Broken Crap Everywhere

I know nothing about it other than what I've learned from list serves and secondhand accounts, but if what I hear is even close to accurate, Win Elliot and Wes Schempf deserve huge credit for stabilizing and managing the initial response to the accident on Saturday's 10am ride. Brave, competent people who take charge are worth their weight in gold. And a get well soon to the Scot and Sean. Hopefully the rest of us take a lesson to ride safely (not that I've heard they weren't, shit happens, I know that too well).

By contrast, I had one of the more relaxing rides I've ever had on Saturday. The missus will be pissed that I categorize it as such, but she was the one doing the threshold test, not me. A standing gag order, self- and also externally-imposed, prevents me from divulging many details. But pacing her meant that I was doing a nice hard tempo, and what I noticed was that when you are going up a good steady grade (in this case Skyline southbound from Front Royal), the effort really comes to you. Not much focus required, just turn the pedals. That, combined with the external focus of keeping an eye on the proceedings, plus a nearly perfect (if rather warm) day, plus all the scenery you get up there, made it far more relaxing than the effort should have been. At 4 w/kg, my heart rate should normally be in the mid 150s or so. At TT pace, it's in the low to mid 160s. For the 20 and whatever minutes we were going up to the DR parking lot, my HR averaged 146. There's plenty to be learned in there (broad strokes - the mind is the most powerful muscle of all).

Sunday was a team ride and cookout. Great fun, and Oskar Blue's brewery products in comfortable quantities. It also proved that once you do a sailboat race, the world goes from Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon down to two. At most.

The story of Monday was that tire pressure that gives good traction invites pinch flats, and that I might terminally suck at mountain biking. I keep my weight way too far forward, which really makes flowing through turns rather not easy. Need to fix that.

We're getting geared up for the inaugural Rockville Twilight Criterium. As joyously happy as I am not to have Lost River on my plate this year, I'm really happy that it's happening. It would have been a huge shame if that had died. The calendar says July but with all of these fun road races coming up it feels like April or May. Awesome.