building it back up

All of the time in Utah set back my cycling training heading into the summer – a.k.a. “big ride” season. I had planned on two weeks off, but not three, so the rust is evident when I ride.

Yes, my recent rides have shown decent performance, with strong climbing. But things feel a bit off, not crisp. The endurance is there, but the smooth pedal stroke and climbing spin isn’t what I feel it should be.

I’ll miss one of the build-up weekends into my first big event ride (the weekend being May 4-6, the event being Mountains of Misery over Memorial Day weekend) to check up on my mom’s healing progress. That’s part of life, and it must happen – family comes first, after all.

But I feel that I’m missing prep time.

Am I being a bit critical? Perhaps.

Is this petty whinging? Maybe.

I have set goals that may not be met – at least not in the timeframe I had originally plotted. I’m reworking my training plan accordingly. Will everything turn out as hoped? It’s hard to say. I’ve had to deal with worse, that’s for sure. My training plan is fairly aggressive, and it could work brilliantly – or prove to be too much to chew.

This weekend will feature some good training rides. I need to make sure I ride my own pace on these. Some of my riding friends are far stronger these days and will push the pace. I shouldn’t take the bait. We’ll see what transpires, as I always like the challenge of the “rabbits.” But I have a training plan that works for me, so…

We’ll see. Right now, I’m simply building back up to speed. And if there’s any consolation, the riding is good for my mental health – a positive side-effect.