Wednesday, January 13, 2010

First training ride in the warmth this year

Yes, Ryan and I decided to go back to Gran Canaria this year for some good winter training in the sun. The weather in Ireland has been so bad with almost 3 weeks of snow and freezing temperatures that it was hard to get good training in. We went back to the same place in Vecindario, Gran Canaria and it's weird how familiar we still are with the place from last year; we are staying in almost the same flat and even the owner from the crepe place recognized us. It's also great to do the same rides as last year and compare. And oh my god, it is so much easier to train in the sun - even just from a preparatory and post-ride perspective, I've reduced the amount of individual items of clothing to wear from 31 in Ireland to 8 here.

I was out for 3.5 hours today with 1800m of climb and could have gone on for a lot longer. I also did a bit of a power test up a hill to see where I am at, but I think I am still not back to full throttle after the travel yesterday and the change in climate (over 20 degrees of difference!!), so at least it's an easy target to beat. The climbs seem shorter than last year and the temperatures are higher too (22 degrees and blue skies). And just to make ye all feel even better, I think I'm already getting a tan line... ;)
Anyhow, I better get back to my PhD work or else! ;)

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