Watching the tour

I haven't yet downloaded my Powertap data from the weekend, my biggest ever in terms of volume, but I am feeling ready for IMLP. The timing is just right, as training is just now starting to lose some excitment and feel more like a chore (though other factors unrelated to training also contribute to that).

My running has been going especially well the past week. My run test documented below went great, and then a transition run I did on Saturday was possibly my best run ever off the bike.

I got in an easy flop yesterday and will get in a flop and jog today.

The next few weeks should be nice with a bit more time to relax. I'll be able to watch the Tour, hopefully read a bit more, and start preparing for the logistics of the trip to Lake Placid. I just watched the finish of stage 3. While its winner wasn't much of a surprise, other events were. I'm looking forward to the TTT tonight. Speaking of which, TT bike technology has taken a leap forward. Trek, Specialized, Giant and Scott all have great looking new bikes (none of which are available to the public, yet), not to mention Cervelo's new P4. It makes me wonder how much "free" speed I give up. The gains could potentially be over 200 grams according to test data I've seen, and that saving would translate to about 15-20 W. That would be huge. My guess, however, is that the gains to be had are smaller than most would believe (witness Andreas Kloden's prologue ride compared to LL's and LA's). Still, even just a few minutes would be nice once one gets closer toward the pointy end of the field. Next year, perhaps.

Oh, and I liked Gordo's latest blog entry - http://www.endurancecorner.com/gblog/the_ghost_of_christmas_future. I don't know his complete story, like some triathletes that have been following him for years, but he seems to spend a lot of time performing self-analysis and planning for his life.

Riding environment summary for Birmingham, MI:

Road surface - C- ... Why is the road quality so poor here? There is plenty of money in terms of property taxes due to high home values, and the population is quite concentrated. Is it that people drive absolutely everywhere? Too frugal of local governments? Great variances in temperatures throughout the year?
Route variety - D ... There are basically two routes available, but neither is good.
Route quality (considers stop lights, stop signs, etc.) - F ... As bad as it gets. I can't ride a mile without having to stop. Neighborhoods are full of stop signs, dead ends, and other devices to prevent through traffic. Main roads all have high speed limits, very few shoulders, and no bike lanes.
Terrain - C ... Very few hills, curves, and other enjoyable features.
Traffic - D ... Everything is set up for driving, so everyone is basically forced to drive everywhere. Please go up, gas prices.
Scenery - F ... Subdivision, subdivision, stripmall, subdivision.
Weather - C ... See October through March

Overall - D- ... It's as if urban planners did everything they could to discourage cycling. Actually, urban planners probably did do everything they could to discourage cycling.

Today's weigh in: 160.0. The diet has been pretty good lately, considering traveling out of town for training during the weekend. Right now, I'm eating a carrot and a celery stick.