It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Wanna know why it’s the most wonderful time of the year? Because in spring we get nice big storms that drop plentiful powder in the mountains. But on the days it’s not storming, it’s nice enough to go for a ride. As an added bonus, what with the time change and all, it’s light enough outside to ride after work.

So yesterday, that’s what I did. I started from the zoo and rode up Emigration to the top of Little Mountain. I like to try and do this in the big ring. I don’t necessarily think it’s faster to do it all in the big ring, but it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, especially when my kneecaps are about to pop off coming up that last pitch before the summit. I continue to feel like I’ve accomplished something (not sure what) for the next 36 hours whenever I try to perform difficult tasks such as walking up stairs, pressing the brake pedal in my car, and standing.

My time wouldn’t win any Emigration TTs, but it wasn’t a complete disaster, either. And frankly, since my objective on any climb is simply not to get dropped, I’m happy with that. Not so happy that I won’t still try and lose some winter weight and continue to improve my form, but at least hopeful that I won’t get shelled in the first race of the season.

This reminds me of the same phenomenon I’ve observed in the past: that the transition from skiing to biking always seems easy, and I feel good on the bike from the outset. During the winter, I get in 2-3 solid workouts per week when I ski, but the off days are either an easy spin, a short run, or nothing at all. Makes me wonder if building more recovery time into my cycling training would yield better results.