Tucson - Day 2

If I had all the time in the world I’d begin each day with a yoga session. I’ll be up

front. I am the most ungraceful yoga practitioner known to man. However I do

find that it is beneficial and wish I could do it more often.

Our first full day in Tucson began with a yoga session. It would be an excellent

beginning to what would be a most excellent day. Tiziana DeHorney led our

morning yoga session. Tizzy is an old and mature soul in a teenager’s body, and

is one of Jaime’s elite athletes. Along with being a champion junior cyclocross

rider she was also an excellent yoga instructor. The body work from the previous

night manifested itself in open hips and a more relaxed body. A pleasant yoga

session transitioned into time in the pool with Janna. The morning pool session

felt so much better than the previous evening’s attempt. I worked on relaxing

while I swam and concentrated on my breathing with each lap. It was fun to be

able to enjoy the benefit of an outdoor pool. There is just something nice about

swimming out in the sun.

After yoga and swimming there was some time to get things organized for our

“Little Squeeze of Lemmon” as Jaime likes to call the ride up Mount Lemmon. As

I related in an earlier blog, this was somewhat of a defining moment for me and I

was looking forward to the ride. Before we headed out my buddy, and roommate

for the camp, Justin hauled out a bottle of whiskey and we drank a toast to a

good ride ahead. We loaded up our bikes and made the drive over to the area

where we’d begin our ride. After the obligatory pit stop at Mickey D’s it was time

to clip in and head out. 

Our big group ride started at the outskirts of Tucson

and would wind up the road to Mount Lemmon. Overall, this would be a

distance of approximately 27 miles and rise over 6000 feet in

elevation. The plan was to ride until a certain time and then head back

down to town. I decided to head out with the first pack because my

thought was that the rest of the group would eventually overtake me. I

initially rode out with about eight individuals. With the draft that occurred

from the other riders the early part of the ride was easy. After a certain

amount of time I signaled that I would head to the front so others could

draft behind me. I rode up next to Lawrence Herrera, one of coaches who

provided running and weight training instruction. We started talking and

fell into an easy cadence together. After about 15 minutes we realized that

we had left the rest of our group behind. As we began the climb up the

mountain we talked and conversed with ease. After about three miles

Lawrence told me that he wanted to work on some intervals and I

encouraged him to go on ahead. I figured that I’d soon be joined by some

of the quicker riders. Miles passed and the climb grew steeper. I kept

Lawrence in my sights and we played our own version of cat and mouse

as we climbed ever higher. I pressed further still, stopping briefly at Windy

Point. Jaime came up with another rider and we briefly chatted before I

continued up the mountain. A mile further I came upon Lawrence who had

stopped at another overlook. He told me he was going to head

down. Jaime and his rider came up and I rode with them for a while. I told

Jaime I thought the rest of the group would have caught up to us and he

replied, “no one’s going to catch you man”. We rode together a bit before I

decided to push a bit further ahead and left Jaime with his rider. At the

appointed time I turned around. I’d made it 18 miles, further than any of

the other riders save for a small group of elite athletes that took off early. I

headed down and stopped briefly at Windy Point. My buddy Justin was

there along with Wendy, Jaime, and Tizzy. Justin was heading out to

basic training with the Air Force in less than a month so I arranged for a

lady to take our picture together. We threw on windbreakers and then

zoomed down the mountain. Coming down is always a fun break after the

hard work of chugging up the mountain. We rolled back into the parking

lot, racked the bikes, and headed back to the Lodge. On the way back

Jaime and I stopped and he introduced me to Frost Gelato. It was a great

place to enjoy something cold, tasty, and sweet, after a hard ride.

Once I had showered back at the lodge it was time to enjoy a bit of

relaxation time before supper. Justin broke out the whiskey bottle, I

grabbed some ice and some glasses, and we sat on the balcony. We

enjoyed the desert scenery and discussed the events of the day.

Refreshed, it was time to pile into the car and head out to Tri-Sports for

dinner. Tri-Sports was kind enough to provide sag support during our ride

up Lemmon and also provided a place to enjoy dinner as well as time to

shop their store with a sweet group discount. We enjoyed a wonderful

pasta dinner made by Irena Ossola, one of Jaime’s former athletes, as well

home brewed beer and cider by our trip savior Wendy. While we ate we

were treated to a presentation by a rep from Zipp tires. It was nice to be

able to socialize in a relaxed atmosphere and have time to shop. I was

able to test some Newton race shoes I’d had my eye on. They also had

the new model so I was able to compare the two. A couple of the elite

athletes provided tips on how to best prepare the shoes for race day.

Purchases made and bellies full, it was time to head back to the lodge to

rest and get ready for another day of camp.