rest day...

sort of.

Did a little motor pacing in an attempt to gain some top end. Maxed out at 36 mph, but others are at 38+, so I need plenty more. Over the years, I reached the conclusion that I needed aerobic more than power. So what's a gal to do. Kern or top end. The dilemma of all my years and every year since I started racing has been hilly vs. flat events. I have my Kern taper and I love Kern, but it's like a party that I should not be going to or a discipline that I don't really need to get all excited about. I can't climb, never have, never will. However, the Kern taper and its training regime makes the difficulty and suffering less than if I didn't make any effort. I used to have much more power than I have now. I was still lacking on the top end that a bigger rider would have, but I could hold my own and was not too far off from getting one of those free jerseys they hand out at nationals. The following year I stopped going to the gym in the winter and increased my base miles. Why after getting so close did I change directions and work on the aerobic vs. the power?

Being a road racer was and is way more fun than track racing and crits. Minimal success in crits and the short time trial events on the track came easier than all the years working on road races. It was like I felt that if it was so easy, it wasn't as valuable to me, and I decided to concentrate on something that I really sucked at: hills, and managed to put a lot of time and effort into road racing. And, I still suck. I have way more fun and way less success.

For the last few months, I have been putting much more effort into the track and less into the road racing. It's major work, and it's a bit daunting to see how much power I need and how much I've lost. I guess that I shouldn't have taken it for granted back then. At least, I am having a bit more fun at the track than I used to have.

Enough about me…

I absolutely loved seeing Cadel kiss the lion on each lion cheek.


I liked seeing the emotion that all the years of working for something meant to him. That was cool. I think that those favorites who won in April are really showing the strain of a three month peak, and I am not surprised. It is hard to peak once and then peak again in such a short time. Another favorite, but one who took the quiet build up to the TdF like Cadel did, is Menchov. Unfortunately, Menchov seems even more dull than Cadel so I hope he doesn't get yellow. I couldn't even follow the Vuelta last year knowing how flat line it was with Menchov in the Golden jersey. The most that I have enjoyed watching Menchov was in last year's TdF when he was working for MR. His open mouth grimace is one for the ages. This isn't last year but it looks just like it.



And last but not least, I have to admit something. If CVV wasn't on Garmin, I would think he was a cheater. If he was on CSC or even Columbia, I might still have doubts. So what's up with that? Do I really believe JV and company? I guess I must. In all fairness though, CVV has shown that he can climb.
He helped Roberto in the Vuelta and did some good climbing then. However, Liberty became the next Astana, and everyone knows what happened with that. So there we go, another minor dilemma going on in my mind.