I would say that today's first stage was a "survival" stage. Looking at the course profile on paper it looks nothing like a difficult day; and by difficult I mean one that you are looking forward to it being over. We covered 40 miles and climbed just over 4600 ft. A tough day but, much tougher than I had anticipated.
Going into the first stage my plan was to be a little conservative, and I can honestly say that I stuck to my plan. After looking at my GPS device I noticed my average HR was 145 and my max HR was only 157. I wanted to stay right around or below my threshold and those #'s reflect that perfectly. I am hoping that this will pay off towards the end of the week with my legs still feeling fairly fresh to put in a surge during stage 4-6.
I didn't have too many issues today other than 1 flat within the first 8 miles. At the time I was with the lead group but had to stop and fix the flat and saw many riders pass. I eventually passed most of those riders but wasn't able to catch back to the lead group, nor did I expect to either. I settled into a good tempo rhythm and hoped for the best. Finished 8th overall, 21 min back from the winner.
The word for today was "rocks". I don't think I have ever ridden 40 miles having my tires hit so many rocks. I don't think that there was a section where I didn't see a rock. I would say that the hardest section of the course were the jeep roads; loaded with loose rocks the size of a helmet. Without being able to choose a good line I tried to ride straight through the rocks but just ended up getting bounced around like a pinball. There were even a few hike-a-bike sections, which I do feel are a necessity in a true mountain bike race. The mindset of the day though was "please don't flat again, please don't slice a tire, just get to the finish". And that's why I named this stage a "survival" stage, just finishing and not loosing too much time.
Overall I felt that my breathing didn't have any effect on my performance, however, it definitely felt like my legs would not respond as I wanted them to. Picture Uma Thurman in the movie "Kill Bill Vol. 1 sitting in the car and trying to get her big tow to move. That's exactly how I felt with my legs, trying to get them to spin a little faster but just wouldn't.
Well it was an epic day in the saddle and the best part is that there are 5 more days to come.
early on during Stage 1
Going into the first stage my plan was to be a little conservative, and I can honestly say that I stuck to my plan. After looking at my GPS device I noticed my average HR was 145 and my max HR was only 157. I wanted to stay right around or below my threshold and those #'s reflect that perfectly. I am hoping that this will pay off towards the end of the week with my legs still feeling fairly fresh to put in a surge during stage 4-6.
local Breck rider Josh Tostado
descending near the finish
pushing on near the finish
The word for today was "rocks". I don't think I have ever ridden 40 miles having my tires hit so many rocks. I don't think that there was a section where I didn't see a rock. I would say that the hardest section of the course were the jeep roads; loaded with loose rocks the size of a helmet. Without being able to choose a good line I tried to ride straight through the rocks but just ended up getting bounced around like a pinball. There were even a few hike-a-bike sections, which I do feel are a necessity in a true mountain bike race. The mindset of the day though was "please don't flat again, please don't slice a tire, just get to the finish". And that's why I named this stage a "survival" stage, just finishing and not loosing too much time.
an easy section of singletrack with rocks
Overall I felt that my breathing didn't have any effect on my performance, however, it definitely felt like my legs would not respond as I wanted them to. Picture Uma Thurman in the movie "Kill Bill Vol. 1 sitting in the car and trying to get her big tow to move. That's exactly how I felt with my legs, trying to get them to spin a little faster but just wouldn't.
Well it was an epic day in the saddle and the best part is that there are 5 more days to come.
video from Blake Harlan - Stage 1
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