Welcome to Just Go Harder

O2 Intervals @ Fascat Performance Center

I used the recent snowy day in Boulder to pound out some oxygen supplemented intervals at the Fascat Performance Center.  After a long block at altitude, it was a chance to condition the legs a bit to the higher power outputs when Im at a lower altitude racing in Argentina at the end of the month.  The intervals feel normal until you get off the bike, then your legs hurt quite a bit cuz their not used to going so hard for so long!  Check out my suffer face in the video…

Attack of La Nina

It hasnt been so bad training in Colorado this winter.  Normally its pretty cold and snowy and Im tempted to ditch the bike on powder days to go skiing, or at least be relegated to my specially built snow bike to handle the cold and ice better.  But with the La Nina weather phenomenon bringing a very dry and warm winter to the Colorado mountains, its been pretty good for bikin, if not skiing.  Thats good for me, because I am starting my season pretty early this year at the Vuelta San Luis in Argentina.  The good weather has enabled me to me more specific to one dimensional road bike training than any other winter, which will surely pay off racing at the end of the month.  It often takes a few weeks of doing nothing but road riding to find your rhythm and feel really good. No skiing, hiking, weight lifting, just riding.  So the legs are feeling good and Im feeling ready to race.  My wife has even braved the cold temps to take me motorpacing a bit. Thanks hon.

I took advantage of the last few days of high country T shirt weather to get some long rides in through the mountains, hitting the climbs through Nederland and Estes Park.  Both towns have a good bakery so its more motivation to ride all the way up the hill!

Perfect mid ride stop in Nederland for a chocolate ginger scone. Not bad.

Fascat Performance Center

The new year kicks off a new partnership between myself, the Just Go Harder Foundation, and Fascat Coaching and Performance Center in Boulder, CO.  In addition to a generous donation to the JGH Foundation, I will use the facilities and resources at Fascat Performance Center when I am home in Colorado to increase my training and recovery quality.  The performance center has many things that will take advantage of, including physiological testing, motorpacing, equipment for super-oxygenated interval training, compression recovery boots, and indoor training faciliities when the weather is bad.  Im really looking forward to reaping the benefits from this partnership in 2012.  Come check out Fascat right here in Boulder if you want to improve you performance as well!

Thanks Fascat, cant wait for a very successful 2012!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my supporters, from Timmy, Loren and Karli

Last day of Camp!

10 Days of training camp have come and gone.  In true camp style, were gonna have a big cook out and a campfire on the beach this evening! Actually were not…that would be cool though.  Just one more slammer ride today and were all out of here, back to the families for Christmas. Looking forward to fighting the holiday crowds at the airport tomorrow.  Got a nice Christmas present with my newly attained Premier Exec status with Star Alliance so hopefully I can just hide out in the lounge when things are gnarly and my bag will even arrive at its destination.  Don’t have my hopes up.

Anyways, Im happy with the last training block here at camp.  Got my rhythm going again and Im ready to up the intensity a bit and eat some real food back home before heading off to race early at the Vuelta San Luis in the southern hemisphere summer.

My 2012 Program, Part I

January 23-29 :Vuelta San Luis Argentina

February

18 : Trofeo Laigueglia, ITA

25: GP Inssubria, SUI

26: GP Lugano, SUI

March

19-25 Volta Catalunya, SPA

31 GP Miguel Indurain, SPA

April

2-7 Vuelta Pais Vasco, SPA

11 Fleche Brabanconne, HOL

12 GP Denain, HOL

15 Giro dell’Appenino, ITA

18 Fleche Wallone, BEL

22 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, BEL

May

13-20  Tour of California, USA

ProVeloPassion Interview

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