Submitted by Bill on Sun, 06/25/2006 - 8:37am
Yesterday was a very nice warm sunny day in Western Montana and on tap according to my training plan was to do a race pace ride. Enter the Mormon Peak Run. I called a ridding buddy, gathered him up, and headed to the Mormon Peak Road off route 12 (about 3 or 4 miles East of Lolo). We rode and I won the world championships passing the world champion 1/3 of the way up the climb. It was a glorious moment.
We started riding and at 5 minutes I turned around and went back to the truck ... then ... the race was on. The goal, was to catch my friends and his was to defend his position. It was a glorious battle but one important thing happened .. I was finally flying up a climb ... like the old days.
My friend had helped me to capture my spirit and it came out in a big way. I was able to get my max heart rate 3 beats over a previous mark ... and then keep going t the top. I topped out at 56 minutes and I had climbed in a gear ratio that previously was only used on the flat trails. I chased him down and went harder and harder and suddenly my confidence grew to a point where I wondered just how fast I could climb up the long climb. Something clicked, yesterday was a turning point, and I finally broke through.
My friend did a great climb as well beating my last year time I had done on the old K2. Todays plans ... going for a ride; What else?
Mormon Peak Run
16.25 miles
4,201 vertical feet of climbing
6,374 max elevation
2:45 minutes
location: top secret!