What a day with the Guys at Endurance Corner!   We started with a quick breakfast at 6AM and divided the biking into two groups…  the peppy group (IM 10:30 and lower) and the friendly group.  The peppy group swam before the ride.  I was in the friendly group. 

We rolled out at 7:30AM and rode from downtown Tucson up to Madera Canyon.    We had a good group of people and only one mishap.  A small collision and a couple of Dallas’ites went down.  But it was a non-spectacular crash.  We were going around 10mph up a steep grade. 

The climb into Madera Canyon is kind of misleading.  When you get to the park it is a slow and gradual climb which looks like a false flat.  The climb lasts for about 13 miles with grades of 2-18% (18% being near the entrance of the park).   I rode the last stretch (18%) with Selina (another Dallas’ite who bike races not involved in the crash).   I was not maxed out but I was certainly not in an aerobic zone.   The last bit of the climb we dropped from 10mph to 8mph.   It was nice when we finally reached the park and turned around.  You could see the distance we had climbed (4500 ft) and it was sweet.

On the way back we rolled out of the park and for the first 3-4 miles I was averaging 35-40 mph, just hanging on and swore I was not going to hit the brakes.  It was a pretty sweet downhill.

I recouped for a bit and let the group catch up and then we started our ride back.    For the last one-two hours I rode tempo with Jeff S. all the way back with some solid down hills pushing 22-24mph all the way back.  Me and Jeff S. finished together each taking some good pulls.  He had a few more pulls than me.

We had a small lunch and then headed to the pull.  I got in about 30min of swimming before cramping up and calling it a day.  Solid ride.  So so swim.