Training Before the Ride

                                                                                                                                         May 22, 2017

I did slightly increase my training mileage in preparation for the tour. I generally try to ride 3-4 days per week on average, year round. What I did do was concentrate more on riding the bike that I was planing to use on the tour. At first that was my MTB, but beginning March 3rd, that was my new touring bike. I did this to help get my body used to the bike and the riding position. Also, with the new touring bike, I wanted to make sure that there were no mechanical issues with the bike, nor issues with bike fit; like seat height, the saddle comfort, handlebar position, etc. All worked out well.

Below is a map showing my rides in and around St George from February 8th, after we moved into the new house, thru May 21st 2017. To help make my training more interesting, I am attempting to ride every paved road in the St George area. I am now well over halfway to completion. The big remaining gaps are to the far NW, in Ivins and Kayenta, and to the far ENE in the Washington/ Hurricane area.

The map below shows 46 separate rides totaling 1540 miles, with a duration of 124 hours (5+ days). My relatively slow average speed of 12.45 mph reflects the many stops, turns and cul-de-sacs of the city streets ridden, plus the high weights and wide tires of the MTB and Touring bikes, plus the challenging terrain. My fastest average speed of 15.9 mph was on a group ride up to the small town Veyo and back (the purple line in the upper left). This was one of the few rides that I did on my road bike. The only other ride on the road bike, also a group ride, was the longest ride. It was 80 miles round trip up to Pine Valley (the magenta line to the north).

St George Area Bike Rides, Early 2017; Looking Approx NNW from the Arizona/Utah Border

All of the roads I have ridden, as shown in the picture above, are paved, with an occasional section of gravel road . However, after our tour, I will break out the MTB and start adding the many great dirt/gravel and single track trails that the area is known for. I did do some fun MTB rides prior to Feb 8th, but I did not record them.

Mike