An old racing friend of mine, Juan Aracena, has hosted a North Carolina training camp for a few years. He goes down each Winter at about this time with teammates and friends. While I was at the TrainingPeaks seminar in Colorado, he announced a spot had become available in his camp.
My trip to CO was a bit frustrating. Boulder is a cycling hotbed. When planning that trip, I considered going out for a few extra days. Making it a winter camp of my own. Unfortunately, winters in Boulder are more inviting for snow sports. Instead, I planned to make the trip a rest period.
Our winter weather has challenged all of us. With fewer opportunities to train hard, I ended up in Boulder without the need to rest. I was hanging out with 30 people who are truly passionate about cycling. I returned home eager to get back on my bike.
First day back in Jersey, 17 degrees, slush on the roads, and I have some work to do on the bike. I'm on my cyclocross bike with CX tires and grumpy. My ride was not good. I called Juan immediately after. I got the go-ahead from my wife. I'm going to NC for a week. Boom!
So here I am. Franklin North Carolina with ten other guys. Ages ranging from 23 to 47. Country of origin ranges from Russia to the Dominican Republic. Juan has a small team of Masters road racers. He invited a small group of younger guys from another team to share the house.
Within the group, we have one bike shop owner, three full-time mechanics, and two coaches. All but one of us is a regular racer. The young guys are Category 1 and 2 road racers. The rest of us race mostly in the Masters 35+ or 1/2/3 Categories.
The arrangement here is very relaxed. We are scattered throughout a four bedroom house. We share most meals. Everyone does something to pull their weight. Much like bike racing, Everyone is expected to work. No one gets a free ride.
Juan designs a route through the surrounding mountains. He has an interesting criteria or formula that he uses. 1,000 feet of climbing per 10 miles of distance is what Juan considers a respectable ride. So, "1k per 10" is what he goes for when creating a route. I too am very familiar with this formula although I call it something else. I refer to a ride that has 1k of climbing per 10 miles to be a Death March. This has been a challenging week of riding.
Sunday's ride, was a brutal start and a shock for many. 88 miles with climbs bigger than what is even possible in New Jersey. True to his formula, Juan's route included 8,800' of climbing. We followed that up on Monday with another 77 miles. We fell short of "1k per 10" due to a climb being impassible due to snow. Regardless, by the end of the second day of riding, I felt like I was on a death march.
Juan continued with Tuesday's route. With some sore muscles and a slight pain in one knee, I decided to shorten it for myself. While others rode from the house, I drove out to where they would begin a loop. When they showed up, I rode with them until returning to my car. I did 50+ miles while most others did 80+. Interestingly, I did have two people join me in the car on the way home.
I'm down here getting in some mega-miles. I leave here on Saturday to head to the MonsterCross Endurance Race near Richmond, Virginia. That will cap off my week. I will race with very tired legs. I was planning to use it as nothing more than training anyway.
Once I return home, I'll share more about my week. I've got a few good stories, more routes, and hopefully some instructional video to share. Sorry to leave you all in the cold and snowy northeast. I'll be back there suffering in the cold soon enough. I hear that the weekend may provide some relief. Get out there and take advantage.
Thanks for reading.
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