March 2008 Training Rides

102 km. Albuquerque New Mexico 67F mostly sunny March 15

My wife Elaine traveled with me on a ten day road trip road trip to Albuquerque. Saturday she spent the day shopping and I did a 100K ride. The weather was spectacular and we both got what we wanted out of the day. I got in a great training ride and Elaine bought $500 worth of clothes for $200. What a deal!

21 km. Albuquerque New Mexico 40F sunny March 16

20 km. Plateau Texas 78F sunny March 27

102 km. Rio Grande River Trail, Albuquerque New Mexico 68F sunny March 28

84 km. Arches National Park, Moab Utah 70F partly sunny March 30

Spent the day in Moab Utah, the "Mecca" of mountain biking. The town of Moab was absolutely full of mountain bikes, taking advantage of the world class trails and all the area slick rock. Springtime is prime season here as the daytime temperatures in July and August routinely climb over 100F. There were a few roadies, like myself, about 30 or 40 in number, mostly in Arches National Park, about five miles north of town. The Park has about 47 miles of paved road, great for cycling. The town of Moab is at 3900 ft. elevation, and immediately upon entering the park you climb one thousand feet. The maximum elevation is 5200 ft. but you lose and then gain this back about four or five times, for a vertical climb of over 5000 ft. for the day with the steepest grade of 9%. The whole area has a surreal feel to it, almost like being on another planet! An extremely tough, but exhilarating day!