The second day of the camp kicked off early since we all wanted to head over to the pool for a morning swim. I was a bit disappointed to hear the alarm at 5:20, but we do what we can to keep each other honest. Gordo came up with the main sets this morning for the amigos. The send offs varied, but our lane (Mark P, Gordo and I) went with (times in yards):

400 w/up
4 x 200 on 2:45
3 x 200 on 2:40
2 x 200 on 2:35
1 x 200 on 2:30
2 x 200 on 2:35
3 x 200 on 2:40
4 x 200 on 2:45
200 c/d

The set flew by and I expected it to be a lot less enjoyable than it actually was. With that out of the way we all headed back to hotel to have a quick breakfast before the 8:45 rollout.

Today's session was not a long ride, but it was still quite a difficult one. It was all about summiting Mt. Figueroa: a 10 mile climb with 7% avg grade (as much as 18%) with rough roads and sections of dirt/sand (4100 vertical feet).

It took about an hour to roll out to the base of the climb so everyone should have been thoroughly warmed up. After stripping some additional clothes and eating a snack we got ready to start the climb.

The rides are divided into four groups (A,B,C,D) based on ability levels, but we had a mass start for this particular section. Things got rolling from the get go and and I knew from the start that I would not be able to hang with the front group today. Mat and Gordo looked to be in the hunt for the KOM points so I wished them well (in my head) and settled into my own pace. From there it was pretty much a solo mission and I spent most of the time wishing I had a 27 on the back (and even a 34 on the front), but I felt good at any rate.. Gordo and Mat took 1st and 2nd place in the KOM camper points and I rolled up a few minutes later to take the third place KOM points. They both rode very, very well and I was really psyched to see the two of them stamp their authority on the day. It was also great to see three_triathletes_take the top three spots for the day. Nice to know we can hang with some roadies.

After a hairy descent we rolled back to Solvang in beautiful, sunny weather. We only covered 50 miles (3:15 ride time), but I still logged a TSS of 200 so it was pretty solid. Mat and I ran about 5 miles off the bike and called it a (good) day.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here were the times from Tuesday's Time Trial for our group.

Mark P 17:56
Justin 17:57
Gordo 18:03
Mat 18:11
Alan 20:xx

Wednesday is an easier day before the final two big days.

All for now,