April 7th- April 22nd

I've been really busy at work which is great for the shop but not so great for my training schedule. I have managed to ride about 100 miles off road and 100 miles on the road each week. I still cannot say enough about my new GT Marathon Pro. I would recommend it to anyone who does endurance or cross country racing. Hats off to GT! I hope to post some new pictures soon...

Last week was kind of a slow week. I rode 50 on the road and 100 off road. Yesterday I rode at Alva with Russ & Rob. Rob pulled the first lap which we rode at a comfortable pace. When it was Russ' turn to pull, he took off like a house of fire. I stayed on his wheel, and we dropped Rob somewhere along the trail. I took my turn pulling on the 3rd lap. This time Russ ended up falling off the pace. By the fourth lap, I was so tired I had all that I could do to keep up with Connie an Expert female rider. So we decided we were done for the day!

It's been a busy week, so I am catching you all up on my last few days of training.
Tuesday- rode on the road for 25 miles at 22-24 miles per hour.
Wednesday- 2 hr. MTB ride in North Port with the guys. Fortunately, the big gator was hiding this week!
Thursday- 35 mile MTB ride at Alva with my friend Rob. He showed me the new trail they just cut. It was riding really nice considering the very dry conditions.
Friday- day of rest!
Saturday- 25 mile road ride- went to meet the Cycle Haus guys. They went by me-I got on the back of the pack. Their pace was 30-31 miles per hr. so I backed off as my hard day for riding is Sunday in the woods.
Yesterday- After the rain stopped, I met Russ at Boyette. We rode for 2 1/2 hrs. off road. The trail conditions were a little bit sloppy but rideable. Some of the quadrant trails were in great shape as they are sand based. It was a fun ride. We had the pace cranked up for most of the ride. Some of the turns were sketchy due to the wet conditions, but we came out in one piece!
Today- 45 minute recovery road ride. I did notice the traffic is terrible now due to spring break!

Boy was I excited when my new GT Bike was delivered on Saturday. I bugged my wife a few times by calling her to see if FedEx had come yet. Then, I made her bring it to the shop so I could get it ready to ride. On Sunday I rode at Alafia. What a sweet ride-the bike is incredible! The ride is fast and plush. It's hard to find both in one bike. I will post a picture of me with my new ride soon. Thanks GT Dirt Coalition!

Went out for a 1 hour road ride this morning. My intention was to average 20-22 miles per hour. While in the zone, I was carried away by music on my ipod. I was startled when a Pit Bull chased me down Estates Road until I dropped him. Lucky for me!

Yesterday I rode for two hours in North Port checking out new trails that have been cut recently. As I came around a sharp corner, my heart rate was raised quite a bit as I spotted a 7-8 ft. gator. I don't know who was more surprised! I rode for 2 hours on these very technical trails with lots of Palmetto routes. We turned our lights on when it got dark and eventually made our way home.

Sunday Kevin, Neal, and I went for a 65 mile recovery road ride from North Port to Boca Grande. On the way to Boca we rode at a leisurely pace of 16-18 miles per hour. It was a nice sunny day with a little wind. On the way home, Neal received a phone call that he was needed at home. So, we rode like bats out of hell at 24-30 miles per hour to get home quickly. Thank god for a tail wind,and so much for a recovery ride!!!