On Oct. 16-18 my wife Karen and I traveled to Lanesboro, MN to do some cycling. We had heard for the last few years how great a bike trail they have there. The descriptions did not do it justice. It was biker heaven.
We found 50-60 miles of relatively flat bike trails through a beautifully wooded valley connecting small towns all along the way. Preston, Fountain, Harmony, Peterson, Whelan (home of “world famous pies”) Rushford, and Houston are all of the communities tied together by a very well-maintained bike trail.
If you ever get the chance to go to this area – bring your biking equipment. You definitely won’t be sorry.
I ended up riding 240 miles in the three days we were there. Karen rode 93 miles. In Lanesboro at the end of Parkway Drive is a road leading up to the local country club. The country club sets on a bluff over looking the valley. The road is only 2-3 blocks long, but it appears to go straight up!! Needless to say – I had to ride up it. My Garmin Edge 705 GPS unit on my bike registers gradient. The hill peaked out at 25% about 3/4 of the way up. If you ever get to Lanesboro give the hill a try – just for fun.
Click on the YouTube screen above to view the video!
So the weather has taken a bit of a change. Cold and snow. No worries – Dust off the trainer and let the riding continue! Indoor cycling is not the most exciting thing but considering the options – doing nothing – it’s the only thing. Running not an option for my knee anymore and swimmings not my thing. Of all the cardio machines the bike is what I like. I have a beast of a spinning bike – solid steel/weighs a ton. An hour on it simulates at least 20 miles on the road bike – there’s no coasting indoors! The plan is to ride approximately 10 hours per week throughout the winter. And then increase riding in the Spring as weather permits. I warm-up and then can climb/spin/sprint/tempo all to the sounds of my ipod. I have a big fan to try to help keep me cool but I sweat a lot. I drink 1 – 2 bottles of water/gatorade per hour. I keep my HR somewhere between 120-135 most days – might go higher(150) when the urge strikes. I’ve started doing core/resistence training as well. So if the weather is holding you back don’t use it as an excuse. Look at your options and keep training.
I’m happy to report that my post 24 hour race recovery has gone well. No long lasting effects and I’m feeling great. Legendary coach/friend Bill Wenmark really drilled into my head the importance of easy riding for 2-3 weeks after such a big effort and he was spot on. Now my legs are feeling great and so does my head!! Plans for RAAM 2010 are starting in earnest. Harvey and Anita Reibel from NY/Fl have offered themselves and their 32 foot RV to my race. This is a HUGE donation and will go along way towards making the event more comfortable for all those involved. I’m starting to incorporate more core and resistence training(hand weights) into my program and will start teaching spinning classes again. Usually I dread the winter months but now I’m looking forward to the challenge that RAAM puts before me. Training in the winter – bring it on!!
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Oct 21 2009