Today I rounded out a 15 hour training week with a 3.5 hour group ride- about 65 miles total. It was tough- A couple of the group members were keeping the intensity pretty high for this time of year. On the way out (to Red Banks, Mississippi), we kept the pace pretty consistent, and I stayed in the mix. I hadn’t really intended to ride that hard, but it was too tempting to test out how I was performing after being on a consistent training program for the first time. I was very happy with my performance. A couple of times I put out enough effort that I knew I would have been dropped in the past, but was able to maintain steady contact without issue.

After our rest stop, we hit the road just long enough to warm back up only to get to a railroad crossing that was blocked by a stopped train on our back road that would be used to head back North towards TN. The detour that we took following that was not much fun. We continued down a small highway to Byhalia, MS, where the pace kept surging and slowing as people were getting dropped and caught back on. We ended up riding north on a busy two lane highway- speed limit 55mph, and covered up in countryfolk who were not at all happy to be slowed down by a mass of people in spandex going 20mph. We tried to form a rotating paceline, but a couple of the guys thought that they’d show off how fast they were by hammering the pace every time they pulled. The result- thegroup was shredded in hostile territory. I was not happy, and once we got out of the traffic hell, I chased down the lead group and asked what the Hell they thought they were doing & let them know that at least one group member was about a mile back and entirely alone. They did not seem too concerned, but they did pull over and stop for a few minutes while the remaining group caught up.

We cruised in to Germantown, only to have the same guys start to push the pace again. I stayed back with a couple of guys (Ryan and Aaron) who didn’t feel the need to participate in the off-season pissing match.

I’m very happy with my ride, and with my training in general. My endurance has improved, and I felt strong today, even after consecutive high-volume training weeks (~14 hours the week before). I could feel it in the latter miles of the ride, and I’m pretty exhausted now, but I’ve got a nice rest period on the schedule for the first week of the new year.

Even this early in the pre-season, I’m feeling good. All I need to do now is lose 10 pounds before April…