With the holidays upon us and 2025 almost coming to an end, my coach decided to fly in from Germany to do some lacrate testing on his American athletes. Testing was going to be held in Tucson Arizona. Im lucky enough to have a few friends who also train with the same coach so we all decided to get an Airbnb together. The plan was to complete testing but to also have our own cycling camp. Ending the camp with an epic attempt at trying complete the Tour De Tucson 102 race in less than 4 hours. To be able to do that it would take an avg of 25.5 miles per hour on a handcycle. Now, if it was just me by myself I dont think I could complete this course in that time but since we had 5 athletes down for the camp we could pace off of each other. Use drafting to help keep speeds up and efforts to a minimal. Then maybe, just maybe it would be possible. Last but not least we had plans on climbing to the top of Mount Lemmon to an elevation of over 9000 feet with over 7000 feet of climbing. This climb was going to be the longest and highest ive ever climbed in one day. So it was going to be a packed week of training.
The day I arrived in Tucson was filled with unpacking and a really short ride to make sure the bike was in great training condition. Day two would be testing day. This was my first time testing with my coach, Ralf, in person. To my knowledge he has held similar camps with testing in years past. Ralf also had a small Airbnb where all testing was going to be held. He was able to set up a small trainer, testing gear, laptop, and two athletes in a space just big enough to administer testing. It was really cool to see all of the science behind his methods of training. Being able to sit down face to face and finally pick the brain of my coach made me believe even more in the direction of my current training. After chatting for a bit we got to my lactate testing which went really well. Results showed I’m continuing to improve my threshold and for November my fitness is very good.
The Mount Lemmon ride would follow testing day. There would be 3 of us that would attempt this ride on this day. I was preparing for a big day on the bike up to 5 or 6 hours of riding. Somewhere around 70 miles of riding with over 7000 feet of elevation gain. Mount Lemmon is an iconic bicycle route that has been a common training grounds of many pro cyclists and triathletes. Warm weather and beautiful views make this a climb you have to do at least once in your life. The weather in Tucson for this week had been actually a little cold for that time of year. We made plans to bring wind vests and long sleeve jerseys to the top of the climb just in case it was a little cold. We thought we were prepared, turns out we were not haha. From the beginning of the climb its a beautiful desert scenery that gradually transitions into looking at clouds over cliffs. The winding mountain roads always revealing just a little more beauty as you continue to climb higher and higher. I was feeling great for the first few hours of the climb. To be honest I was climbing better than I really ever have. Then as I kept creeping to higher elevations my power slowly dropped. Which was actually expected. However, what wasn’t expected is how cold is started to get. Every time I would ride around to the shady part of the mountain it would be freezing cold air. Then shortly after that you’d ride into a sunny part and it was hot. It was Then I knew the top of this climb could be quite eventful. Oh man was I right. Once we were all above 7000 ft the temperatures dropped alot. A ride that started in the 70s was now in the low 40s. All of the sudden this gorgeous ride turned into one of the worst few hours on a bike. We all continued to climb determined to finish the route and make it to the top. Rain and hail begin to fall down on us while the tempature also continues to drop. Reaching the top now wet, in short sleeve jerseys, no gloves, no way to go inside and get warm, and the temperature is now 37 degrees. Luckily we brought money so we ordered some coffee and asked a group of people if they could go into a store and buy us gloves. They did us that favor so now we have hot coffee, gloves, and I was able to change into a long sleeve jersey. Jokes on me that didnt matter it was still freezing. We were all shivering with our hands darn near numb. Didn’t matter it was time to get down that mountain as fast as we could. No matter what we were going to be suffering so why not suffer while at least descending down the mountain. Back into the sunny Arizona weather we came from. Racing down a mountain is always half the fun of climbing mountains but id have to say this day I did not enjoy racing down the mountain. I was too cold and just ready to be off of my bike. The total ride this day ended up being over 6 hours long. I know I said it was some or the worst hours on my bike, but it was also some of the best hours on my bike as well. Proving we just wouldnt know the good without the bad.
Mount Lemmon road
Mount lemmon ride data
A few more days of easy training then the last day of camp was here. The Tour De Tuscon is a 102 mile bike race centered around Tucson Arizona. Over 11,000 riders registered and will be racing. With so many people there they break the race into classes. You have the “elite ” class which is for the pros. Then you have the “platinum ” class which is filled with riders that have previously finished the course in less than 4 and a half hours. Then there is the rest of the riders behind platinum. The plan was for 5 of us to try and work together and finish this course in less than 4 hours. From the start we knew it would be hard work. As soon as the race started we had to work our way through thousands of riders. Weaving through riders trying to push towards the front groups. Our thinking was if we could get on a fast group of able bodied cyclists we could hold faster speeds. This worked for about 2 hours until we hit the big climbs. Unfortunately, handcyles just cant climb as fast as bicycles. Being able to put all your body weight into your legs when pedaling is a huge advantage uphill. Also working against us was the weather. High winds were making for slow speeds and rough times keeping the handcycle straight. We pushed as hard as we could but still we slowly dropped off the pace. With about 20 miles still left in the race we had missed our mark. A few of us finished at 4 and a half hours with me coming in shortly behind a 4 hours and 45 minutes. Even though we didnt make our goal of 4 hours it was a good hard race and still my fastest 102 miles ive ever done. With 3000 feet of elevation it was flat either. Ill post the image of the ride profile below so you all can check it out.
