Garmin Ride Summary (totals):
Distance: 80 mi
Moving Time: 05:22:10
Avg Moving Speed: 14.9 mph
Max Speed: 39.0 mph
Group: Jamie, Elizabeth, Nancy, Mike Q., Glenn, Gary, Neal, Tim, Peter, Kit and me
Goal: My goal was to expand the miles, keep my intensity in check, endure the ride and do well on the climbs.
The Ride:
I can be grateful for Neal talking me into this ride. I was hesitant for a few reason, but I was concerned with the combination of distance and elevation gain compared to my current fitness level. But I am glad I went and we had a nice group that met in Jasper for this ride out to Fort Mountain.
I had told several that I was sticking to my game plan and riding at a pace suitable to my goals and I wanted, if possible, to ride in a manner that I could train in new few days without having to take extra recovery time. For as long as my power meter hub batteries would last I kept a watchful eye on my power output and because of this I ended up dropping off the back of the group. The group pace was a crisp as the cold morning air and a bit more than I wanted. Good for them! They are all in great shape for this early time of the season. Fortunately Mike was also in the same mind frame as me so I at least had some company.
We noticed a rider blending into the group near Carters Lake and I guessed it was Tim. It was and it was great to have Tim out to share a few miles with us. As usual we stopped at the store at the base of the climb to refill and/or make some clothing adjustments for the 9 mile climb. Since my power meter was dead I hit the lap timer at the start and clocked my time on Lap 2, which was 9.3 miles to the very top at a 7.4 avg. mph and 1:15:24 time for my climb. This was marked past where I met the group waiting at the top and was at the very top summit of the climb on Fort Mountain. Sticking with my game plan I did not push real hard up the climb. We still had 40 miles remaining and some big rolling hills as we were heading into Ellijay.
We did another store stop to regroup in Ellijay because the traffic exiting the town can be heavy and having a larger group helps in this type of traffic. The cars seem to respect the larger groups more than an individual. I expected the group to start hammering once we got out of the congestion, but fortunately for me, Mike and Neal they had mercy on us and held a milder pace. Perhaps it was the stiff headwinds that kept the pace calmer.
The last feature in the 80 mile route was the 3 mile climb near Talking Rock going back into Jasper. The road gradient is mild in comparison to everything else we hit today, but when it comes near the end of the ride you just got to grit your teeth and bust through that last part. Actually it was not too bad and I felt as if I had enough in my legs I could have ended stronger, but there was no reason and I was content to end as mildly as I started.
Since most of my time was spent near the back it seemed as if everyone had an excellent day of performance. I suppose we all stepped up a little in having confidence for the future goals. Thanks Neal for motivating me and all of us to put some additional miles and climbing on our legs.
I am one of those doing 3 State 3 Mountain again this year.
3 State 3 Mountain | May 7th | 100 Miles | 7,144 Elevation Gain recorded in Garmin Connect
Jasper to Fort Mountain | Feb. 26th | 80 Miles | 5,821 Elevation Gain recorded in Garmin Connect
Seems we are not too far off and we still have a couple months to keep improving our climbing and endurance.
Nutrition Intake During and after the Course: ~32 oz.of water with Maltodextrin,BCAA and Glutamine, (1) Hammer gel (2) Cliff Bars (1) 40 gram Whey protein post ride recovery drink .
The Weather: Sunny, Start @ 39 degrees, End @ 64 degrees, Winds from S 9 mph
Bike: LOOK 585, Garmin 705, Powertap wired, Contour GPS camera mounted on the bar
Power Summary: (Based on Coogan's Levels)
Hub batteries died at mile 30
Overall Power Data:
Hub batteries died at mile 30
332 TSS based on manual entry
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