I am finally back on my bike and on my Powercranks.  I have had a series of bad luck that prevented me from riding, including getting sick and not feeling like I had any energy for about a month.  I am still going to do the Markleeville Death Ride using Powercranks and I have to admit that I am nervous.  There was a time when I felt so strong and comfortable and although I am not yet there now, I am happy to say that I am finally on the way back to that point. 

I had my first ride after a long break about four and a half weeks ago.  I knew I would seriously suffer; but, I kept thinking about the Death Ride and I knew I had to just go for it.  This first ride was not fun but I was happy that although I was weak on Powercranks, I was still nowhere close to starting from scratch.  This ride was a loop called Iowa Hill which consists of 66 miles with 7000 feet of climbing.  I took it slow but started feeling seriously fatigued around mile 40.  I started having trouble turning my cranks over, my legs and hip flexors were spent and I just wished I was back home.  I am sad to say I didn't finish this ride and ended it 16 miles early at Worton's Market in Forest Hill.  This never happens to me, but it happened that day.  My buddy, who was on regular cranks, finished the ride and picked me up. 

I rode a flat 40 mile ride the following week and then decided to do the Iowa Hill loop again the following weekend.  I felt a lot better this time and  finished the ride; but, I was still the slowest one in my group.  I did not get a ride in during the week but went big during the weekend.

A friend and I decided to drive to Markleeville and ride 3 of the 5 passes of the Death Ride.  I took it very conservatively and kept my heart rate around 135 while climbing.  I felt a lot stronger than the week before and did not start feeling like my legs could possibly be in trouble until halfway up the third pass.  I made it to the top of Ebbetts pass and was happy all I had left was the descent back down.  I climbed about 10,000 feet that day and my legs were definitely tired but I was also feeling like I was getting stronger.  I did not ride again until Thursday.  

A group of friends and I were going to stay in Lake Tahoe for a great weekend of mountain biking and road riding.  I mountain biked on Thursday (regular cranks) and got a lot of climbing in.  On Friday I once again decided to tackle the Death Ride course.  I felt even stronger this time around and started feeling a bit like my old self once again.  I was also not the last rider in my group like I had been two weeks prior.  Out of the seven riders, only three of us finished 4 of the 5 passes.  I was one of them and the only one on Powercranks.  The others did finish 3 passes.  This ride included about 80 miles and 12,000 feet of climbing.  I felt a lot stronger than the weeks prior but I also rode very conservatively.  Let me say right now that there is a huge difference between completing 4 passes of the Death Ride and Completing 5 passes.  The fifth pass is where it all starts to catch up with you and it's the pass that always hurts me the most every time I have participated in the Death Ride.  I will have to ride slow and smart considering my lack of time on the bike.  The next day we rode 70 miles with about 3500 feet of climbing. 

This was a much needed weekend of riding for me.  I am starting to get my Powercranks mojo back.  I am once again able to comfortably spin at a higher RPM and I am not so quickly fatigued.  I will be putting in one more big ride this coming weekend and look forward to the Death Ride the following week, on July 12th.  If you are interested in viewing the death ride course, go to www.deathride.com.