Jackson Creek Road

Well today was the first day that I've hit my 'favorite' dirt road. Jackson Creek Road is a dirt road that essentially goes straight up into the foothills... it is a relentless climb of 1400' vertical to the gate that blocks access to the national forest. There is no road or trail that I know of that is close to the house, can be ridden when it's wet and is sustained and steep... this fits the bill.

I turned around at the gate today because there was snow on the road past it and I know this route so well that I know that it would be futile to try to go farther. Also, I forgot my bike fenders and with the road being so wet I would have ended up a muddy mess with little additional training to show for it. I only have a few weeks to train on this road because the traffic becomes so heavy once Rampart Range Road is opened up that it is dangerous for me to ride it not to mention the choking dust that is kicked up by all the cars, trucks & jeeps.

I rode the Yeti 575 today because it is heavy on the way up and fun on the way down. More weight going up helps build that leg strength that I'll need for long sustained climbs during races but I'll be doing those race climbs on the light weight Carbon Yeti which should translate to faster speeds and better overall endurance.

I only had time to make 2 laps on JCR before it got dark but the 1.5 hours was worth it. I've got a good base line for my climbing strength now and I'll be able to work on building power in my legs. This training hill is not fun, in fact it is really hard to do and to stay focused. I just keep thinking that all this hard work will pay off when the gun goes off at the (now) first race - The 18 Hours of Fruita.