I’ve been “training” for the Tour Divide Race for about a month now. I
wasn’t really slouching in my physical condition, but the year started
out slow with my knee injury, ending in very successful physical therapy
and a wonderful summer spent in Colorado riding bikes and discovering
the fun of doing all the walk up hikes up 14ers. I would say some of
those trips, like:
- Riding Denver to Leadville, hiking Mt. Massive and then
riding back (3 days), - Riding to Longs Peak, *attempting* to summit on
October, riding back (3 days) - Doing the same for Pike’s Peak (26
miles of hiking, 200 miles of riding – much on country roads) - Plus the
week of peak bagging and going up and down 13,000 foot Argentine Pass
with a touring bike
is a little more than poking around Denver environs.
I feel mostly like I’m in the condition I was, before I did the Pacific
Coast or France, which is great – since I know have 5 months to hone
in on just getting distance done.
From my knowledge of doing
those longish tours, the condition I’m in afterward is mixed: you get
the feeling that you can, literally, ride a bike, all day (and you can),
but I’m also in the throes of some sort of cold that doesn’t shake for a
month (at least), feel weak and generally don’t do much, until my body
recovers.
That leads me to believe that I’m really and truly on
the right path to getting ready doing 100-150 miles a day for 3-4 weeks,
but mileage should be added slowly, or I’ll hit my actual peak much too
soon and will feel less than up to it, come June. If I really crank out
mileage in the next month or two, I’ll be at peak in March and that’s
too soon.
