Checking in from the thriving metropolis of Dardanelle, AR, home of Sam Walton's original store and one of Tyson's chicken rendering plants - things around here are well, different. Really different... My teammates and I have broken into pairs and are spread out across four host homes in the shadow of Mt. Nebo, which isn't actually a mountain at all - it's like 400ft too short to be formally be called a mountain. I guess that makes it a hill. Whatever. Either way it's bigger than any 'hill' I have back home so the thought of climbing it gives me the shakes.
We got in a great ride yesterday that took us through Petit Jean, Arkansas' first and flagship state park. According to the website "Petit Jean mountain is named for a girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, an early explorer, to the New World and to this mountain." That's enough history, I'm exhausted. Thanks to the absence of a leash law in this area we were chased by at least a dozen dogs and had the occasion to experience armadillo road kill in various states of decay. With the exception of one stretch, road surfaces here are exceptional, the riding is great and the scenery is quite good.
Today we previewed the Mt. Magazine climb that we have to do at the end of Saturday morning's road race (with the masters men, since there are only like 12 women signed up for the race). Mt. Magazine is the highest peak in Arkansas and the climb we'll be doing is about 10mi long at about 8%, sustained. It felt steep in the car so I'm just really not looking forward to it at all. Honestly, I'd really like to just skip the road race.
After that we rode the time trial course - 22ish miles that we will be doing on Saturday afternoon, after the killer road race. The TT course is great - mostly flat to rolling with a few little up sections and a couple of turns. Good pavement surface, wind might be a factor - it definitely suits me.
While the racing isn't going to be the greatest, it's been a good week for training and spending time with my teammates. We all live so far apart we don't really get to see each other unless we're racing, so getting to know each other better and riding together has been a good thing.
Not sure when I will have the opportunity to post again as we'll be moving on after tomorrow so I wanted to take a sec to wish the guys back home good luck this weekend. You are all amazingly fit and strong - I am confident that you will own the weekend and continue to dominate the Midwest masters racing scene. I miss you all!
We got in a great ride yesterday that took us through Petit Jean, Arkansas' first and flagship state park. According to the website "Petit Jean mountain is named for a girl who disguised herself as a boy and secretly accompanied her sweetheart, an early explorer, to the New World and to this mountain." That's enough history, I'm exhausted. Thanks to the absence of a leash law in this area we were chased by at least a dozen dogs and had the occasion to experience armadillo road kill in various states of decay. With the exception of one stretch, road surfaces here are exceptional, the riding is great and the scenery is quite good.
Today we previewed the Mt. Magazine climb that we have to do at the end of Saturday morning's road race (with the masters men, since there are only like 12 women signed up for the race). Mt. Magazine is the highest peak in Arkansas and the climb we'll be doing is about 10mi long at about 8%, sustained. It felt steep in the car so I'm just really not looking forward to it at all. Honestly, I'd really like to just skip the road race.
After that we rode the time trial course - 22ish miles that we will be doing on Saturday afternoon, after the killer road race. The TT course is great - mostly flat to rolling with a few little up sections and a couple of turns. Good pavement surface, wind might be a factor - it definitely suits me.
While the racing isn't going to be the greatest, it's been a good week for training and spending time with my teammates. We all live so far apart we don't really get to see each other unless we're racing, so getting to know each other better and riding together has been a good thing.
Not sure when I will have the opportunity to post again as we'll be moving on after tomorrow so I wanted to take a sec to wish the guys back home good luck this weekend. You are all amazingly fit and strong - I am confident that you will own the weekend and continue to dominate the Midwest masters racing scene. I miss you all!
