Tips: What Not to Forget
There are two kinds of people in the world. The first kind goes grocery shopping with a shopping list. Within this group are subsets: there are those who alphabetize the list, and those who sort the items according to aisle number. The second kind of people don’t need no stinkin’ list. Furthermore, they like to think up all kinds of … Read More
Final Approach
You’re going to ride how far? When I first mentioned to my (ever-loving) wife that I wanted to do Ride the Rockies – weeks after we moved to Fort Collins, CO – her first response is, “You’re nuts.” In her defense, she was correct. I hadn’t really ridden since the previous summer as I spent all of my free time … Read More
Wheels down at the U.S. Air Force Academy
It is among America’s most rigorous institutions of higher learning. It takes high-achieving kids and turns them into premier leaders. It forms the backbone of the United States fighter-pilot corps. But today, class, the lesson we will learn about the United States Air Force Academy is this: It is one sweet place to ride your bike. Map here. For a … Read More
My Favorite Fort Collins Weekday/End Rides
Occasionally, I get a morning off during the middle of the week. Mostly, however, my training rides — the real ones, where I strap my cycling shoes into my clipless pedals and push myself as far and as hard as time permits — are relegated to evenings and weekends. Trying to narrow down my favorite Fort Collins route is hard. … Read More
100 Miles of Nowhere
At the time, it seemed like a brilliant idea: Ride 100 miles in as small a loop as possible. Easy! And, it’s for charity. Awesome! But after 5 hours, with 15 miles still to go, my mental capacity was at broccoli level and dropping fast. I wondered – do those discarded candy wrappers on the putting green have any candy … Read More