The Season Is Here

Summer is here. Not officially, but since the forecast for today is almost 100 degrees, we can safely assume that “the season is here”.

So, what does “the season” mean? For cyclists, it means that the Tuesday/Thursday World Championships (Loop Group rides) are in full swing. The hammerheads converge on TXDOT each Tuesday and Thursday evening, talk a little trash, and then proceed to pound each other on the bike. The rest of us follow in their wake and just enjoy the ride ...

Runners are also “in season”. Late afternoon runs are starting to shift toward early morning sessions when it’s cooler, and there’s a running event almost every weekend. Trail runners have started putting someone out front as the Snake Patrol sacrifice. In addition, flyers are out for Run in the Sun, one of the traditional running events on the San Angelo calendar. Visit http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/Runinsun2010flyer.pdf for information.

Triathletes are finally waking up from their cool weather slumber, and starting to venture out of the pool and into the lake for open water swim workouts. New TT bikes, aero wheels, and super-fast transition racing flats have all appeared. Striders Duathlon has come and gone, and tri-geeks are starting to focus on their “A” events for this season.

There’s also a new event on the San Angelo calendar this year. The Loco Lizard Adventure Race is scheduled for June 6 in Middle Concho Park (same location as Striders Duathlon). This event will pit teams of two or three against multiple challenges to include kayaking, mountain biking, trail running/trekking, and land navigation. Christina McBride, an experienced adventure racer, triathlete, and fitness coach, is the promoter and race director. This should be a fun event … details are posted at http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/LocoLizardJun2010.pdf.

For the rest of us, we’re just enjoying rides and runs without wearing multiple layers of clothes. The two-wheeled traffic over Burma is increasing, and the “run till you drop” crowd is meeting up for LSD workouts.

For me, it’s a little different …. my cyclocross season takes place in the dead of winter, so I’m doing base and strength work for the next couple of months. My approach will be a little different this year, with more emphasis on speed and explosive strength than in past seasons. I’ll be doing weekly MSS workouts (“Maximum Sustained Speed”) and even adding some VO2 max sessions occasionally. I’ll also race a few Texas Cup road events with the shaved-leg crowd as part of my summer training. All of this will (hopefully) prepare me for a run at cyclocross Nationals in December and the Texas CX championships in January.

I’m also exploring a new off-road loop that will go around the south and west ends of Twin Buttes reservoir. The goal is to establish a course that can be used next spring for a Paris-Roubaix type of race (a combination of good pavement, bad pavement, and some dirt roads). Maybe we’ll be able to finally determine if roadies or mountain bikers are the strongest cyclists.

Upcoming Events

May 8:  Mountain bike time trial #1, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/
May 8: Critter Crawl 5K, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/CritterCrawlFlyer_2010.pdf
May 8: H.O.T. Ride Brady, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/events/calendar.html
May 22: Chips Run, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/ChipsRun_2010flyer2.pdf
May 30:  Road bike time trial, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/events/calendar.html
June 6:  Loco Lizard Adventure Race, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/LocoLizardJun2010.pdf
June 12:  Run in the Sun, http://roadlizards.org/Upcoming%20Races/Runinsun2010flyer.pdf
June 19:  Tour de Burma, http://www.sanangelobicycleassociation.com/events/calendar.html


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