Stringing things together
Still no official word from the Race Director, but The Jackson Hole Times ran an article last weekend saying LOTOJA is still a go. Brent (the Race Director) will make an official announcement in one week.When you consider all of the jurisdictions, municipalities, and permits required, one can only image the work he's putting in to make this happen. He has a great staff and they know what they are doing. Still, it's hard to say what to expect. With positive cases still higher than our State Governor wants, I'd say all bets are off - either way.
Mixing it up
Combinations of indoor spinning, dirt riding, hill intervals and weight bearing intervals are the current course. The spinning is truly important as this helps mechanics. Poor mechanics adds up over a 200 mile ride, and can make the difference between finishing and failing. Hill intervals are hard and boring. Still, it conditions the mind to overcome the discomfort of the grind. I still do the half-mile spoke bender right near by, as it is steeper than anything else you can ride around these parts - without a ton of traffic. I typically will hit this in the evening, just after the sun has gone behind the mountain. From there I can get a solid ten repeating intervals in. Kind of the equivalent of riding North Ogden Divide back and fort, with steeper climbs and higher overall elevation. Of course if I want to peg my heart rate, I hit the dirt. New connectors have made the ride home a little more fun, as well as provide a little more grind than before. I've added some weight bearing stuff again this year, much as I've done during the winter to train for mountain bike races. I've only got about seven weeks, and no organized centuries this year. I'll have to make things work anyway. A lot depends on the announcement next Saturday.
New Trails and Features
The pic above shows one of the features being added to a new connector. That is probably a 7' drop, with a 12' gap. Add to it, the approach angle, and that is going to be gnarly. The added trail is spreading the riders out over larger areas, but it is still getting pretty busy. My private little trail network is getting quite popular. A ride to the overlook is still a grind and will work you as hard as you may otherwise want. Outside of doing open road sprints, this is the only place I can peg my heart rate. By the time I get around the top of the "ball cap", the sweat is pouring out of my helmet. I can't tell you how many times I've done this same old ride this year, but it is a known quantity and yet a good burn. Better yet, all of these rides are literally right out of my garage.
Stay tuned and rub that lucky rabbits foot. We could use a little break this year. What a ..........mess.
This was the B-side to the single "My love", 1972 - from "Red Rose Speedway". It was never listed, or released as part of the album, and only got a little air-play on some early FM stations - late night. This was one of their "college shows" they did (at the Hague), trying to "sharpen the edges".
Ride HARD!
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