"Drive Train" Maintenance

The bulk of February has been spent "Cross Training" or my euphamism for skiing. I did manage to log a little over 50 miles on the road despite some winter weather coming through New Jersey. Unfortunately for the skiier in me, the major storms have gone either north or mostly south of us.

Now for the "Drive Train" update... On Monday, I went in for minor foot surgery to have a cyst removed from my right foot. The option was either that or major bunion surgery (with an 8-10 week convalescence) so I opted for the more conservative route.

The surgery went well, and I have a follow-up with the doctor on Friday to get a better perspective on when I can resume "normal" activity (or at least what I would call normal activity.)


I am not missing any outdoor riding as we got yet another snowfall in NJ on Tuesday, with more expected tonight and tomorrow. I did manage to get in a 38 mile ride on Sunday before surgery, bringing my year to date mileage up over 150 miles.

This year I have decided that in addition to tracking my weekly mileage, I would also track my cumulative climbing. I wonder at the end of December how many "Everests" I will have climbed - so far I am at "0.37".


My short term goal, once I get the green light from my Doctor, is to log an additional 250 miles before the end of March, gearing up for the "Hills of Attrition" ride (see profile -55 miles with 8 decent climbs - one with a 20% grade) in mid-April, which proved to be a very effective way to get the climbing legs off to a good start early in the season...
If you double click on the image, it should bring up a better image to view the ride profile.



118 days to "Wheels Up." in June.

BRRRRR!!! 11°F to 14°F today

I managed to get in just under 40 miles today in some of the coldest weather I have ridden in in the past 30 years - that excludes when I used to ride my mountain bike to the ski hill in Canada when I was ski patrolling and the temperatures were well below 0°F.

The hills seem a lot steeper and longer than they did just 2 months ago - maybe it is the cold weather, but I suspect that more likely it is the time off the bike.

That will give me an added incentive to get out when the weather is nice - nice being not snowing or raining and dry roads - it is all relative.

For the month of January, I clocked in just over 100 miles and 7,600 feet of climbing.

Update for January

January has been a typical winter month for New Jersey with temperatures ranging from the low 10°Fs to the mid 40°Fs. For the most part my training has been in the form of Cross-Training with Ski Patrolling on weekends, and 3 wonderful days at Killington in mid-January.

Despite the winter weather, I have managed to log three cycling outings (with another planned for tomorrow) giving me a total for the month of a mere 80 miles or so. This may not seem like much, but on the positive side, it is 80 more miles than I rode last January. I am not a huge fan of indoor trainers, but may have to succumb if the weather keeps as it is.

Start slowly, and build up the base is the motto for now (and not eat too much during the winter months.)

144 days to wheels up in June.