Training camp is harder this year. I'm stronger and a better rider . . . but so is everyone else. The rides are fast and there are lots of attacks.

Wednesday was an epic ride. 89 miles total, so not the longest ride, but the most challenging terrain. We leave the hotel, turn left and immediately start a 6 mile climb up a 6% grade [and someone is riding tempo at the front, OF COURSE!]. After that there's 50 miles with lots of climbing and some flats with head and cross winds. The thing about climbing, if you kill yourself keeping up with the fast group, you destroy yourself and get to the top much more slowly than if you find your own rhythym and ride within yourself. So I let the main pack go.

Then, THEN, after 56 or so hard miles, you get to Black Mountain [cue forboding music]. Black Mountain is a 7 mile road that twists and turns and meanders up to a mountaintop fire station. Its not switchbacks, it's all over the place. It's narrow -- I'd be frightened to drive a car up it -- and there's lots of sand, gravel, rocks, and spill from the cliffs [yeah, CLIFFS - up one side of the road and straight down the other]. So its a bit dangerous. I start up with three other riders and soon leave them behind. The first 4 miles are a relatively sedate 6-7% grade, and I'm well within my comfort zone, averaging 8-9 mph. Then there's a left turn and suddenly you're faced with a 20% grade. And its not a short bit, its 60 ft [?] straight up. If you put down a foot, you have to go back to the bottom and start over. No way. I somehow force myself to not stop pedaling -- I'm in my easiest gear, standing, gripping the handlebars and forcing the pedals around. And at the top of that incline . . . you have another 3 MILES of twisting, winding climbs. More super steep parts too. It was so hard. The steep bits would shoot my heartrate up to redline, but it would fall to a comfortable 80% of max quickly.

And then I encountered groups of the fast guys coming down. SLOWLY. Its a crazy dangerous descent and no one was pushing their luck. As you got toward the top, there was a strong crosswind trying to push your wheel out from under you. But I finally made it. Lucas was there, and a couple minutes later, Brendan then Emily and then Rick joined us. Woo hoo! I did the whole thing without putting down a foot. Seven grueling miles with out stopping. I'm proud of myself.

After making a slow way down, we still had 30 miles to ride. Despite eating well during the ride, I bonked. I begged a Clif bar off our follow van and that helped. Got me ready for a flying descent down that 6 miles we climbed first thing. Last year I hit 55 mph . . . sadly this year there was a headwind, so I topped out at 45 mph. Sigh.

Yesterday was a moderately paced [mostly!] 60 mile day with some short climbs. A recovery day. Unfortunately my knee is hurting me a bit. I've been icing and taking ibuprofen, massaging and trying to work out my ITB. If its still hurting me on today's ride, I'm not going to ride up "the wall" -- which is as steep as the steepest parts of Black Mountain, but not as long or grueling, I rode it last year. I'm not going to push my knee and injure myself at camp so I can't race.