I'm just trying to figure out where I am. I didn't ride too much in the last week. Then, I had an awesome ride in Innsbruck, on the reverse course. I soared somehow despite losing a lot of time to a bike switch. (somehow, I lost 30 seconds instead of ten or fifteen). I hammered the hill and added a great finish after the downhill.
Sunday, my legs felt a bit fried. I rode the first five minutes at a great pace, up the petite. Then my heart rate flopped and hovered at 140 instead of 150. My legs felt a bit sore/weak. I just kept going, grinding out baby watts. I started at 241 only to see 217,210,202,211 for my next intervals. I refused to quit though.
I started last week to ride all ten orange jersey laps. I did Watopia, Scotland, Paris, (and France sprint). That left six to do. Innsbruck is by far the longest, the only one over thirty minutes. I have done it under 45 and struck out to break forty (in my wildest dreams). This time, I was still riding strong when I got to the climb. I was two minutes faster than my goal of 42 minutes. And only a minute or so off my pr on the climb.
So today, I opted for Ventoux instead of running two orange laps. And why, you ask? Because I am stupid enough to start training for a repeat of my Alp legendary climb. The one so fast, I am afraid of trying to repeat it. I recently raced just the top half and only was four seconds faster than that monster effort. I did a full week of training, followed by my love's race prep protocol. Running that day compared to my best effort is a three minute difference. Three minutes? That seems impossible. It was a true training peak that is just not possible to repeat without an entire buildup over a few weeks. It takes time trial, intervals, and an intense focus that can only be reserved for major goals. It was an unforgettable experience where everything felt and went perfectly. And now I want to repeat it on the day of the epic Zwift climb. I must be dreaming.
Well, we'll see how training goes. If I have a decent shot at the title, I will give it a go. But, I have to feel content with what I've already done, my glorious retirement race up the Alp. This may be my only chance to ever beat that time. It is a Rocky scenario. Beating the top two climbers of all time, that isn't possible for a short power specialist. My power slides quite a bit after 16 minutes. That means, I have to race controlled for 22 minutes before I up the tempo to my breaking point.
I will not be racing the full Road to Sky, only the Alp itself. This gives me the opportunity to focus on a somewhat achievable goal. First, I need to work on strength and aerobic together for four weeks. Then, one week to prep for the big race. I'm crazy. I'm retired for a reason. It takes so much more effort now than it did a few years ago. It's that darn holo, taunting me every time I start the Alp. There she is, my past me. Hey, get back here. She goes so fast the first 30 seconds, that I usually am just trying to match that after pace, staying 30 seconds behind the entire first half. I'll need a few power ups to have a good shot at it. 10 point bonuses will crush me. In a race, you have drafting and guaranteed power ups. I will just be suffering the whole way.
I have a few new friends cheering me on. Why not try? It's not that crazy, is it?
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