Morning Group Rides in Mesa

Yet another reason I love where I live are the morning group rides.  6 days a week, year round there is a group that goes out on the road bikes at 5am.  So far this year I have been doing the Wednesday and Friday rides.  The routes vary a little and the W/F rides are typically the faster rides with the most climbing.  They offer a lot of intensity, more Wednesdays than Fridays, so I have to be "careful" how they impact my overall training plan, but the motivation is great.  On a day like today, with two races coming up this weekend, I opted for the 1:20 version of the ride vs. the 1:50 version of the ride that I typically do.  Today I missed out on an additional 8min/350w climb and two 1.5min/500w climbs.  Trust me, I got enough intensity.  The 1:20 version has 2x1.5min/500w effort climbs and a 4mile/15min/300w effort climb  In between the short and long climbs is a fairly flat stretch of road that typically has some wind and ends up being strung-out after everyone having been softened up by the short climbs. 

 

Yeah it's cold and dark, but LONG LIVE THE MORNING RIDE!