Mongo is still thinking of a name for the newest version of my road bike. It's not so much that I enjoy naming inanimate objects, it's just that when writing about one's bicycles, it always sounds smoother to say you had a good ride on "Lucille" or "The Red Baron" or "The Punany Hunter", rather than the Giant TCR Advanced...It just rolls off the tongue better.
"I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough"
(James Ingram)
Mongo had a strong ride yesterday at the 23/2300 Hammerfest...but as it turned out, so did everyone else. A small group of nine braved the arctic temperatures, which dipped into the lower 60's, and produced one of the faster circuits of the season. You know when you look around the parking lot at the regulars of the group ride and you can't decide who the slowest one is that day?...If that's the case, it's YOU!
All the big guns were there..."Cat 3 Sandbagger" MC-Lean, "Former Hammerfest Champion" Clay, "I'm In Great Shape And I'm A Pilot" Jason, "It's Not Doping If You Buy It At GNC" Tom, and three other dudes who were all faster than me up the hills. That's the thing...Mongo is a "Rouleur" not a climber, so this ride really pushes me to the limit on the steep hills. Luckily for Mongo, there was one regular that I managed to stay ahead of the whole way. Considering the quality of the riders and the speed of the ride, I was quite pleased with my performance.
No matter how hard I try to keep myself in denial, I know that the major obstacle in me taking it to the "next level" is my diet. I eat like a Goat...I have no discipline, especially with ice cream and chocolate...But I'm actually in good muscular shape. I literally have six-pack abs under an inch of fat. I am also in good cardiovascular shape, with my resting HR in the 50's, but until I can lose 15-20 pounds of fat, I'll never be able to ride and recover on the climbs with the really fast guys.
Is the sacrifice necessary to achieve this goal worth it at this point in time?...I don't Know.
Mongo had a strong ride yesterday at the 23/2300 Hammerfest...but as it turned out, so did everyone else. A small group of nine braved the arctic temperatures, which dipped into the lower 60's, and produced one of the faster circuits of the season. You know when you look around the parking lot at the regulars of the group ride and you can't decide who the slowest one is that day?...If that's the case, it's YOU!
All the big guns were there..."Cat 3 Sandbagger" MC-Lean, "Former Hammerfest Champion" Clay, "I'm In Great Shape And I'm A Pilot" Jason, "It's Not Doping If You Buy It At GNC" Tom, and three other dudes who were all faster than me up the hills. That's the thing...Mongo is a "Rouleur" not a climber, so this ride really pushes me to the limit on the steep hills. Luckily for Mongo, there was one regular that I managed to stay ahead of the whole way. Considering the quality of the riders and the speed of the ride, I was quite pleased with my performance.
No matter how hard I try to keep myself in denial, I know that the major obstacle in me taking it to the "next level" is my diet. I eat like a Goat...I have no discipline, especially with ice cream and chocolate...But I'm actually in good muscular shape. I literally have six-pack abs under an inch of fat. I am also in good cardiovascular shape, with my resting HR in the 50's, but until I can lose 15-20 pounds of fat, I'll never be able to ride and recover on the climbs with the really fast guys.
Is the sacrifice necessary to achieve this goal worth it at this point in time?...I don't Know.
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