Wonderful to feel myself an athlete again. With about three weeks to go before the Alpe d'HuZes, a lot of the focus is on cycling. A lot of training, of course. In a good week, I easily spend 10 hours on the bike. Two or three workouts and a long ride. A day not cycling feels like an opportunity missed. I have to be careful to take enough rest between workouts as well. Unfortunately, this doesn't always work out. Fortunately, Amacx Protein Delux ensures that I recover quickly after a workout. The powder is on the expensive side but I think it's the best recovery drink (and tastiest) I've had so far. Never more muscle pain.
Besides working out a lot, I pay attention to what I eat. It may be old-fashioned but I limit myself to three meals a day and normal portions. I have lost 4 pounds as a result. Heus still not a lightweight but every kilo uphill counts double. Eating on the bike is a workout in itself. Especially on longer trips (100+) the bars come out of my nose.Fortunately, I got advice from Matthias. He sent me sweets from PurePower. These are a kind of wine gums, packed with energy and just really tasty. I can hardly stay away from them, which of course is a good thing. They have become my favorite snack for biking.
Finally, I have made some adjustments to my bike. For example, I now ride tubeless. This allows me to ride at a lower tire pressure (3.7 bar front and 5.6 rear) while having less rolling resistance. So more comfortable and faster! I have also mounted a new cassette for the mountains. I will soon be riding with a rather small gear, namely 52/36 and 11/30. This is unusual for me. But since I also train on suppleness, I notice that I can keep good pressure on the pedals at 90 rpm. So up on the coffee grinder!
All in all, I see the results improving rapidly. I am pedaling higher wattages, riding long distances more easily and getting to the top faster. So I am looking forward to the Alps with great confidence.
