Since You've Been Gone

Crazy weather throughout the Midwest has wreaked havoc on my racing and training plans over the last month. We've been spared the severe flooding that Iowa is experiencing but we still have received 16.5" of rain in the six weeks since I posted last. Several races were postponed, cancelled, or altered because of this unprecedented amount of rain. The Branched Oak 12 hour race was one that I was really looking forward to, but Robb and I had to make an executive decision not to race in the mud. Bummer.

Due to these circumstances (and others yet to be mentioned) I only did two big rides during this time. The first was the Platte River Riot 6 hour Marathon race on May 18th. I obviously wasn't racing to win, so I went out with only the expectation to ride for as much of the 6 hours as possible and to learn some things about myself that would help in preparation for the Laramie race. I probably sat around a little bit more than I should have, but when it was all said and done I did 5 laps (roughly 1000 ft of climbing per lap), one less than I had hoped to do. The good news is that my nutrition plan worked great, and unlike in the past, after the race was over I was cogent and ready to eat the free hamburgers and hot dogs provided by the Cycleworks folks. As usual Tom got some great pictures. Here are a couple, check out his site for the rest.



Two weeks later Robb and I headed out for a long ride up to Branched Oak. I have always wanted to ride out that way, and I wasn't disappointed. Heading east-west by the lake, the hills were much bigger than what I was riding east of Lincoln. Very fun, and an area that I will be exploring much more often in the near future.