Here in Massachusetts, we’ve been snowed in since early last week. Not snow-piled-up-to-the-windows snowed in, but rather, a cold wetness and steady precipitation that’s a pretty good argument against going outside for any kind of serious training. It’s alternated between snow and rain, and it looks like we might have another several days of similar conditions in the hopper.
No matter – there are other ways to work the legs. Rollers, plyometrics, and a bit of time in the gym suffice for a little while. On Friday, though, I got antsy, and with stiff legs needing an honest spin to loosen them up, I took my fendered all-arounder cyclocross hybrid out for a spin. The town was wet and snow was falling hard, but not accumulating. I bundled up. My glasses got covered in big wet flakes; my legwarmers were soon wet. Snow collected at the seams.
On Saturday morning I headed out to a breakfast engagement several towns over (and a happy birthday to you!). The world was white, the trees covered with wet snow, the mountains obscured by the clouds. Cold and wet, yes, but a beautiful morning for riding.
Those days of flahute training, though, pale in comparison to the conditions at Kurne-Brussels-Kurne yesterday. One report was that the lead group of three were crawling into a 90kph headwind at only 26kph – that’s about 17mph. A snail’s pace in the world of professional cycling. One rider, Hunt of Cervelo, in a three-person chase-group (looking at, at worst, a sixth place finish if the chase stayed away; better if it caught the leaders) simply abandoned. Sat up, stopped, and got into his team car, apparently too wrecked from the wind, rain, cold, and distance to continue.
Our opening weekend calls for 40 degrees and sunny, racing around an industrial park. I’ll take it.
Theirs saw a “relative unknown” take the podium in a race that had an 85% rate of attrition, and Bobby Traksel, the victor, seemed too pleased to win to care about the weather.
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I’ll take those conditions too – the 40 degrees and sunny, not the KBK conditions fer sure. I’ll admit it – I’m no flahute.
Comment by Suitcase of Courage March 2, 2010 @ 7:27 pmNot sure what it says about me, but I’d rather ride in the snow than try to ride any length of time indoors. I usually combine rollers with plyometrics and whether I do rollers first or last I have a hard time getting to 30mins on them. Even if it’s cold and wet, at least it’s outside. Well, rain scares me inside, but if the roads are wet, booties and fenders can handle the worst of it well enough.
Come race @ Plainville!
Comment by nooneline March 2, 2010 @ 8:13 pm“plyometrics”??? I hear you can fail a doping control if you ingest those
Comment by the fastest guy you ever raced bikes with March 12, 2010 @ 4:44 pm[…] plans immediately went from “field sprint” to “survive.” I thought about the importance of flahute training and thought, “Well, the racing might actually be safer and better suited to […]
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