I’m in Premanon, France volunteering as a subject for a live high, train low altitude research study for the next eight weeks.   Travels here went smoothly and now it’s just a matter of adjusting the body clock to the nine hour time difference from Tucson.   Having been in town for just a little over 24 hours I’m still getting a feel for things.  So far, the riding has been great, the weather cool and a little wet, accommodations comfortable, and the food plentiful and healthy.  It’s a good thing to like cheese since it’s a part of every meal in some fashion, some of it coming from local cows apparently.  With meals prepared and little or no other responsibilities aside from normal training and regular testing,  most days will be relaxed and I’ll have plenty opportunity to do most things as normal, coaching included of course.  With just over 20 of  us ‘subjects’ staying here it feels a little bit like college only without the classroom part.  Some riders are taking online college courses, a few others do coaching, and some are simply here to hang out when not on the bike. Overall it seems to be a good mix of people and personalities from all over the map.

A schedule for our testing is soon to be posted so that will be helpful in knowing when to plan what types of training so that there’s little or no conflict between the two.  I might be on schedule for a VO2Max test tomorrow afternoon so that ought to be a good way to start off the testing (plenty intense, but also one of the few tests we’ll do that doesn’t involve needles).

Today’s ride was just over 70k which included great views and a couple of long climbs done at tempo pace.  Here are the first of hopefully many pictures I’ll be posting during my stay.  Ciao,  -TJ

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BIG bike

Tunnel en route to Saint-Claude

Ore to Shore was a big race on the radar and I thought about it often while training, especially during last month after completing US MTB Nationals.  I had some personal best early season races, Nationals went great, and I knew that at Ore to Shore could be a chance to fight for a big win.  Fortunately the race went very well and I was able to find the finish line first!  There are always nervous moments during a race where mishap can happen, and Saturday had its fair share early on, but I was able to keep near the front and let the course make its natural selection once the terrain becomes more challenging.  There’s a sense of comfort felt when the race comes down to six or seven guys versus the chaos of the larger pack.

The intensity would spike with each climb and as the trail got more challenging we’d only go harder, but I was able to recover adequately from these surges all the while.  During the final ten miles the pace kept consistently harder as we all tested each other.  Simonson was able to get a gap on us, but since we were cooperating well to chase it was more urgency and not so much panic.  The effort required for this regrouping was big and being close to the finish I wasn’t sure what everybody would have left in the tank.

It’s rare to finish with so many guys so I made sure to keep at the front on the pavement.  We weren’t going hard and the crosswind off the lake meant that I wasn’t giving up too much of a draft.  From here I knew that I could respond to whatever attack might come and counter off of it.  Nathan jumped first and we immediately had a gap so it was time to commit to the effort and not think twice. The last minute or so of the race was pure ‘in the zone’ and I was simply doing it with no conscious effort.  I led around the big sweeping left hander towards the finish with a clear shot at the line.  I had just enough time to do a quick check over the shoulder and put the arms up in what was certainly the most exciting finish to a race that I’ve ever experienced.  Tristan was right there and six of us finished within three seconds.  To come out ahead when six guys are so closely matched was incredible.  I’ve got a lot of respect for that group and to have won means an awful lot.

A lot of things go into a ride like this and it wouldn’t be possible without a ton of support. Dave Wert and the crew at Trek Bikes of Boulder have provided fantastic support this season.  The Superfly is unquestionably the perfect bike for this race course.  Having family and friends involved not only meant practical things such as having a house to stay in near the finish, loaner Edge Composite race wheels to use, and cold water bottles handed to me along the course, but most importantly we were able to share the excitement before, during, and after the finish.   All the time and energy that goes into racing and training would never be worth it if it weren’t for the people you get to share the experiences with along the way.  Inspiration comes from a lot of places and every day the athletes of Momentum Endurance encourage me to keep doing best with the opportunities that I’ve got.  I’m fortunate to have a dream job and the experiences that come with it.

I’m finally headed home to Tucson after what has been a fantastic 2010 season.  I’ll have a couple weeks to relax before starting up the next adventure.  More details on this to come so keep tuned.   Thanks!

-TJ