Our "MINI" YOLOMITES Ride

On June 15th I received a group the weekly email from Jeff M., which highlighted the weekly/weekend rides and past events in and around Greenville. The email was promoting an upcoming ride called the Yolomites (which combines YOLO - you only live once and DOLOMITES - cycling heaven in Italy).

Last year I heard about this local curated event and ever since, it had been on my mind. I love doing physical feats for the first time and I have never ridden over 115 miles. The Yolomites ride is as follows (starting from Lex Mullinex Park)

• First Loop: Watershed, Mine Mtn, Skyuka, White Oak, Hogback, Grade, Green River Switchbacks, down watershed to car. 77 miles, ~10,000ft of climbing.
• Second Loop: Watershed, Olivet, down Olivet, down Watershed back to car. 26.5 miles, ~2600ft of climbing. 
• Third and fourth Loop: Cliffs - Mountain Summit to the very top, North side of Panther, back down Panther, Down Mountain Summit, back to car. 25 miles, ~3800ft of climbing 
  Total: 130 miles, 16,234 ft of climbing. 

The funny thing is that this ride doesn't even include all of our "famous" climbs that we have in and around the area!

Karel and I love cycling adventures, especially around Greenville. There are so many hard, challenging, beautiful, scenic climbs where we live and the roads are very bike friendly. Anytime we are in need of an adventure, we can simply bike from our driveway and head to the mountains. We have put together several rides where we map out a route and try to conquer our idea. Often times, we finish the ride saying "that seemed like a good idea at the time." 😁

I thought it was crazy to ride 130 miles and 16,000 feet elevation gain on some of our most challenging climbs outside of Greenville but I was just crazy enough to come up with my own version - calling it the "mini" Yolomites. I mapped the route, invited a few friends and talked Karel into my crazy adventure. Here's the route.

With the route loaded in our computers and bottles filled, Alvi, Kenny, Karel and I started from our house around 8:30am and finished the ride around 4pm, with right around 7 hours of riding time. It was great to have the company and a lot of laughs were shared along the way. 

As for the ride, I was surprised how quickly the day went by. It was hot and very windy. Because I kept my computer on the map setting, I never knew the time of the day, how far we had ridden or how much we had left to ride (that is until Alvi would remind me that we still had x-number of miles or feet of climbing left ;) 

Karel was feeling empty from the first pedal stroke but he was able to finish off strong (must have been the ice cream from our one stop in the town of Saluda). 

We kept the effort pretty chill throughout the ride as it was a long day in the saddle. Karel and I wore our hydration packs that we use for mountain biking/gravel riding (Karel wears USWE and I have a CamelBak). Having our hydration packs was a game changer as we had plenty of fluids and calories so we never had to ration on drinks to rely on a store stop. Alvi and Kenny brought an extra bottle but I'd say that we were probably a bit better hydrated thanks to our packs. It was also nice to be able to keep one frame bottle of water to use for cooling as it got into the 90's during our ride. 

I started with two bottles of Skratch Superfuel (400 calories per 26-ounce bottle) and then 4 scoops INFINIT (custom formula) in my 50-ounce hydration pack. I brought along 2 baggies (each with 2 scoops INFINIT, ~240 calories total each bag) to refill my bottles along with a packet of FLUID (which I gave to Karel because he didn't have any more sport nutrition at our stop). I also had a Picky Bar and a few honey stinger chews. We refilled bottles at the top of Skyuka (3:20 into the ride) and again in Saluda (5:30 into the ride). At our store stop in Saluda (around 5:30 into the ride), I had 3/4 Mexican coke and a few bites/licks of Karel's Lemon Pie ice cream. I felt really good throughout the ride and I feel I paced myself really well on the climbs. I felt very confident on the descends and had a lot of fun flying down the climbs. My only low moment was on the watershed descend which came shortly after our store stop. That is pretty typical to feel a drop in blood sugar after a stop, especially when descending and not giving much effort. It actually felt good to push a bit up Callahan mountain - I instantly felt my energy levels go up and stayed strong until we got back home. Alvi got a flat from a nail in his tire a few miles from our house (6 miles away) but aside from a quick stop to regroup at the top of climbs, we had 36 minutes of "stopping" plus 7 minutes for Alvi to fix the hole in his tire. 

It took us about 1-hour to get to our first official climb (out of six) of the ride. 

Watershed climb - 8 miles
Mine Mountain - 5.4 miles (more descending than climbing)
Skyuka Mountain - 4.2 miles
Hogback Mountain - 3.8 miles
Saluda Grade - 6.6 miles
Callahan Mountain - 1.5 miles

If you'd like to learn more about some of our epic climbs in and around the area, you can check out this blog post that I wrote a few years back. It's crazy that we are still discovering new routes and new climbs. We had never been on Mine Mountain before (but have ridden by the road a million times) and it is now one of our favorites. The road condition was great and after a short climb, there was a very fast and fun descend to take us to the Saluda grade. 

With 5 weeks until IM Lake Placid and 9 weeks until we start the 7-day Haute Route Alps, we are having a lot of fun with our training. 

On top of Skyuka

And in case you were wondering, out of 30 starters for the Yolomites ride, 4 people completed the entire ride. The fastest was Jeff who finished in 8:55.36 and Kathleen finished in 9:24.22. Mark White, who painted the route, set up the coolers and made the signs, finished the ride at 2am. Talk about grit and determination! 

Here are some pics from our adventure on two wheels....

Starting out and heading toward the Watershed

Fresh bodies one hour in


Too tired to stand. On top of Skyuka. Such a hard climb with long grades above 12%. 

Karel thinking about how to get a ride back home ;) 


Life is better again. Lemon pie ice cream hit the spot. 

Climbing the Watershed. So peaceful.

Riding toward Skyuka. Such a hard climb and fun twisty steep and fast descend. 

On top of Hogback. 

Riding Mine Mountain for the first time. Loved it! 

Who loves climbing Skyuka? At least the view is a thumbs up! 


Riding to another climb...

Finding more mountains to climb. 
Find

Enjoying the views and quiet roads. 

I talked them into this crazy idea. 

Climbing Skyuka. 

The amazing route markers that made us laugh every time we saw one. 

A Local's Guide: What to Do in Greenville, SC

Lodging
If you are planning a cycling-focused train-cation in Greenville, SC, there are a few options for lodging. You can always go the VRBO/Airbnb route or book a hotel but there are a few other options to make your stay feel more like home.

Swamp Rabbit Inn TR (Traveler's Rest) - closer to the mountains/bike-friendly routes
Swamp Rabbit Inn Greenville (downtown) - walking distance to our award-winning downtown
The Bike Barn (close to Furman University and the Swamp Rabbit Trail)

Swamp Rabbit Trail 
The SRT connects downton Greenville to downtown Traveler's Rest. With over 20 miles of paved road, you can run, bike or walk on our heavilyused trail. If you are close to downtown, be sure to stop at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and grocery for a delicious treat or Stecca bread.

Falls Park 
Our picture-worthy downtown has everything you would want in a downtown. Small businesses, farm-to-table restaurants, a park, waterfall, a scenic bridge and so much more. Located in the West end of downtown Greenville, this nature-filled park is worth the visit. You can also check out our art distric and Peace Center. Our downtown is also very pet-friendly.

Hiking
If you need a break from riding the roads on two wheels, be sure to visit some of our many popular hiking destinations. Lake Jocassee (Devils Fork) is one of our favs (you can rent a paddle board or kayak to see more of the lake). Other locations include Paris Mountain, Dupont State Forest (which is popular for mountain biking), Table Rock, Jones Gap state park, Lake Conestee, Caesar's Head and Pleasant Ridge. Most South Carolina state parks require a park pass (or a one-day park fee) and can get very busy on the weekend.

Eating
There are so many restaurants to choose from in and around Greenville. You'll find over 100 restaurants around downtown Greenville and several options in downtown Traveler's Rest. 
Here's a blog post that I wrote in 2014 (a few months after we moved to Greenville) discussing some of our favorite recent finds.

Where to ride
There are many notable cycling routes. We have lived in Greenville for 6 years and we are still discovering new routes! Here's a list of our favorite scenic climbs:
The Watershed
Green River Cove loop
Saluda Grade
Skyuka
Caesar's Head
Paris Mountain
Sassafras

Where to start your ride
Trailblazer Park 
Furman University 
Traveler's Rest Museum 
Hotel Domestique 
North Greenville University (Tigerville location - behind the theater off 414)

Extra StuffRun In - Run store
Carolina Triathlon - tri/bike shop
Set up Events - SC triathlon series - local race series
Greenville Humane Society - adopt, foster, donate
Westside Aquatics - lap swimming
Greenville Spinners - local cycling club
Greenville Triathlon Club - local triathlon club
Greenville Track Club - local track/running club

Greenville Splash - local master and open water swim group
Lake Summit run route - Popular crushed gravel loop around Lake Summit (park at Tuxedo Park).

Although the word is slowly getting out, Greenville, SC is a hidden gem in the southeast. We are so happy to live in such a beautiful and friendly community. If you love nature and live an active lifestyle, you too will quickly fall in love with our incredible city.

IM KONA training - 3 weeks out

After Ironman Austria, Karel wasn't sure if he would ever be able to go that hard in a race again.

With only 8 weeks between IM Austria and IMMT, Karel was able to fully recover from IM Austria (thanks to his mom's cooking and lots of IPA and pastries) and return home with excitement to train again to achieve his season goal of Kona qualifying.

At IMMT, Karel went "there" again for 140.6 miles.



After Kona qualifying at IMMT, Karel was extremely sore and once again, he questioned if he had anything left for a third Ironman, within 15 weeks.

But after quickly physically recovering from IMMT, his body was in a good place to train again.
And most importantly, his mind was in a really good place.

Not only was Karel excited to race on the big island for the 2nd time but he was excited to train for 5-6 more weeks before dropping down the volume before IM Kona.

There are several things that Karel has done right this season which has helped him take his fitness to the next level but as his training partner for many workouts, there is one thing that I often observe in Karel - he never ever goes into workouts with exceptions and he never gets stuck in the metrics of a workout.



After Karel's 5-day trip to Colorado, where he stayed at 9,000 feet with a few friends, he returned home to Greenville very exhausted. He didn't sleep well in CO and his normal sleep cycle was a little off when he returned home. His appetite was a bit zapped after his CO trip and he all-around, felt flat.

We knew that a lot of this was due to the altitude training (which was not intentional for performance benefits but instead, it was just a guys bike trip that was planned last year, without knowing if Karel would Kona qualify) so Karel didn't obsess over any workout and just did the best that he could, while also focusing on all the little details, like diet, sleep and mobility, to help him recover from the CO trip.
Karel was in the middle of his biggest IM Kona training prep which required a lot of mental and physical strength.

I am reminded by a statement from Dr. G who once told me that many times, when athletes feel extremely flat, tired and sore, this means a breakthrough is coming. It's often hard to think that your fitness is coming around when you are feeling empty inside but sure enough, with a very smart training mindset to not have any expectations for any workout, Karel was able to successfully get through his 5-weeks out from Kona training (albeit, with a tired body) and then 4 weeks out (this past week) his fitness came around and he had some of his best workout executions, with a feeling of "I've never been able to train like this before!"
And let's remember, this comes after racing deep for 2 Ironmans since the end of June.

It's  been incredible to see Karel stay so strong this summer, despite some niggles that have required weekly care from a great local massage therapist and the occasional sessions with a hip/spine focused PT, but I believe it all comes down to his mind.

He is willing to put in the work.
He is willing to dig deep and go "there".
He keeps his easy sessions easy.
He never has expectations for workouts, thus, there are no "bad" workouts.
He doesn't obsess about metrics.
He focuses on good lifestyle habits (sleep, mobility, diet, sport nutrition) to help him recover and execute.
He never worries about his weight (ex. race weight).
He has never followed a diet plan.
He sleeps great.
He is mentally strong.
He absolutely loves training.

It's sad to hear about the athletes who just want their Ironman journey to end with still weeks to go before race day. With so much commitment, time and energy, it can't be performance enhancing to look forward to the end of every workout, with little motivation to even train.

And with the Ironman requiring so much mental strength, I believe this is what takes Karel to that next level with every workout - he does the work early season so that come peak IM training, he's not training with the intention to "build fitness/endurance" to be Ironman ready but instead, he becomes Ironman ready by executing every workout to his best ability and mentally putting himself into race day scenarios and letting his mind be his only limiter. There is no obsession with paces, watts or speeds, thus no let down or need to term a workout as "bad".

This weekend was a quality weekend of "long" training for Karel. Lucky me, I was able to join Karel for his long ride on Saturday and for his key swim on Sunday.

Here's a recap of some of his weekend IM Kona training, 3 weeks out from race day (which followed a very high volume/intense week of training).
(Matt Dixon with Purple Patch is Karel's coach)



Saturday: 4 hour ride (77 miles, 4500 feet of elevation gain):
All endurance effort with the last 70 minutes at half IM effort.

30 min run off the bike (Karel ran on our treadmill to help him execute this set):
10 min form focused
10 min at IM effort
10 min at faster than IM effort
CD as needed

Sunday: 
AM: 90 min run (treadmill for the purpose of this set):
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2 x 3 min build effort
MS:
4 x 11 min at 4% incline at IM pace (one of the few times that Karel was instructed to go by pace, not effort)
4 min EZ jog in between
Post set:
10-15 min IM effort at 1% grade
CD as needed

PM: 4200 yard swim
10 min EZ warm-up
Pre set: 2xs
2 x 25 fast, 50 easy, 50 fast, 2 x 25 EZ
MS: 7xs
100 fast w/ 2 sec rest
Right into 75 on same send off
(ex. if you come in at 1:30 for 100, your interval for the 75 is 1:30)

400 pull

MS #2: 7xs
75 fast w/ 0-2 sec rest
right into 50 with same send off

400 pull

It's hard to believe that in 8 days, we will be flying to the big island!


From 2011...Karel's first time to Kona to watch me race in my 2nd IM World Championship....where the thought came into his head "If I ever become a triathlete, I want to race HERE!"

Bike-friendly Greenville, SC

            

About a week ago, a teenager in Traveler's Rest, SC (less than 10 miles from downtown Greenville) was arrested and is now facing multiple charges, including six counts of attempted murder, after he repeatedly targeted bicyclists as revenge for the deaths of two friends, even though cyclists had no role in the accident.  

When I heard this story from a friend (who is a pro cyclist living in the area), he told me that the two kids that died were speeding over 100 mph on Roe Ford Road and lost control of the car and crashed. Around the time of the crash, a cyclist passed the scene. Wrongfully, the teenager charged, which appears to be a neighbor friend of the two teenagers that passed away, is blaming all cyclists for being the cause of this accident.

Karel and I have had no issues with cars since moving to Greenville. Sure there is the very occasional honk of a bad mood driver but rarely does this happen. Most of the time, drivers will wait behind us and wait until a stop sign to pass. We many times have to signal them that it is ok to pass us as the are just way too nice.

After living in FL for 10 years and Jacksonville, FL for the past 6, we consider Greenville, SC an incredibly safe place to ride our bikes outside. While living in Jacksonville, Karel and I did not like riding there and considered it to be a very unsafe and scary place to ride bikes. The available riding options are limited and drivers are extremely distracted while driving.

There is so much freedom when riding a bike and with endless country roads and attentive drivers (not on their cell phones) who do not hate cyclists in Greenville, I always ride safe but never fear my life when riding my bike here in Greenville. 

Karel and I covered 78 miles in a little less than 4.5 hours yesterday. 5000 feet of climbing and complete joy on two wheels. Sure, there was a lot of suffering (for me trying to stay on Karel's wheel) but it was a beautiful day to ride and we were not the only cyclists out in nature, enjoying our awesome bike-friendly roads. 

Like every ride, we leave from our house in downtown Greenville and head toward the mountains. With so many bike friendly roads, we never have to drive our bikes anywhere to ride. Rarely do we have a plan as to where we will ride as there are so many options. I sometimes ride alone but when I am feeling strong, I will try to hang on Karel's wheel and join him for his ride. For our ride yesterday, Karel took me on some new routes and the views were breathtaking. After climbing the Greenville Watershed road into North Carolina, I couldn't help but stop to really soak-up the view. 

Our long ride put us back to our home around 2pm and although I was exhausted, I just can't get enough of riding in Greenville.....I can't wait until the next ride! 

Because we just can't get enough of cycling in general, Karel, Campy, my mom and I walked downtown (about a mile from where we live) to watch the 2015 USA Crit National Championship. We caught the end of the 90-minute pro women race (and a bad crash at the last turn before the finish) and watched the entire 2-hour men pro race. Back when Karel was racing, he was Cat 1/2 so this pro race is a few steps-up from what Karel was eligible to race when he was racing bikes. 

Karel still keeps up with cycling (probably more so than triathlon racing) and with over a decade of bike racing here in the states (previous racing in Europe), he still has a lot of bike-racing friends in which he could say hi to and cheer for during this race.

Campy was cheering very loudly and was full of energy for the race. 

It was a warmer day for us, yet overcast, so Campy had too cool off from all his cheering. 

The pro race started a little after 4pm (after call-ups) and it was so great to see so many people in downtown Greenville to watch the event. 

Going back to the arrest I mentioned above, it really shows that our city not only supports the sport of cycling (with all our biking events) but encourages people to ride bikes. The fact that an arrest was actually made to protect cyclists shows how much our city supports bike safety. In Jacksonville, a cyclist would get hit and die and the driver would have to only pay a fine.

We have so many routes, trails, rental bike kiosks and bike shops that it's hard to not want to ride a bike here in Greenville. 

It was fun to walk all over the course and on this less than 1-mile loop, there was a lot of difficulty with turns and a punchy climb and gradual descend....all in downtown Greenville! 

There was a lot of action in the race and it was super exciting to watch it all unfold for 2 hours. 

Congrats to Eric Marcotte with Team SmartStop for winning the National Crit Championship title - this win (and his new jersey) will go very well with his recent win at the National Road Race Championship! 

If you are ever in Greenville, SC, let us know. 

We would love to show you around (on two wheels) our beautiful, active, 

bike-friendly city.