Got a plan for this year? If you don’t, you need one. If you vowed to be better this year, you need to start planning. You need goals to move you along. You need a carrot to get you out of bed and ride on a morning when it’s 25 degrees out. You need incentive to lace up your Asics and do your weekly track workout when your body is…

In yesterday’s post, I was a third of the way through one my main goals for the summer: Riding a mountain century (100 miles). Today, 30 miles into the Roan Moan, I contemplate the nearly 70 miles to go. Thirty miles into a mountain ride I wasn’t prepared for and I had yet to cramp. For at least the next 30 miles I wasn’t likely to, either. One reason the…

I was afraid it was about to happen three miles into the ride. I had grave concerns at Mile 24, became concerned again at Mile 51, was taken by surprise by the short climb at Mile 63 and thought worried it might happen then, and was surprised that it didn’t during the long pull between Miles 65 and 74. I was certain, though, that it would happen between Miles 80…

I was noodling around the internet a couple nights back when I came upon the the Second Empire Grand-Prix 2010 Fall Series. I started checking the races in the eight-part series, then thought, “What am I doing? I need to focus on my summer goals (a half marathon, a mountain century bike ride) before I can even start thinking about the fall. Actually, Sage Rountree corrects, this may be the…

“Let’s see,” Alan said thumbing through his small white book of eclectic statistics, “he’s got Beech Mountain rated as the sixth toughest climb in the Southeast. It’s three and a half miles with an average grade of 9.2 percent — and a maximum of 17 percent.” I flinched. “That’s the one we’re doing today?” My grip on the steering wheel tightened. It was early Saturday and Alan and I were…