Urban Training and a little rant...

Here is some early morning fog from my crib overlooking the city and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance...notice how the fog is so defined at such a low atltitude, typical SF...


Since my Lemond is no bueno, my training has been relegated to city riding. Its probably the best thing right now b/c it limits me from going to big too early. Today was probably my biggest day. I got almost 2.5 hours in the saddle in urban, hilly cycling. I met my friend Christina at a french cafe in North Beach, Cafe Boulangerie. We drank coffee out of bowls which i have heard is proper french protocol for morning coffee. Sitting at the cafe brought back many memories of the cafes in Bourg d'Oisans and Grenoble. A typical french breakfast consists of a basket of bread(variety) all cut into slices. The bread is accompanied with several toppings: Nutella, honey, apricot jam, blackberry jam, dijon. The cafe had baguettes you could dump condiments on but not a full basket. The coffee was quite delicious however.

Training today took me over quite a few of the hills of SF. Each day I go riding, I can feel that I am gaining strength. I know its a long way to where I was but thats to be expected when you get hit by a truck did I ever mention that? My legs are finally beginning to show some muscle definition that I haven't seen since late july. When you are a fit athlete, you get the image of what your body should look like. Since I got hit, I have put on almost 2kg. Not much to most people but when you see yourself perform at high level you always want to maintain it or surpass it, never wanting to below. But bike racing like most things has its ebb and flow. My coach Shawn continues to remind me that the break will do my body good. I think she is right. I trained really hard over the last 1.5 years with no real break. Your body needs a break to recoup and rebuild. Its estimated by most physiologists that the body can ban trained to peak for at most 40-45days a year and that is for the finest trained athletes. That means, you should be able to hold your highest level for 40-45days out of year of training and racing. Can I hold a peak that long? nope, but my body is continuing to adjust to the training and I think I will fully begin to see my potential in the next few years. one thing that has improved the most during this time off the bike has been my head, or xfactor. The head is the biggest asset for some but also the biggest struggle for a lot. With proper training, I think my physical game will be at a much higher level this spring like my head game will be. When you face such extreme injuries, you know that nothing can last forever, so you need to make the most of what you have today. 2008 is going to be great year of riding for me...

Rant of the day: While at Cole Valley Cafe on Cole St i witnessed an act of deception. Hopefully I have some SF readers who will take note of this. The cafe guy was empting the trash can into a larger trash bag then he emptied the recycling bin into the same bag. WTF?! Since moving to SF, I have become much more consciencous of recycling, probably a little frustrating to my family. But when i am out and I make the effort to recycle I hope that the stuff is going to recycling. I know this guy is probably just being lazy but how far does it go? I am sure there are other people who do this as well and what makes us feel noble, is secretly being taken away. So if you are in the Cole Valley neighborhood, be aware of the fake recycling going on at Cole Valley Cafe. Head up the street to Crepes on Cole for a delicious crepe or omlette meal with good coffee from a great owner.

your eco-friendly cyclist...