Weekend Ride

BY KENNETH LUNDGREN

I able to pack in some miles this weekend. Saturday morning, I woke up early, rode to Park Ridge, did the Park Ridge Ride, then rode to Piermont, then came home. A good steady ride. I was able to stay in the middle of the group ride without losing control of the watts (something I feared).

However, from the beginning of the ride, my legs were DEAD, still feeling the effect of Thanksgiving’s hard weight workout. They felt like heavy cinder blocks. The weights certainly are helping. The tops of my quads are getting thicker.

A good ride overall, just what I wanted. I felt good and considerably fresh when I got home. All in all, 4.5 hours steady, 188 watts.

On Sunday, I parked in Tenafly, then rode north to meet the Nyack Ride. Again, I was able to keep the watts in check and not ride recklessly! I try to stay near the front, then when hammers go flying, I drift towards the back. This way you never go lactate (or too lactate!).

However, I am a bad boy and wanted to torch the sprint. As we roared under the Tappan Zee, though, a few cars got in the way, so I didn’t contest anything. Wilson Vasquez took the sprint by a long margin, followed by Ray Diaz and Nelson from Global. But I was itching to open a sprint…

Afterwards, I rode steadily around Bergen County for nearly two hours, just spinning, a good ride. My girlfriend is in town, so I shut it down early to spend the rest of the day with her. 3.5 hours, 210 watts. Wanted more. In December I can do that.

Near the end of the ride, I gave it a good shot up a roller, and I hit 1250w again, 1210 5s. For me, that’s my best ever 5-second max. A combo of weights, being heavier, and being reasonably fresh are the reasons. Ripping it there for 10 some-odd seconds sure felt good.

I feel good. My friend Gavi, a strong 2 who rode for Mengoni and now Sakonnet, says I’m nuts, doing all this riding, but he’s interested in how I’ll perform next year. I am very aware of what I’m doing. I suppose I’m a lab rat, seeing what’s going to and not going to work.

You only live once, and I want to get it in. I don’t care what people think. Some racer at work was saying, “Kenny, you’re riding too much. You’re outta your mind. You writing checks you can’t cash.” Then the guy next to him goes, “Hey dude, he just likes being on his bike.”

NEXT WV MEETING: WRESTLING TOURNAMENT. Great way to cross-train.

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Coach's Diary | Monday, November 27th, 2006 | | |