long way to go

With just over 2 months before the 2014 edition of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour kicks off in Colorado Springs, I've got a lot of work ahead of me to be ready to tackle climbs like Monarch Pass, Cottonwood Pass, and Pikes Peak. I need to ride several times a week, even if they're short rides. I need to ride some longer rides and include hills in those rides.

To that end, the weather cooperated with us this morning and I got my longest ride of the year in, just over 58 miles. There were a few clouds, a lot of sunshine, a little wind. There were also some hills that proved that Kansas is not flat. I may have cried a little, so what?

As I suffered up one hill about 45 miles into the ride, maybe 6-7% grade, possibly 3/4 of a mile long, I thought to myself, just do that 10 times in a row and you can get over most Colorado passes. OK, Pikes Peak is not a "pass", and it's a little steeper in sections, and instead of 10 times I would need to do it about 25 times. But those are all details. I just rode 58 miles.

Over the next 9 weeks I need to do several 50 mile rides, a couple of 75-80 milers, and hopefully at least one century ride. To paraphrase a line from a movie: "If the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise", Colorado here I come.

p.s. My Mother pointed out that the line wasn't from a movie, but how Tennessee Ernie Ford ended his TV show. A little search shows the phrase was around long before that, and several country artists have recorded songs with that title. If this phrase doesn't motivate me in my training to ride up the mountains, maybe Mr Ford's signature song will; Sixteen Tons.