Heather and I headed out with a small group of neighbors and friends today for a long ride. We rode with Dan, Brent, Don, Kurt and Mark most of whom are training for LotoJa which is two weeks from now. We rolled out at 7:00 AM when it was still fairly cool but we knew we’d be out there for a long time so starting that early was a good thing. I wanted to get some Level 6 work done early in the ride so I did 6×30 second intervals with 5 minutes recovery. Power was good for a few of them, but since I didn’t wear gloves my hands were so cold I couldn’t shift properly to keep my power up on all of them. Compared to last time I did L6 work these intervals were okay, but I know if I tried them when I was warmer power would have been much better.

After that, I just rejoined the group and rotated with them taking some good hard pulls when I was at the front. We stopped in Emmett, then continued to Horseshoe Bend. Seemed like there was a Harley poker run going on as we were passed by what seemed like 100 Harleys. After another stop in Horseshoe Bend it was interval time. I was still feeling good and I used my power meter to pace me and ended up with my best YTD power for the hill. My time, on the other hand, was about 20 seconds slower than Wednesday’s ride, mainly due to the headwind in the last half-mile of the climb. Once I reached the top I turned back down and joined up with the others. We pushed the descent and false flat then finally eased up at Beacon Light Rd. My legs were toasted by then and I was glad the ride was almost over. Based on my power data this was the second hardest ride all year. I knew it felt hard!