I don't have too much time this evening, but an update on the progress of a new Power Cranker is in order.

I decided to ride my normal road bike on tuesday, and ride the PCs for warm up and cool down only. WOW! I was tired from an initiation by fire with my Power Cranks, but i was already impressed in the difference in my pedal stroke. I am a somewhat small guy, i usually favor climbing to flat riding where powerhouse guys can dust me, but i found myself the big ring on my road bike far more often than usual, i felt better able to effriciently spin a larger gear without burning out. I was thouroughly impressed!

Wednesday was a long awaited rest day and after a solid five hour PC effort on thursday, friday's ride nearly killed me. not since my very first riding experiences when i was twelve, do i recall being so certain that i was never going to make it back home (or to the car in this case). i only rode for three hours, but they were killer hours in the foothills of the california gold country. by the second to third hour of my PC rides, i now fid myself thinking that there must be something wrong with my cranks because i am spinning so evenly at such a decent cadence, but upon inspection, it's turning out that i'm just getting better at these things and my pedal stroke is evening out.

the same was true on friday, there was a point in the ride where i nearly forgot that i was on Power Cranks at all. everything just felt so normal and natural, it's an awesome feeling. Progress!

And then there was the final climb... it's probably only about four miles or so, but you gain a pretty good chunck of elevation (around 1400') and it just doesn't let up. my face must have resembled that of a devistated child who just watched their kitten being run over. it was pretty brutal. my granny gear was too high, but i didn't have the strength to stand any more and i couldn't spin faster, or slower for that matter. the sweat poured off me as i crawled along in a painfully labored fashion.

Upon reaching the top, the pour beauty of the Power Crank appeal became obvious, as i was granted no rest, since we all know that pedaling along a flat serface is just as hard as climbing on these cranks. i was ready for my ride to be over, i wanted to cry, but the car was still about ten miles away and so i rode on, pushing just a little beyond my limits, just far enough that with proper recovery, i'll benifit. not quite far enough to really hurt myself.

It's a beautiful thing when i can come home everyday and say, "that was the hardest ride i've done in a long time", and repeat the whole routine again the next day.

More soon.