This is it. All the “work” is done. The only thing left to do now is get ready to test yourselves and reap the rewards of the work you’ve put in. At this point, there’s no more fitness to gain. Where base season might be the “dreamers” phase of the season, this is the realists phase. This is what it comes down to. You either did the work and you’re strong enough to accomplish something you’re proud of, or you didn’t do the work and you’ll suffer brutal defeat. Regardless, you need to take care of yourselves over this next week in order to get the most out of yourselves at Whiskey and Gila.
All the little things matter. It’s hard to imagine, but being hydrated today will help your performance on Saturday. Getting plenty of sleep this week will result in being more rested, more resilient, more powerful next week. The little things all add up into bigger things, and bigger things are how you achieve your goals. So take care of yourselves. Please. It’s the least you can do for yourselves after all the work you’ve done this season.
Tuesday:
Recovery ride. If you are racing Gila, you will be riding your TT set up. Super chill ride to make sure your position, etc, is dialed. If you are racing Whiskey, you will be on your MTB. Same deal, just cruising around and making sure that your bike is 100%. If you are racing both races, you will be on your TT set up for Gila (Max, Sam, Ben, Oliver, Kaileen, etc)
Wednesday:
Whiskey Riders: OFF! Take the day to catch up on homework, sleep, etc. Gila Riders: Road bikes. If you are racing both races, you are off.
Thursday:
Openers on your MTB for Whiskey riders, openers on your road bike for Gila riders. If you are racing both races, you will be on your MTB.
Weekend:
Whiskey Riders: Look out for another blog post about Whiskey departure logistics!
Gila Only: Look out for the weekend training plan. Ben and I will both be around.
Shout Out to Susie! Susie is coming back this week! Yay! Welcome back! Chuck Barclay, get ready to take Susie out on some sweet rides.
Video of the week is Amstel Gold 2019. How could it not be? MVDP races to a surreal finish. Some background for those who don’t know: Mathieu van der Poel is a Dutch cyclist who was dominant in ‘cross. He switched to road racing. He’s now proving himself to be an absolute legend. This video is only the last kilometer, but he does a ton of work over the course of the race, and sits on the front of the chase group for most of the last 10km. It’s a pretty remarkable example of mental fortitude and the will to win. It’s also a great reminder that the race isn’t over until you reach the finish line. This particular video is set to some Titanic music for presumably inspirational purposes. Get inspired 🙂
I wI’ll be taking Tuesday off to do schoolwork, but I plan to come to do blast-offs Thursday. I also have a test the Friday we are supposed to be leaving for Whiskey, so is there any possibility of a late van heading up in the afternoon?
Sean is driving Elliot up on Friday leaving around 11:30am, after a test at school. Reece is welcome to go with them.
Okay Dorky then… what bike should I bring to ride with Susie?!?
I hurt my hand on Sunday so I’m taking Tuesday off to rest it, I’ll be there Thursday.
Chuck, myself (and other coaches I think) are attending a meeting at the clubhouse with Kate to discuss the rider safety protocol, etc. Thursday afternoon so we will miss practice 🙁
Jesus F will not be at practice Thursday as he has a project for school he needs to complete. Also, he will be driving up with
us to Prescott on Friday morning.
Opps, looks like Chuck and I will be there after all.