Brevard

I am finally here in Brevard. I have been waiting a year to be back here and to be riding for this team. I got in on Tuesday night and had dinner with Coach Walker and his wife Jenna and my mom. I stayed there that night and coach got me to move in 3 days early which I was stoked about. They gave me a room number and room key, so before I went to ride I went to check out my room and there was already someone living in it. WTF. So I called coach and he got it straightened out while I went on a 4hour ride in the mtns (as if there is anywhere else to ride in Brevard). I forgot just how much climbing it is even to get out of this town and go somewhere lol. At the beginning of the ride my legs felt heavy and just blahh, I guess 3 days sitting in a car will do that to you, even with riding everynight during the trip. At hour 3 I hit the main climb of the day being Ceazers Head. It is a 7.5mile climb that hits 10% in places. At the top I grabbed a coke and headed back down towards Brevard another hour plus away. The top of Ceazers Head was only around 3,500ft wow! Thats about the elevation of Billings where I grew up, and this is one of the tall mtns in the area. I also rode over the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,800ft. Another suprise.

Today I did 3hrs with 3 major climbs. I rode on flat roads for around1.5hrs (what you call flat roads anyway here in Brevard) and then rode into Dupont National Forest. There are two major climbs there where the first one hits 13% in one spot. The first one being about 1.5miles and the second one being around 4miles. I did both at tempo with 2 surges while standing at threshold on the first and 3 standing and 2 sitting on the second. After that I did Ceazers Head again. I must say that today Dupont hurt me a lot more than Ceazers Head did.

Now I go onto a rest day with only 2hrs of light riding in the saddle then two hard days with my teamate and roomate Marshall Hartley (who moves in tomarrow) and then my last tune up before my last big race will be Tuesday night worlds. Its nuts here that they get 60 to 70 riders for a group ride at Tuesday night worlds, with pros commonly showing up. This should be a good last test of fitness before next Sunday's South Carolina State Road Race Championships. That weekend will also be sweet due to I get to go see the U.S. Pro TT championships and road championships. I am stoked. And lastly thank you to John and Lisa Curry for sending me that very inspirational video I got today. Its called Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger.