Wednesday, March 6, 2013

2013

Should be a good year for cycling.  Lot's of major life change issues (retirement, selling house, relocating, renovating new house, scoping out banks needing to be robbed to pay for all of this, etc.) were resolved in '11 and '12. 

2012 cycling was mostly restricted to riding in the mountains.  Seven-thousand miles and 670,000 feet of climbing.  So, that proved to me that `this' 'bent can climb.  But there are `downsides' to training almost exclusively in the mountains.

Going to try to stay more local in `big' event rides and races this year.  (Unless I win that lottery). 

A few tentative events in the schedule:

  • April 13 - 600K AZ Brevet out of and back to Tucson (Arizona)
  • May 25 - Borrego Double Century (California)
  • June 2013 - RAAM Solo Maria Parker (www.3000Milestoacure.com) crewing (USA)
  • September 14/15 - Hoodoo 300 (Utah) - or -
    • September 15 - Skull Valley Loop Challenge (Arizona)
  • November 2/3 - World 24 Hour Time Trials (California)

Recently put together a set of local training courses that don't include constant mountain grades.  Combining mountain training and flat-ish land training will increase miles and decrease feet climbed.  But, such a training demographic should prepare me better for the events noted. 

This constitutes both the mountain and the flat training terrain in my neck of the woods.  Can it be any better?!

Pioneer Parkway to Hwy 69

Hwy 69/Fain Rd to I-17

Skull Valley Loop - White Spars - Very Difficult




2 comments:

  1. Dan - Enjoy your posts. I have a conference in Prescott the first part of June and plan to bring my recumbent and scope out the area for possible retirement location. Looking for good road rides and appreciate the info in your blog.

    The link "Mountains and Flats - All good Roads" does not appear functional. I was hoping for a synopsis of Prescott road rides. If that was your intention, can you fix the link? Thanks

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  2. Thank you for your comment. I have fixed the link(s) and created 3 different routes you may consider. I think you'd find it difficult to provide a synopsis of Prescott road rides. Many cyclists enjoy riding different routes in Prescott but that means sharing the road with fairly unpleasant traffic. South on 89 / White Spar takes you up over the Bradshaw mountains and down to Wilhoit, Kirkland Junction. You could continue south on 89 to Peeples Valley and Yarnell. From there you'd descend (1800 ft in about 6 miles) Yarnell Grade to Congress.

    You may want to stop at a few of the Prescott bike stores for loads of maps.

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