I was a little apprehensive about spring break this year-a lot of the people that made Spring break great last year were gone this time around and I was horrified that it wasn’t gonna be as amazing this year.
But for every friend who graduated the program, one sprung up that I was brought closer to this time around. The training was hard and intense, the nights were fun and filled with some great team bonding, and the car rides and dinners contained awesome conversation.
After a crazy busy Friday (work, finishing up some schoolwork, and finishing my first podcast) morning I woke up to Jordan and Waverly outside my apartment before 4 am. We drove over to Louis’ and after a few pee stops, a gas station Subway in Nebraska, and a discussion of the Lutheran perspective on birth control, we arrived in Ken Caryl, Colorado.
The next morning we woke up for a 9:30 AM rollout.
The next 5 days were a haze of climbing and TSS, but I’ll give you some vital statistics.
18 hours, 300 miles
1000+ TSS, 12,000 Kjs
25,ooo feet of climbing
The pictures below are in no particular order-just some I took on the various rides. I hope you enjoy!
Jack
How Logan has tan lines this crisp, this early in the season baffles me. On top of that, I’m pretty sure that this is the first day. And Logan is a major advocate of the trainer. In Minneapolis, I haven’t ridden without leg warmers once-but I could be just a pansy.
Spent a lot of time next to this guy, leaner and fitter than ever. The sky was amazingly blue, I think no one ever realizes how wild that is.
One of my favorite pictures from the trip. Sveddy, Calder, Ryan, and Logan.
State champion much?
The descending was amazing. I felt more confident then ever, and on the gradual descents you could roll and roll.
Calder and his snack
We were all suffering at this point and I sprinted ahead to get a picture of Logan and Sveddy. Logan saw me pull out my phone and yelled, “Sveddy, try to look good.” I think they faked it pretty well.
Sveddy descended like a maniac all week and had a little error of judgement coming around a sandy (described later as beachlike) corner at a purported 28mph. You can see the sandy culprit under his feet.
A little snack stop. I prided myself on begging, borrowing, and stealing food all week. Didn’t eat a dime of dedicated cycling nutrition products, except for those we got from our sponsor Bonk Breaker.
Every natural area in Colorado would be a National Park in the midwest, but it seems there’s so much beauty that they can’t classify it all. This area is a county recreation area and dog park.
#SIDEWAYZ #CRITLIFE #GRAVITY
Svedberg and his broken derailleur. He convinced me to keep climbing after I thought I was done for the day, and broke his derailleur pulley coming down the last descent. I rode back to the hotel to fetch him a sag wagon.
Louis had a little altitude sickness at the tail end of the trip. Nothing a little coffee stop couldn’t fix.
Can’t forget Jordan.
Jack Niewold 