The Phoenix Loop and Training

Mick owns the local bike shop here in Payson, Bicycle Adventurers.  He recently turned me on to the Strava iPhone app.  All I knew about Strava was that it has caused a big firestorm in the MTB community, because some riders are failing to use proper trail etiquette while attempting to become the King of the Mountain (KOM).  Nevertheless, I downloaded the app and began using it a few days before the Fire on the Rim Race.  Strava really helped me prepare for the race, and as a result I beat my time from the previous year by almost an hour.

Lately, I have been using Strava to explore new trails, get faster on old trails, and track my progress in general.  There is a loop here in Payson called the Phoenix loop.  It is part of Trail 200, which is a user built trail just south of town.  The Phoenix Loop is exactly two miles long and climbs about 500 feet. The trail is semi technical and a lot of fun. The first time I explored the trail, it took me about 45 minutes.    Once I learned the lines I started to race myself using Strava.

After a few days, I broke into the top 10 on the leader-board and today I sit at #8.  My friend Matt Sopeland is KOM for the Phoenix Loop, as well as most trails in Rim Country.  His time is 14:42.  My best time is 20:06.  I'd like to tell you that I'm so much slower because I am riding a single speed, but the reality is that I'm just not in the best of shape, and Matt is an amazing rider.  Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to fixing the problem, so with that, I have began training.

 My goals are simple, I want to get fit and become a stronger rider.  I'm not looking for KOM's, but I do hope to see steady improvement.  My first goal is to complete the Phoenix Loop in under 19 minutes.  In order to accomplish this goal, my first objective will be to get better at climbing.  I have yet to complete the Phoenix Loop without pushing a few sections.  Typically, I get halfway through the climb, my heart rate blows up, and I end up pushing.  I just never seem to have the lungs to get me to the top.  I know its only 500 feet, but there is some exciting single track leading into the climb.

I recently created a training schedule that I hope will help me improve my endurance.  The schedule includes a lot of intervals and a lot of climbing.  The plan does not necessarily involve riding long distances, rather I'll be riding short sections at 85-95% effort.  I plan to ride 5 days this week and then race myself on the Phoenix Loop at the the end of the week.  Again, I'm just pushing myself with the ultimate goal of getting in better shape and improving my overall riding ability.  I'll post the results here if and when I start to see some improvement.

The Phoenix Loop

The Leader-board