PREPPING FOR OUR NEXT BIG CHALLENGE

We just can't get enough of France, the Pyrenees, Barrouse Bales (BB is a cyclosportive race) or Pyractiv (our accomodations).

We are headed back for a three-peat in August.   To the right, is a great podium pic of Christina in the Women's Masters 50+ last year.  She was also 5th in women's overall.  Her French competitors were very gracious.

This year, our batteries are charged and we are on track.

Today we start a 17 day nutritional block designed to bring us to 'race weight'.   This block will not only allow us to shed a few unneeded pounds but also fill our tanks with jet fuel.  We kicked our training off with a 135K ride that entailed some climbing.   I am still injured and inhibited from standing climbing so we must delay our steep climbing training just a bit.  Rain turned us around and we are reset for tomorrow.

Our race is on August 10th and we are currently discussing/clarifying our race goals but I think there are two things on which we can improve, along with being in the 'shape of our lives'.
1.  Start closer to the front.   There are two distances and each have about 600 competitors.   We need to start closer to the front and get in a faster pack going out to the first climb, which is about 30 miles.
2.  Descend faster.    We are going to practice the tricky descent on the Port de Bales prior to the race.  Last year Christina and Helen were passed by 2 women on the final descent and it would be good to avoid this again.

Our training looks pretty simple:

*  5-7 big climbing rides w/race pace climbing efforts
*  4-5 SCTAC - C20+ added miles on front and back.
*  2-3 training races or hard Saturday group rides.
*  Lots of endurance pace stuff.

Chris and Helen Balfour, our hosts and friends, are joining us in the race.   These guys are doing the
L' Etape du Tour (an amateur race of a TdF stage) on July 20th.   They are in crazy shape.   Helen reached the podium last year in the BB (and was 6th women's overall) but I think she can win the 35+ this year.   I do not yet know her goals or Christina's, but they could be 1-2 in the women's overall.  Chris just turned 50 and will certainly be a top finisher in that AG.

This whole journey includes the same vital elements I use for any challenge in life:

*  Set clear and specific goals.
*  Plan my preparation.
*  Execute my plan.
*  When it gets to the 'day of reckoning', trust my preparation, myself and my team mates.
*  Go all out……if I fail, I fail.  I don't leave anything out there.

I will keep you posted.

See ya out there.