A few of my teammates and I did the Emmett Rd, South Slope, Emmett–Horseshoe Bend loop today. Even though we waited until 11:00 AM to start, it was still a bit chilly for me the first couple hours. We rode tempo for the first hour with a blowout effort when we reached the backside of Little Freezeout on Emmett Rd. We took it easy on South Slope then stopped in Emmett. A few headed south back to Eagle while a remaining group of seven hit Black Canyon. It was warmer there and we actually had a tailwind! We kicked it up and things broke apart giving me the opportunity to do a 16-minute LT interval (295 watts).

After a quick stop in Horseshoe Bend it was time for the last big effort, Old Horseshoe Bend Hill. I had been eating and drinking well and I hoped to have good power on the hill. Power was decent but the prior three hours with those efforts had taken it’s toll. I managed “only” 287 watts for a sluggish time of 28:41. Yes, that means we had another headwind…can’t we ever hit the hill with a tailwind! Even though I’m anal about wiping my tires when I go through crap, I still managed to get a flat by the Shadow Valley Golf Course. I performed a quick change, but the pump I had on my bike is years old and didn’t pump very well. So I only put in enough pressure to make it home. I was totally wasted by the time I got to my house, but I still managed to wash a couple bikes after taking in some food. It feels like a long day so I hope I can sleep like a baby tonight!