Winter Riding

Snow covers the ground to a depth of about 3" and it is cold and damp out there.... not so great for cycling. Yet the miles have to be ridden, the hours in the saddle have to be endured. So this is what I have done this week to enhance the training experience: borrowed some VHS movies from my sister (thanks Rana), ordered new adjustable aero bars, replaced the batteries in my cycling computer (odometer) and attached it to the rear wheel instead of the front--this way I can track mileage on my trainer instead of guessing based on time in the saddle. There is good and bad in this: the bad is that I have been "riding" slower than I had thought. The good is that I can now simulate hills and faster rides with a combination of heart rate monitor and computer. It should make for more valuable training.

My cousin called and asked me about joining up for part of the trip. If you are interested in riding one day with us, you may do so free of charge. If you would like to ride with us more than one day you will need to register by March 15. In an earlier blog I posted the itinerary with number of miles per day. Here is a link to CrossRoads Cycling in case you would like more information or would like to sign up for part of the tour: http://www.crossroadscycling.com/Pages/Tours/CrossCountry/CrossCountryTour.htm You can also sign up to ride a leg of the journey, which would be a set number of days between off-days, usually a week to 10 days. Some people ride one leg each year until they do the entire route, which is a fine idea when you can't get 7 weeks off to do the whole tour!

I started logging my food this week. I was not surprised to find that I am eating too much fat (read that as chocolate) and not enough protein. Bought a book on long distance cycling--guess I'd better read the chapter on nutrition!

I'm a little behind in my mileage, but I think the training program provided by CrossRoads Cycling assumes cycling is the only training discipline. I am still swimming 3,000 yards on Mondays and Fridays and running with the club on Saturday mornings. I am not ready to give these things up! I did, however, decide to give up the swim group as soon as the weather breaks (beginning of April?) and concentrate on riding some real hills. Until then, it's hours in the saddle in the basement on the trainer.... oh boy!