The Hay is in the Barn

There is nothing to do now but pack our bags, fuel the vehicles and ride a little bit more. Tomorrow is the final day of our training. We will be performing time tests on our climb on Hwy 395 and our TT efforts on Camino Del Rey. From past performances, Pete and Jim report that our team average on tomorrow's TT minus 2/3 mph will be our average in the race. This is where we have spent the past 16 weeks making the hay for this epic Race. The training and the taper is there to help. These last couple of miles are not going to make or break our success. The hope is that we will have trained our bodies to be efficient machines as we power our way to across the United States next week. The 8 riders on our team have been extremely blessed with no injuries or accidents during the course of our training. Often times we forget how fortunate we do have it in life. Just stop and think today how lucky you are if have full mobility in your body. You more than likely know at least one person that is physically challenged. Next time you gripe about getting out for a workout, turn it around and be glad to have your health.

People have been asking if we are ready and what will the weather be like. There are factors we can control like our nutrition and recovery but variables like the weather are just that, variables. The Midwest has been rocked by storms lately. We will probably see thunderstorms, extreme heat, snow when we are going through mountain passes. Mosquitoes will bother us. The sun will beat down on us and the vast darkness of the night sky will swallow us. We will be exhausted, mentally drained, but this is what we have trained for. I am reminded by my close friend and training partner Greg here when he says "Visualize what you want, not what you fear" and "the mind is the most potent drug." The hay is in the barn. We have a task to focus on and a goal to reach. It is getting exciting. Thanks for following along on our journey.

Tomorrow I will post our training gains. I know my hill climb time was 8:15 and my TT was 21:45. My goal is to be below 8:00 on the climb and less than 20:00 on the TT effort. I know I am there - just focus on the things I can control.