A Whole New League

When I moved out to California, it was apparent that I had some...umm...catching up to do.  Not only had I been off my training routine for long enough to make a dent, but I was also way out of my league.

Literally.

I was riding with former national champion titles.  Former world record holders.  Former Pros.  Current regional big dogs.  In addition to multiple titleless freaks of nature.

There was a B Roll, yes, but even then I was blown off the back by ride's end, always limping home with my head hanging down feeling inadequate and lame.  A poseur.  A Big Fish in a Little Pond.

What made it worse was hearing the recaps of all the shenanigans I couldn't participate in.  People playing team tactics, holding back, drilling it on the front, sprint lead outs.  It sounded like a marvelous game in which yes, you might barf, but you always came away smiling from the attempt.

I started to completely reframe how I saw myself as a cyclist.  I started to avoid the Lunch Rides in favor of SBCU rides, and even then I couldn't stay with the front group.  So I started to just ride, and tried to enjoy myself in my own right.

I also started to run again, pretty regularly, without really considering how it effected my cycling.  Because, well, what was there to save for anyways?  As a result, my legs always felt slightly leaden from the 6 or 7 miles I put down in the morning.

There were dark days in terms of my performance for sure.

One day, though, I decided to venture back to the lunch ride, just to see what happened.  And what happened?

I hung on.  Not for the entirety of it, for sure, but longer than many could have.

And I was still running, but no longer feeling fatigued by it.

Then one day, I went out on a B Roll, and finished with the very front group of about 5 people.  And did it again next week.  And again next week.  I rode with SBCU and stayed with the front group easily.  I could attack, and sit in, and play tactics, and crank it on the front, and do all of the things that I had thought beyond me only a few months ago.

I even attempted a 2x30 AT Interval set.  Because I felt like it.  And I AT intervalled the shit out of it.

I still can't and probably never will be able to stay with the lunch ride for its entirety.  I still can't do a lot of things.  But I can go up a steep Cat 2 climb without my HR ever topping 160.  I can drop people.  I can ride smart.


When I started cycling, everyone said that you went in a series of plateaus and improvements.  You got decidedly better, then stayed there, until you once again got decidedly better, only to once again stay there.

So what's the upside?

Guess who just jumped up to the next plateau?