Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Island-Hopping

On Sunday we completed our annual Recycled Cycles Racing training camp on Whidbey Island. This camp is always challenging because the topography there is nothing but hills … plus a few guys are always quite fit in February and ready to make everyone hurt.

I remember riding there back in 2006 (or maybe ‘05) when Tom Peterson was still riding for Recycled Cycles. We did this 110-mile route on Saturday with RT following us in the shop truck. Any time we stopped for a flat or a food/nature break, Tom would just keep riding. Sunday’s ride was a war of attrition.  The group was whittled down to just five guys – Peterson, Matt Frost, Phil Huber, Andrew Howell and me. Howell and I got dropped and RT motor-paced us back to the leaders a few times … eventually we both ended up *in* the truck watching the other three ride. Tom broke away and then took a wrong turn. We chased him down in the truck and then followed him back to the other two guys. Just watching him climb that day you figured he was on his way to bigger and better things. He was probably 18 or 19 years old at the time!

This year’s camp was a bit more mellow, by comparison, but there is no easy riding to be had on that island. Tim “Angry” Ellis, Adam “Turtle” Jablonski. Brian “Rookie” Wachlarz and Mike “Ol’ Dirty” Brown pushed the pace … I was up there a bit, too, of course. I logged about 200 miles over the course of the weekend with a good deal of intensity.  The intervals on Friday were especially painful. It was nice to get away from the regular routine and just ride/eat/sleep for three days. I had no cell phone reception at the house so I didn’t even check email for two days!  There is a lesson in there somewhere.

whidbey-2009-day2-elevation

Saturday’s elevation profile. 92 miles.

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