Last Days of Winter

Winter is almost over-for me. In a few short days I'll pack up the Element and say adios to snow until after Sea Otter. As much as I dig being at home, winter gets old fast if you're trying to make it as a pro cyclist, especially as a 100-miler focused pro. So, Tucson, here I come!

I explored the possibility of going somewhere else this winter, but I guess I'm in the same boat that leads many pros to head there for the winter. Once you look elsewhere, nothing else has the combination of perfect weather, access to great trails and roads with (most importantly) the cost of living. Tucson is cheap and I really like the riding. Trader Joe's and farmers' markets are everywhere. Lots of pals down there to ride with, too. Every year I go, I go for longer. This year it'll be almost 2 months.

In the meantime I have been burning time on the trainer, putting a great race schedule together and skate skiing a ton. Yesterday was as good as it gets out at the Village track, the best track on either side of the pass, I think. Fresh cord, loud tunes, no wind, sunshine. The equivalent of a powder day on skinny skis.

So, it's just a few more days until I hunker down and start narrowing the training focus a bit more. Homework, errands, hikes with the dog, ART sessions and managing the boxes and boxes of 2011 product coming in is keeping me busy on top of training. We saw a killer Martin Sexton show the other night, too. That guy is amazing.

Nate's been busy teaching steep and deep camps and is looking forward to the trip of a lifetime a guys-only (wives & girlfriends were explicitly NOT invited) trip to Chamonix and Val'd'isere for a week of skiing and who knows what else (I do not want to know, nor will I ask). So, in just a few more days we will truly begin our ever-evolving delicate balancing act of time together vs. time doing what we love. Nate LOVES skiing and likes biking. I LOVE biking and like skiing. Somewhere in the middle we meet, which is why I'll be happily enjoying dry dirt and roads while he's skiing chutes in France. It's a very happy balance, I think.

Training in Paradise

Nate and I happily cashed in almost 3 years of miles to get tickets to Maui. Nate (and his poor shins) needed a break from teaching skiing and we really wanted a getaway together before the travel madness of 2011 begins. It's been a perfect week. I head out early to ride, Nate sleeps in, walks a short 200 feet to the shore from our condo and paddle surfs, we meet back for lunch and head to the beach for the afternoon. It's 80 every day. It's always windy so you never get too hot. The views are amazing. My recovery from my 4-5 hr rides has typically included insanely tasty island fruit and views like this:

It's been the best "vacation" ever. I quote vacation because I did come to train and always have homework to do. But even though this vacation has included 31 hrs of riding over 9 days on the best road riding I have ever done, it still has felt like the greatest vacation ever. The pavement is smooth, the views are astounding and diverse, the cars very courteous, and the climbing....oh my lord, the climbing! There is SO much climbing here, all on 4-10% grades, I don't think there was a ride I did that had less than 4,000 feet on the day. My "climbing" days had more like 7,000 feet. There is so much on this island to look at, to experience, to enjoy. I wish I could stay another month.

On the way to Haleakala

3.5 years ago we honeymooned on Kauai and the Big Island and swore we'd come back. This trip has been completely different than our first trip (yeah, we did guide-book recommended "excursions", went to a luau, stayed in hotels, etc. the first time around and it was great) This time we've had what feels like a more genuine experience-staying in a crappy little condo in a neighborhood full of total wingnuts (like the entire population of Paia :), cooking at home a lot, and making no plans until we wake up in the morning. I also feel like I have seen every little corner of the island, having ridden hundreds and hundreds of miles. This week has been exactly what we wanted: time together, riding and good surfing/paddleboarding. Mission more than accomplished.

It's not often that I have enough photos to do the talking for a blog entry . But, 8 days of training and playing in Maui was motivation enough to get the camera out for once:

Waimoku Falls.

Hiking through the bamboo to Waimoku Falls.

Water break in Keanae on the way to Hana.

Climbing towards Haleakala. Stunning open fields are everywhere to distract from the 6-10%, 36 mile grade.

My favorite tree on the island

All I can say is that we will be back. And this time it won't take 3.5 years!