I had hoped to ride the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic last year but didn’t do it. I didn’t train enough and it filled up before I felt I was ready. I’ve been talking for a few weeks now about wanting to ride in the Iron Horse, and decided I’d better get serious and sign up for it. I’m definitely not ready right now, but have a few months to get in shape. I even talked Chris into riding.
Last week I started training for it. The weather had been really nice for a while so I got to ride about 60 miles on the road and then when a storm came in last weekend I rode about 20 miles at the gym. There’s a good 15 mile, mostly flat loop I can do on my lunch break, and an 11 mile out and back ride with some climbing I can fit into my lunch break as well. My plan is to ride about 100 miles a week for a while and then some longer rides on the weekends as we get closer.
The Iron Horse is a 50 mile ride/race from Durango to Silverton with abotu 5700ft of climbing over 2 10,000ft passes. It happens on May 29th, so I have about 95 days to get in shape.
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My first road ride of my life (no, literally) was the 2006 Iron Horse. You can do it.
That’s hardcore Dustin! I know I can do it, I just figure I’ll feel a lot better afterward if I start training now and get my legs used to spinning and climbing, rather than sitting around drinking beer (or at most riding to the breweries) like I have been the past few months.
Are you doing it this year?
Jeff – it was awesome. Every year I swear to myself (on the last drag of coal bank) that “I will never, ever do this f&*king thing again” then arrive in Silverton on cloud 9. It is a great event.
Yes, I am coming down this year. Informal race between myself, Shane (Herald) and best friend up here in Denver, Jimbo. I have been training every day (running) and plan to beat the train (not easy, and never have before).