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Now that September is finally here and the first hint of fall is in the air, it is time to think about what you want to do once your season is officially over. Depending on where you live you may already be done, or you may have another 1-2 months of racing still to go. By this time, however, almost all of us are feeling the burnout associated with a long summer of training and racing.
This is the best time of year to give yourself a mental and physical break from the bike and do things you’ve been missing out on all summer. Once you finish your last race I recommend taking at least four weeks completely off the bike. Your body needs the rest, and your head needs a chance to decompress from the rigors of training and racing. With that being said, I was never very good about staying away from my bike for a month. September and October are some of the best months to ride bikes here in Colorado so I would often grab my mountain bike and go out with friends for some epic rides in the aspens before the snow started falling. It is ok if you still want to ride a few times a week. The biggest thing is that you only ride for fun and you don’t do anything that can be considered “training”. Yes you will lose fitness but that’s the idea. Your body needs a break!
This is also a great time to do some hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, rock climbing etc. Go out with friends and family and catch up on what you’ve missed this past summer. Eat ice cream, stay up late, go to movies, or buy something fun for yourself.
After a month or so of no training, you can slowly start back into a very casual routine of riding. By this I mean you should try and ride your bike 1-2 hours a day, maybe 5 days a week. No structure at this point. You can ride as slow as you’d like. And if your friends are doing a big hard mountain bike ride on the weekend you can definitely go with them. Again the goal is to have fun and not feel like you’re “training” just yet. I would also start a strength training program, lifting 2-3 days a week. You can still throw in hikes and trail runs 1-2 times a week if you’d like. Anything aerobic is good.
After your second month of off-season activities it is now probably November/December. This is the time to get more serious about riding. Depending on your upcoming race schedule you may want to start doing some intensity mixed in with longer rides on the weekend. By January you should be back into the hard core training mode and getting ready for the first races of the season.
The off-season is one of the most important times of the year for cyclists. It gives us a chance to rest and recover from the long season. It is also when you will build the foundation that determines how successful you’ll be next season. Most importantly it reminds us of why we love to ride our bikes; because it’s fun!! Enjoy yourself, enjoy the beautiful fall weather, and rekindle your love and passion for the sport.
Happy trails!
Alison
I am now at seven weeks to go and getting more and more excited about the arrival of the little guy growing in my belly. It has been a long slow process, watching my body change and grow every week. All of a sudden time is moving faster and our due date is coming quickly. I’m sure it’s because, as first time parents, we don’t have a clue about what to expect. Plus we haven’t done a thing to get the baby’s room ready. We’ve been spending all our weekends doing the house projects that have been on the “honey-do” list for the past three years. I spent today going through the bags and bags of baby clothes we’ve been given by friends and that has got me motivated to start setting up the baby room. Fun stuff! Even though I feel quite large and uncomfortable I am still hiking a few times a week and doing pilates every Wednesday. And last week I started going to a swim class for pregnant women at the YMCA. It feels wonderful getting in a pool because you actually don’t feel pregnant! Of course all this wears me out so I’ve been taking naps every day. The best part about being pregnant is you can take naps and not feel guilty. Haha! I’m off to my midwife appointment. I’ll keep you posted in the next few weeks. Happy Labor Day! Alison
Here is something I was asked the other day. “If I am having a difficult race when is it OK to drop out? Is it better to pull out and save my energy or is it bad to give up once I have started a race?”
The answer to this question is easy. You never want to drop out of a race unless you have one of the following excuses: 1. Your bike is broken and is no longer rideable 2. You are deathly ill, throwing up, or running a fever 3. You’ve crashed and there is blood everywhere or you’ve broken a bone
If you’re just having a bad day, then grit your teeth and tough it out. You will have a lot more respect for yourself if you finish then if you drop out. Once you drop out of a race, it becomes easier to drop out of another. It is easy to race hard when you feel good. What makes a true champion is someone that finishes the race despite having the “worst day of his life”. Bike racing is incredibly difficult. Don’t give up on yourself because you think you’re having a bad day. The legs might come around and you might surprise yourself on the next lap. If you quit you’ll never know what might have happened.
Happy trails!
Alison
Being athletes makes us susceptible to getting sick because of the constant state of fatigue we always seem to put our bodies in. There are some easy things you can do to avoid getting colds, as well as some good strategies for dealing with a cold once you get one.
Probably the biggest reason we get sick is we let our bodies get run down. When training, make sure you are getting a lot of sleep. I always needed at least 8-9hrs of sleep when training. For those of us that have full time jobs and families this isn’t realistic. Do the best you can. Also very important to make sure you are eating healthy. For women it is important to get an adequate amount of iron in your diet. Low iron can result in anemia which can make it very easy for your body to get sick over and over again. Be sure to eat lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies and limit high fat foods such as meat and dairy. Another reason we get sick is we let ourselves get dehydrated. Hydration is the key to health! Did you know a 150lb individual has almost 50 quarts of water in his body? Dehydration can make you more susceptible to viruses, can prevent your body from recovering after hard workouts, and keeps your body from flushing out the toxins produced over night. Eating the right foods, drinking water, and sleeping are key to healthy living!
What can you do once you get a cold? For me the best thing to do is sleep as much as possible. If possible take long naps during the day and sleep in as long as you can. If work prevents this, then go to bed early and avoid the usual nighttime activities that keep you up late. The next thing you need to do is drink a lot of water. Pure water will help flush out the toxins in your body. When your body is hydrated, drainage from allergies and colds doesn't stick and collect in your throat and lungs, and your cough is more "productive". I like to drink three nalgene bottles of water a day minimum. Some other things that have worked for me are sucking on zinc lozenges and taking Zicam, a homeopathic anti-cold remedy. Sometimes these work for me and sometimes they don’t. Unfortunately a lot of times a cold just has to run its course, which can often be 10 days to two weeks
What about training when you have a cold? If you have a mild head cold, then easy to moderate exercise is ok. I would not do any kind of intensity. If your cold has dropped into your chest, then only 1hr recovery rides are recommended. If these irritate your lungs and cause you to cough, then ride indoors. Again, no intensity. If your cold turns into the flu and you have a fever, then no riding whatsoever. Wait until the fever is gone before getting back on your bike. In general, the less “training” you do while sick, the quicker you will recover. The problem most of us have as cyclists is we can’t stand the thought of not riding and we start to panic that we are losing fitness. So we go out and train while sick. This will prolong your illness and can lead to complications. The head cold might turn into the flu. The flu might turn into bronchitis, and bronchitis might turn into pneumonia. Let yourself be sick. Give your body a chance to fight the cold/flu and you’ll recover faster.
Every athlete out there will get sick at least once a year. Everything evens out in the end. Don’t stress when you get sick. Do the best you can and hopefully you will be back on your bike in a few days.
Cheers!
Alison
We had a crazy week! My husband crashed a week ago riding the Monarch Crest Trail near Salida, CO. He slid out in a corner and fell on his hip pretty hard. Nothing that we cyclists haven’t done dozens of times over the years. But he hit just in the right way that it ruptured is L5 S1 disc in his lower back. By the next day he had numbness in his leg and couldn’t lift his foot or toes. We got in for an MRI on Monday and saw a spine specialist on Tuesday. The doctor said his rupture was so severe that he wanted to schedule Greg for surgery immediately. Crap! Greg went in two days later and had a procedure called a lamenectomy. It went really well and he was back home that afternoon. Now he is on heavy pain killers, muscle relaxants, and stool softeners. What a combination. He takes four walks a day, each 10 minutes long. For the next 6-8 weeks he isn’t allowed to lift anything heavier than 5lbs. He can’t even push a shopping cart in the grocery store or open the windows of our house. That basically leaves me to do everything; clean, shop for food, cook, laundry, house work, and yard work. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem. But now that I’m almost 6 months pregnant my energy level is quite lower than normal. I’m going to recruit my neighbor to help me mow the lawn tonight. Eventually Greg will be back on his bike. But I think he’ll be going a lot slower for a while. Here’s to pain pills, ice packs, and lots of time on the couch. Happy recovery Greg!
Even though today’s route looked relatively easy on paper, it was still 87 miles long with one pass to climb towards the end of the day. The road north from Alamosa is called the “Gun Barrel”. It is dead flat and straight without a single turn for over 45 miles. On both sides off in the distance are big mountains, but the valley itself is quite boring. Carrie didn’t want to ride my slow pace so she took off and we only saw her at the aid stations. I sat in front and gave Marge and my Dad a draft the entire way. Luckily we had a tailwind that grew in intensity as the morning turned to afternoon. There were moments when I felt like I could fall asleep on my bike. No one was talking and I wasn’t getting any stimulation from the scenery. I had some caffeinated Shot Blocks at one of the aid stations and that helped give me a boost. After three plus hours we finally started the gradual ascent of Poncha Pass. This was the easiest pass of the entire week at only 3 miles long. And with our huge tailwind we literally got blown up the hill. The aid station at the top was full of celebrating cyclists. Last climb of Ride the Rockies. Yippie! The sun was out and everyone was enjoying the food and music at the summit. We all rode down the pass together and came into Salida four abreast across the finish line. Oh joyous celebration! The final festivities were in a nice grassy park with big shade trees. The local Thai restaurant was selling curry and Pad Thai so of course that’s where we had lunch. There was a pretty good band playing so we relaxed in the shade eating and listening. Feels so good to be done! We found our bags one last time and took a quick shower in the shower truck before heading home. My husband Greg was going to pick me up so everyone else left in my dad’s car. I hung out in the shade for another hour before my husband arrived. He and I grabbed a pizza downtown before the long drive home. I am definitely tired but with a big smile on my face. I feel so lucky to have gotten to ride across Colorado for seven days with my dad and sister. Considering my sister has two little kids and I’ve got one on the way, this was a very special week. Hopefully next year I can talk my husband into going and we can bring the baby and our own car and recruit Grandma for babysitting. I’ll keep my fingers crossed! Until next year! Alison
The big days just keep coming! Today was another 90 mile day up and over the huge Wolf Creek Pass. We started at 6:30am under sunny skies and chilly temperatures. The road was gradually uphill for the first 16 miles to Aid Station #1. Then it was time for pancakes! After carbo loading we started climbing in earnest. Wolf Creek isn’t terribly steep, maybe 8-9% at most, but it is long. At the first switchback there was a semi truck lying on its side, the result of coming into the turn with too much speed. The rest of the climb was uneventful. All of us rode our own pace up the hill and then met on top. I felt ok, keeping my pace nice and slow to keep the baby happy. Took some pictures and chatted with folks as they passed me. It was chilly on the summit so we didn’t stay long. The 20 mile descent down to the small town of South Fork was a blast! Wide open roads with a rip-roaring tailwind. We easily hit over 50 mph. I had a large deer run across the road about 40ft in front of me. If it had stopped to look at me I would have hit him. Luckily he kept trotting and we missed each other. Definitely got my adrenalin up. We reached South Fork in one piece and enjoyed more grapes and animal crackers. Filled up our bottles with Gatorade and started towards the next town of Del Norte. This next 15 mile stretch was what I call a “powder day” on a road bike. We had a huge tail wind, it was slightly downhill, brand new pavement, and a shoulder that was 10 feet wide. It was pure joy! It never gets that good! We reached the next aid station in under an hour. Quick stop and then another 15 mile stretch to Monte Vista. The wind was starting to change and we had a few sections of cross/head wind. Not too bad and not enough to curb our enthusiasm. In Monte Vista the riders were treated to free baked potatoes. This area of Colorado is potato country and the town comes out in force to support Ride the Rockies. The best were the purple potatoes. Because of the challenge of finding healthy food this week I decided to give up my vegan diet for the duration of the ride. I slathered butter all over my potato and I admit it was damn delicious. So much so that I had a second one. Did I mention all the salt I added? Yummy goodness! After a long break we finally crawled back on our bikes for the last 15 mile stretch to Alamosa. This ended up being just as bad as the last stretch coming into Durango. The “powder day” was gone. All the snow had been skied off and it was all ice. Our tailwind had turned into a nasty cross wind coming from the south. It was super hot and the humidity was -20%. My dad had jumped in the sag wagon at Del Norte so it was Marge, Carrie, and me. We stuck together and pulled Marge all the way to Alamosa. This last stretch took forever. Dead flat highway through farm country. And we couldn’t ride very fast because I would start cramping and Marge would get dropped. What a pair. We finally made it into Alamosa and found dad with a cold cup of lemonade in his hand. Once again I was worked! The heat and the wind really take it out of you! Today I had to wait in line for the shower. I didn’t mind because I was able to stretch and do some Pilates on the grass. The shower felt great and cooled me off. We were all camped at the Alamosa Recreation Center. Beautiful facility with huge green athletic fields. Our community dinner was right here so we didn’t have to go anywhere. We had veggie burritos and yummy salads for dinner. Carrie and Dad also had a few slices of pizza. We got to enjoy a wonderful bluegrass band called the Rifters. It was some of the best bluegrass I’ve heard in a long time! They played until 9:45pm. So I didn’t go to bed until 10:30am. Hard to believe this is our last night. For such a hard ride it goes so fast!
The quickest route from Durango to Pagosa Springs is on Highway 160 and is less than 70 miles. However Hwy 160 is not where you want to ride your bike. Our route instead took us on a southern loop through lots of quiet back roads. We even went through the town of Allison! At this point our route swung north and headed up towards Pagosa Springs. And today we had a huge tailwind! It was wonderful and made up for the misery of yesterday’s ride into Durango. The only drawback to a tailwind is you don’t have the wind in your face keeping you cool. We had a few short climbs on this stretch of road that were miserably hot, especially for me in my pregnant state. My feet started to burn and all I wanted was a cold river to jump into. With no river in sight my sister instead gave me a few squirts of water on my back and we continued on to the last aid station.
What a welcome relief to finally get there. I soaked my jersey, head, and shoes with cool water for some relief. Ate a bunch of food and then started up the last leg of the ride. Unfortunately this was a 17 mile stretch on Hwy 160. We had a decent shoulder most of the way and our tailwind continued, but the traffic was awful! And of course it was all uphill to Pagosa. Dad chose to skip today’s ride and save his legs for tomorrow. Carrie was tired of riding slow and went on ahead. Marge was a ways behind me. We all met up with dad at the high school in Pagosa. Huge relief to be done! Another long day of 87 miles.
This was the day I had been looking forward to since the route was announced in Feb. I have done portions of this ride, but never the whole thing. I also figured it was going to be one of the hardest days of the Tour. We got up at 5am again and this time we left by 6:20am. Breakfast was pretty minimal so we didn’t have to spend a lot of time waiting in line to eat. The winds had blown all night, bringing in lots of warm air, which made our early start not so bad. It also gave us a headwind the ENTIRE day!
We immediately started climbing up Red Mountain Pass, the first big “hill” of the day at 13 miles long. Red Mountain is a spectacular pass with incredible views, narrow roads, and lots of exposure. Made for some great pictures! With very little traffic at 7am it was a very enjoyable climb. At mile 8 we had our first aid station. It was time for pancakes! Every day on Ride the Rockies the “all you can eat pancakes” vendor was at the first aid station. And boy were they yummy. I think I had ten today! We all regrouped at the top of Red Mountain Pass, filled our water bottles, and headed down the hill to Silverton. What an amazing descent!! Dad decided to take the sag wagon to the top of the next pass. Carrie wanted to get her heart rate up so she rode ahead, and I told Marge I’d meet her at the top. Molas Pass was the next big climb at 6 miles long. The traffic was terrible. Lots of big motor homes with tourists wondering what the hell all these bikers were doing on their roads. Because of the sheer numbers of riders, the traffic was forced to go slow so I never felt in danger. It just got annoying.
Most of the food vendors were waiting for the riders at the top of Molas Pass. Despite the chilly wind we hung out on top for a good 30 minutes, eating crepes and drinking Gatorade. Dad got back on his bike and rode with Carrie down the pass. I waited for Marge and then came down with her. It was a great descent but not nearly long enough.
Then it was up the third big climb of the day, Coal Bank Pass. This was the shortest at 4 miles, but seemed tough because we had already been riding for over four hours at this point. More food at the summit and then a high speed descent back down the valley. Once in the valley the road opened up into a four lane highway. We had a large shoulder and a miserable head wind to deal with. The road was flat with some long uphill sections that seemed to take forever. Marge sat on my wheel the entire way, which meant I got no relief from the wind. That took its toll and by the last aid station I was cooked. We still had another hour of flat highway into Durango. The temps were in the high 80’s. I knew that if I kept going I would push my body too far so I opted for the sag wagon. If I hadn’t been pregnant I would have gone on, but now I had a great excuse! Marge, the bad ass that she is, continued on alone for the last miserable hour of riding into Durango. I sat in a nice air conditioned van and answered a few emails on my phone. What a relief to be off my bike! Impressively enough, my dad also rode all the way into town from Molas Pass. Carrie gave him a nice draft until the last aid station and then she decided to take off and ride hard the last hour to Durango. So Dad rode alone as well.
By the time we all found each other in Durango on the campus of Mesa State College we were exhausted. It had been another nine hour day! Today also happened to be my official presentation to Ride the Rockies so after getting my tent partially set up and doing a quick change of clothes, I had to hustle off to the Student Union to give my speech. Not exactly what I wanted to do so soon after finishing but oh well.
My presentation was on the Women’s Tour de France. There was a small but attentive group of riders in the audience. I think most people were collapsed in bed after such a hard day. After my talk we went straight to dinner, which was easy because it was right below us in the cafeteria. We definitely took advantage of the “all you can eat” sign at the entrance. After dinner I took a short bus ride into town to buy some Comfrey salve for my very raw bum. When I got back it was 9pm and time for bed. Yippee! What a day!
With only 67 miles listed in the ride guide today seemed like it should be fairly easy. Oh how wrong I was. The first 20 miles or so were across the backroads of Delta through all the cornfields. This part of Colorado is famous for its sweet corn. Unfortunately the roads aren’t great and we spent over an hour riding some miserable roads. Being the fourth day of riding for me, my bum and crotch were already pretty sore and the rough roads were not helping. It was downright agonizing!
We finally hit the aid station in Montrose and fueled up with energy bars, grapes, and animal crackers. Dad was not having fun today and decided to take the sag wagon. I think he was exhausted. I was so impressed that he did the entire ride yesterday. He said it was the hardest thing he’s ever done on a bike. Carrie, Marge, and I rode together to Ridgeway. Much better roads but a lot more traffic because we were on the main route into Ouray. We had a wide shoulder most of the way but it still wasn’t fun having semi trucks roaring past you for hours on end.
Once we got close to Ridgeway the view improved dramatically with Sneffels on one side and Uncompaghre on the other (both over 14,000ft). The aid station was a much needed break from the monotony of the gradually uphill ride. The last 10 miles into Ouray were the hardest. The road got steeper and the temperature went up. At one point I started to overheat and had to stop in the shade and pull off my jersey. My temperature regulation has been all out of whack since I got pregnant. This was really the first time in four days that I felt too hot.
I was almost as tired when we pulled into Ouray after 67 miles as I was the day before riding Grand Mesa. They had all the campers piled into the grassy athletic field next to the famous hot springs pool. Because dad had jumped in the sag wagon, he got to spend most of the day in Ouray. He got us a good tent spot, close to the bathroom and food.
Riders have two choices for accommodations on Ride the Rockies. You can either camp for free or spend the extra money to stay in local hotels. This is my 4th year and we have always camped. Hotels get so expensive. Camping usually isn’t too bad. They always have us stay at the local high school or college campus. You can pretty much pitch your tent wherever you find room. For riders arriving late in the afternoon that can be a challenge. Tent space becomes extremely tight. Luckily we are always on nice green grassy lawns, which is heaven for camping. The high school is opened up and we have full access to the bathrooms, gymnasium, locker rooms, hallways etc. The locker room showers tend to run out of hot water by mid-day so most of us take showers in the shower trucks. If you’ve never experienced a shower truck it is quite amazing. The shower truck is a huge semi turned into 16 indoor showers. They hook the truck up to the local water supply and the large hot water heaters at the back provide a continuous supply of hot water for the entire day. Outside the truck they set up carpet, chairs, and a large sink to brush teeth, hair, put on makeup etc. It is quite an elaborate set up. The best part is you are always guaranteed hot water. The worst part is the line can be huge. The number of men on Ride the Rockies far surpasses the number of women, so the lines for the men’s shower are enormous compared to the women. Same for the bathrooms and port-a-potties. I think all us women enjoyed watching the men have to wait in line for a change. Haha!
After getting settled and showered, we walked into Ouray to the community dinner. I had lasagna and a yummy salad. They had live music and a beer garden as well. It was a fun evening and felt good to relax. Everyone was in bed early again because tomorrow was another huge day.
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