Forthcoming: Our account of the Wild Card Cycling Training Camp

We need time to work on our detailed and formal account of the training camp.  For now, let me provide an unorganized and informal write-up:

Saturday the 21st of March I took the train to Carbondale and visited my parents in Marion for the weekend.  I did one short more intense ride and a couple of longer rides.  Monday, I picked B.Chan up from the train station and we departed the next morning in the Eurovan.  This is what I wrote while sitting in the van at Ferne Cliff State Park after our first ride together:

B.Chan and I are living the pro life. We parked the Eurovan at Ferne Cliff State Park and took off on a 56 mile loop through the rolling hills of Little Egypt. We passed through Vienna and Dixon Springs, riding by The Chocolate Factory and Hogg's Head Winery, then through Glendale and Tunnel Hill and back to our sweet van. We took cold sunshowers in the woods and scrambled into the van to cook dinner just as it started raining. Tonight we had my mom's tofu/veggie burgers with tortillas & red peppers that we bought at Aldi (the cheapest and best store everrrr!) and some tart cherry juice because, apparently, it is better than aspirin at relieving muscle pain. It poured all night and we got soaked brushing our teeth in the rain. Now it's almost 10 and we decided that it's late enough to sleep.

The riding today was awesome. Hills were rolling and you could usually get enough momentum to barrel into the next one--no cold starts for the most part. There were some long hills though, which I am pretty good at. However, during the first mile of the ride I realized that B.Chan is fast as hell on the shorter hills, and I made it my personal goal to at least stay with her. She's definitely looking strong. By the end of the week I hope to have improved on the shorter hills. I'm tired tonight and we are going to be careful not to burn out too bad before the Wildcard weekend.

B.Chan's and my riding styles compliment each other pretty well; she's got the fast twitch muscles and I've got the slowwww ones. I can climb forever but she can sprint up the hills fast. We're going to be a good team...once we learn some tactics.

The Eurovan is an amazing vehicle. It has everything except a hot tub and, surprisingly, a tarp.  We can't wait to meet up with the rest of the club at Lick Creek all dirty and road loopy in our VW van on Friday... 

It rained all that night.  The next day was a bit cooler (arm warmer weather) and we set out for a ride at about 1:00 with Vesselin Velev, who was down in Carbondale.  We intended on taking it a little easier.  I was concentrating on keeping my cadence high, and of course keeping up with B.CHan as she bolted up steep climbs.  We rode toward Moscow, through Dongola, up route 51, turned off to go toward Rocky Comfort road, which we rode for what seemed like forever, and then down a gravel road for about five miles to get back to Goreville and then our camp.  Rocky Comfort is anything BUT comfortable.  It is hill after hill after hill.. and we didn't know we would be riding it again with Wildcard on Sunday.  We were punchy as hell when we got back from our 4.5 hour ride that night.  Spaghetti and falafel tasted amazing.  Our abilities to make contractions were at their prime.  It is sickeningly contagious.  Sicagious.

Thursday we rested.  B.Chan wrote a paper and we hung out at my sister & Lonnie's house.  That night we stayed at my parent's house.  I must be missing a day... ?  Well, that day we rode.  Hills.  Lots of hills.

Friday we met with the Wildcard group.  There was much Van-envy.  (Venvy).  We set off at noon for a ride.  It was fast, and I got dropped in the first few miles.  I wasn't feeling great, and unconfident in my riding ability.  The climb up Bald Knob was great though.  I was completely warmed up by then, and I concentrated and took the climb at my own pace but pushed it... I ended up doing well I thought.  When we got back to the van I was ready to sleep....completely spent.  That day I put out my best power!

Saturday was the cold and rainy century.  We left with the "slow" group.  I love riding in bad weather, as long as I am moderately warm while moving and if I have enough food.  There is something so raw, grim and dangerous about it that gets me really pumped up.  It's twisted, but when everyone is miserable I sometimes get a rush of adrenaline.  At Eddyville some people turned back, to finish an 80 mile ride.  Larry, Q, Nick H and I went on to Golconda to complete the century.  I felt fine, though I knew I was slower than the guys.  Right before we reached Eddyville I flatted, and discovered a hole in my tire.  The tire was a piece of crap that I should have thrown away a year ago...  it didn't help that I packed an extra tube that had a hole in it.  I fixed the flat (thanks Q!!!) and put a dollar bill in the tire.  When I got going it kept making this thumping noise, and I didn't know if it would be a problem because I don't have much flat experience.  Karl came along in his car right then and picked me up...  I could have ridden, but with the flat and tornado warnings I thought that getting a ride wasn't too big of a deal.  Q finished his first century that day though, with bad weather and a headwind both ways--awesome job !

Sunday we rode out at 9 down Rocky Comfort Road toward Giant City and Makanda.  I felt great!  I only climbed the steep ass Makanda hill once, but on the way back to the camp I went as hard as I could.  I kept attacking on the hills until my legs just couldn't take it anymore.  My legs kept filling with lactic acid and then it would drain away and I stopped feeling them at all, and then they would fill again... it felt brutal.  I guess I never really go all out.  Now I want to ride until I completely pass out, just to see ...   When we got back to the van we got our stuff together and left, back to my parents house to eat, shower, and get a ride to the train.  We were spent.

Such a great week/end !