Cesta Z Mesta Ride

I was really looking forward to our Saturday long ride. We are continuing to build up our weekly cycling mileage as we prepare for our first attempt at the 7-day Haute Route Alps from August 21st-27th. In addition to our triathlon training (Note to self: IM Lake Placid is in a month), we are putting in a lot of quality riding. Whereas two weeks ago I was on the struggle bus getting back into structured training, this past week I felt really strong and fresh. My body came around and I felt like I was recovering well from my training sessions. On Monday we did an EZ 1 hour spin, Tues was the Spinners A-group ride (3:43/69 miles - we ride to/from the group ride) and Wednesday we went mountain biking for almost 3 hours (24 miles). Thursday I had a private bike skills session with an athlete (90 minutes). In total, before Saturday I had ridden for almost 10 hours. 

On Friday evening, Karel mapped out our Saturday ride and called it Cesta Z Mesta - in Czech it means "The Road Out of Town." The planned route was 104 miles, 9,000 feet of elevation gain. Our plan was to leave at 8am. 

Well, plans changed. 
First off, Karel needed to Skype with his mom and brother in Czech to help his mom with her Visa for when she comes to stay with us in Sept-November. Nearing 9:30am, we were getting ourselves ready and it started raining. I looked at the radar and it looked like the rain would stop around 10am so we did some mobility, finished preparing our nutrition and heading out - in the drizzling rain - around 10am.

Although we were in no rush to get home, Karel thought it would be best for us to adjust some of our route so that we were not riding the entire day (and into the evening). Seeing that our miles go by really slow due to the technical and challenging nature of our terrain, we shortened the ride from 104 miles to 85 miles by omitting the entire Green River Cove loop. 

I started the ride feeling pretty good so my goal for the day was to try to sit on Karel's wheel on the climbs. For our mini yolomites ride the previous weekend, I made sure to pace myself for the long day ahead and didn't get aggressive on any of the climbs. I knew that pushing myself early on in our ride on Saturday would mean I would risk blowing myself up but I wanted to push myself for this ride. 

We wore our hydration packs for this ride to minimize stopping and to ensure we had plenty of fluids. We each had two bottles on our frame and I had 1.5 L (Karel had 2L) in our backpacks. I had INFINIT in my pack and Skratch SuperFuel in my bottles. I also brought along a Supra bar as well as fig newtons to keep myself fueled throughout the ride. It was on the cooler side when we started (and a bit misty with the rain) but it warmed up as the day went on.

The first 90 min of the ride was punchy. Once we got to the Watershed, we settled into a good rhythm for 11 miles to Mine Mountain. I was feeling strong. 

 

We enjoyed a few miles of descending down to the Saluda grade. Because the roads were slick due to the rain, I stayed a bit cautious and Karel rode away from me on the descend. I felt safe and confident on the descend but I didn't want to take any risks. 

Once we got to the Saluda grade, it was time to climb a few miles into Saluda. At this point, Karel's legs were speaking to him. He was struggling. I love the Saluda Grade climb because it's a steady grade and not steep and I can easily settle into a nice rhythm. I ended up riding away from Karel and waited for him at the top. I felt sad that he was feeling so empty but he wanted to see if he could ride off the fatigue. 

I LOVE my new USWE hydration pack! 

Because we adjusted the route, instead of doing the entire Green River Cove loop (which would add another 20 miles to our ride), Karel and I descended down the Green River Cove Switchbacks, then turned around by the tubing parking lots and rode back up. This was the first time that we had biked down the 17 tight switchbacks and I was surprised that I wasn't scared. I could tell that my bike handling skills have really improved thanks to all the group riding and mountain biking I've been doing over the past year. 

The climb was challenging but doable. There are a few kickers in between the switchbacks that really make the legs talk but otherwise, the switchbacks help to break things up. We climbed the 2 miles back up and then made a stop at the gas station to refill bottles. We had a fun and fast descend down for a few miles down the Saluda Grade to the Pearson Falls Road. I love the Saluda Grade descend as it has great flow with wide turns and it's not busy with cars to slow you down. After the descend, we climbed up Mine Mountain for ~5 miles. At this point, I knew Karel was struggling. I went ahead and would often look back and I could see Karel's head hanging low, struggling with each pedal stroke. I felt so bad for him that the only way home was to keep riding. He was totally empty. He told me that I could go ahead as he didn't want me to feel like he was slowing me down and he would eventually make his way home but I didn't want to leave him. I thought back to all the many rides where Karel was feeling so strong but he would wait for him to catch back up. I knew we needed to finish this ride together. 

We had about 8 miles of descending down the Watershed to loosen out the legs (it's not really a fast descend as you still have to work for it and pedal throughout) and then to Dividing Waters. For the rest of the ride, Karel stayed behind him and I pulled him home. He was so relieved when we finally made it back into Traveler's Rest and on to the trail. It was just after 4pm and Karel was done. 

I finished the ride feeling really strong and wanted to do our planned run off the bike. I ran for 40 minutes and finished my workout just after 5pm. It was a long day of training but a great one for me. Karel didn't run and instead, took Campy for a walk after he made himself a recovery shake. 
We finished the ride with 85 miles in 5:40 and 7500 feet of elevation gain. 

Although we both went into this ride a little fatigued from our previous training, Karel had a bad workout. It just wasn't his day. Sometimes you are the hammer and you do the pounding and sometimes you are the nail - you get pounded. Sadly, Karel was the nail. 

When a bad workout happens, it's important to reflect on the reason(s) for feeling off. Could it be nutrition, sleep, stress, fatigue, previous training sessions, weather......? Often times, we can contribute a bad workout to something specific. But then there are times when we just have off days. There's no real reason why they happen but there will be times in training and on race day when you can't deliver the effort that you hoped for - and that's ok. 

There's no reason to blame it on your body or make excuses. Sometimes the stars just don't align and you need to give yourself a break. There have been plenty of times when Karel and myself have had a bad bike workout and followed it up with a great run. But then there are times, in your gut, when you know that the run off the bike doesn't make sense. Karel made his decision not to run, didn't dwell on it or feel guilt and just moved on. 

When training is your lifestyle, there are going to be speed bumps. The peaks will almost always outnumber the valleys so never let a lousy workout question your abilities. Fail forward! 

Greenville Cycling: Saluda Grade

What you need to know before climbing Saluda Grade

Distance: Starting from the gas station at 176, the climb to Saluda is 7.67 miles. However, the first few miles are fairly flat. The actual climbing guesstimate is around 3.88 miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 974 feet and finish at 2118 feet (total gain = 1537 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~2% with most of the climb averaging around 4-5%. It's a steady climb with a few sections where the grade kicks up a bit. There are some more demanding segments that are around 6-9% but there is nothing crazy steep on this climb.

Road condition: The road condition is excellent. It's very smooth. This is a treat compared to our bumpy roads in SC (this climb is in NC).

Scenery: This is a very scenic climb. With a rock wall and trees on your right and a river flowing below the trees on you on the left, you can't help but feel at peace during this climb. You are literally tucked into nature.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike or tri bike. You'll want climbing gears just to keep a more fluid pedal stroke.

Descend: While I am calling this a climb, it's not a true mountain. It's a beautiful climb that takes you (left) into the town of Saluda (or you can go to the right and head toward the Green River Cove loop - I'll share that climb next). If you were to descend down the Saluda grade, it's a very fun descend with sweeping turns (nothing tight) - you can always see where you are going.

Climb with a view? While there is a lot to see as you are climbing, there's no specific view point on this climb. Just a lot of beautiful scenery spread over several miles. There's a bridge with water running underneath, a small waterfall or two and a lot of beautiful trees.

Traffic: This road can get busy on the weekend as there are many touristy things around this area. The road starts off rather tight (two lane road) but at times it widens for cars to pass. Cars are fairly patient where we live so I never feel unsafe when we ride. But then again, I ask that all cyclists be the person that you want the people in the car to remember (in a good way).

Difficulty: While not an easy climb, it's not technical or intense. Having said this, there's nothing easy about our riding where we live. So depending on how you get to the Saluda grade (what preceeds it), your legs may be toasted before you start this moderate climb.

Honest feedback: We have taken several campers on the Saluda grade as it's a steady, peaceful climb. The only downside is that it's in Tryon, NC so it does require us to ride a bit longer to get to this climb. But that isn't a bother as there are so many amazing routes to get to the Saluda grade. Many cyclists will take the Watershed into Saluda and then descend down the Saluda Grade. There are so many options to include this route into your ride. In Saluda, I suggest to stop at Wildflower bakery or the M.A. Pace General store.