May 2025

Hope you’re all enjoying spring. I’ve been pretty busy with work, training, and TeenTrainer building.

Death Ride is only about 8 weeks away, if I’m honest my fitness is not where I’d hoped it would be, I needed a break and had to dial down the training for a few weeks. My long-standing issues with my SI joint flared up a bit although my rehab menu is pretty comprehensive at this point and I can settle it down after a week or two of really focused work. I should do a SIJ special edition newsletter, I certainly have the content for it.

In terms of goal setting and my thought process for my big 2025 goal was as follows. After Softrock last year I knew I wanted a goal I was very confident I could complete. I did not complete the Softrock 100 for a variety of reasons, partly weather but mostly I was just in over my head. Solo adventures also bring their own challenges, so for 2025 I was leaning toward an organized event. I also wanted something I could drive to. The logistics of Softrock became a bit consuming. Finally, I wanted a cycling event that was long (over 4 hours) but not too long (under ten hours). After flirting with a few alternatives and getting clear on the above, I settled on Death Ride in Markleeville and knew it was the right choice when I realized I was as excited about the training plan as I was about the event itself. Next month I’ll share a few details on my training plan.

Redacted has become one of my favorite podcasts and this one in particular was great, both because the US in Greenland is a timely issue and it involves nuclear power.

From the research world this one caught my eye. Turns out high hematocrit seems to help keep glucose down.

It was great to see Calorify featured in this article on Cam Wurf and his record setting ride at Ironman Texas. It really takes work to train your gut to process 200 grams of CHO per hour, and it takes a special athlete to be able to put all those calories to work.

Is Campy bringing back the thumb shifter? I’ve been a Campy-phile for decades, and their decline (and series of very questionable product decisions) have been a big disappointment. Perhaps they will earn their way back to my loyalty. I really feel like they’ve lost the plot in so many areas, but I’ve also heard there’s new blood running the company and hopefully will get them back on track.