Day 7, Training Camp Recovery Day

One might question cyclist's "recovery" days. Recovery day for me was a 2.5hr, 50km, muy muy tranquillo ride to a cafe south of Palma for a cappuccino then a muy muy tranquillo ride back along the waterfront with a tail wind. The thing with cycling is that if you take a day completely off after putting in several days of hard efforts your body misunderstands what you are doing and you can actually feel worse the day after a recovery day. The purpose of my time here in Majorca is of course to get in lots of good training. Rest is important but doing short, easy recovery rides actually helps the body cope better with the work you make it perform. Of course you might not have the snap that you had on the 2nd day but this time of the year you need to train your body to deal with pain that is cycling.

Last night I began to feel a slight bit of congestion in the throat. Today its not "bad" but its noticeable. Hopefully nothing too serious. I have been hydrating well with water and packets of Emergencie. Might be another light day tomorrow. I don't want to blow myself up then wreck the rest of my time here or the weeks to follow.

Tonight I joined the UK crowd for dinner. I've been eating meals by myself which is "okay," but it sometimes does get lonely. I guess that is why I have taken to food creation products. The brits called me by my last name as I was searching for a table. My usual table got swiped by some newbie. I guess people don't understand rules lol. I can forgive that but what bothered me the other day when I returned from training was that someone had taken my rack spot in the bike storage. i even left my lock and shoes attached to the cable for my slot #68. The audacity...haha...Dinner was quite the event. A british woman, Dorian, was being extra friendly. The people at the table always would turn their heads and give a little laugh b/c she was a little over the top with her expressions. She kept expressing how much she loved my "beautiful american teeth." She also asked if my parents are still together. I told them yes and happily. She responds, "ohh I could tell...I can see in your smile." So thanks mom and dad =) Many funny laughs.

Wll I had a "nightcap" with the UK group tonight. Doug Petty, the director of the Majorca 68 program at the hotel hosted it. He had some majorcan traditional pastry cakes. I had a few bites. Fortunately, Doug is a former pro and understands racers. I was chatting with one of his old racing buddies who just arrived today. He is 63 and was a backup for the 1960 Tokyo Olympics for the UK. Unbelievable who you meet. We had a great chat about training and racing. Well, I'm off to bed.

Ciao,
Matthew
P.S. pictures from the Palma Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.