DAY 6: SADDLE SORES GALORE!

My apologies to the keen blog followers who have been anxiously awaiting each day's installment, only to have them posted late...we have been busy cycling, lounging by the pool and getting massages, so it has been hard  to find the time to write.  (Petrina's note: I think you're doing an amazing job Sandi!)

Today in the hot tub after our ride we were comparing sunburns.  As I write this I am sitting outdoors under a brilliant sun and it is 30 deg. C - remember those days?  They will be in Oakville before you know it!

We rode the New River loop today, 100 kms from our hotel and flat.  This was a very welcome relief after yesterday's climbing, but many of us are suffering from saddle sores after five days of riding.  As we rode along the flats today, in front of me I could see heads bobbing up and down as each woman would stand for relief, then sit again.  Then the arms would start, with everyone shaking out tight arms and wrists, it looked at times like a flock of chickens on bikes in front of me.

We worked on our pace line skills and spinning skills ("One gear smaller!" shouts Petrina from somewhere behind..she has a sneaky habit of suddenly appearing behind you and providing coaching- imagine that , coaching on a bike training camp!).  This week we have also been working on our descending and ascending skills, signals ("watch out for that cactus jutting onto the road!), how to adjust our speed by changing cadence and the pressure on the pedals, improving our "circles", trusting the riders we are with and enjoying each others company.  All the women here have been doing a great job of keeping their lines and learning new skills quickly.

The ride was hot, but we were able to stop a few times for cold water (which did not stay cold for long.) The first place we stopped at was the Road Runner, a saloon style bar.  

Over the past day, a lot of the cacti have started to bloom, like the ones below outside the Road Runner.  It's too bad we won't be here in another few days when the dessert will be littered with beautiful flowers.

After the ride, some of us headed to Dairy Queen for ice cream which was wonderful and cooling and much deserved treat!  Carolyn and Virginia were also on a mad dash for the mall and power shopping.  When we met up with them later they had so many bags they had to store them in the restaurant's wine room!

We celebrated Bridget's birthday at Olive and Ivy where everyone enjoyed their meals and few cocktails.

We are already starting to lament the end of the trip, which is coming far too soon.  And we are only coming home if the weatherman can promise us no more snow, okay?!!

DAY 5: CLIMB ON AND CLING ON

Ahh, the big day of climbing has arrived!  As the brilliant sun rose into a bright blue Arizona sky, we were all receiving emails and texts from back home...something about some big storm, schools closed...snow is the furthest thing from our minds here.

We set off at 8:30 am accompanied by Renzo, Petrina's dad, and Allan.  We lost one rider who did not feel well within the first 20 kms (well we didn't really lose her, she just turned around and went back to the resort). Shortly after that, all the riders stopped to answer natures' call and squatted amongst the various cacti at the side of the road.  Kathy emerged quickly with a "Jumping Cactus" (cholla)stuck to her riding shorts and the barbs digging into her skin. 

Allan to the rescue! He raced over as she was trying to pull it off- wrong thing to do....Cactus removal is something that none of us Canadians knew how to do, until today! Bridget pulled a pair of tweezers from her bike bag (who carries tweezers in their bag ??!!) Darin, Petrina's husband had advised her to do this, in case cactus gets embedded in a tire while riding.  They also came in handy to extricate barbs from skin!

Allan gently removed the cactus clump from Kathy's shorts, and flung it quickly away from himself, as these jumping cacti are known for jumping onto flesh. The cactus immediately jumped onto the closest piece of flesh, which happened to be Petrina's shin as she was standing next to Kathy taking photos. Dr. Allan then surgically removed the stubborn cactus from Petrina's leg and flung it where it would never hurt anyone again.

We continued on to Tonto National Forest to commence the epic part of our ride.  Tonto National Forest encompasses almost  3 million acres of rugged and spectacular country, ranging from Saguaro cactus studded desert to pine forested mountains". Starting at the rangers cabin, we started a 13 mile descent to Bartlett Lake.  True to the description, the scenery was spectacular, miles and miles of cactus and hills as far as the eye could see, the only signs of civilization the dozens of motorbikes passing us.

It was an exhilarating ride down to beautiful blue Bartlett Lake, where Saint Frances (aka Petrina's mom) and Nikki, the wonderdog, met us in the car.  Frances brought out cold water for us and a buffet spread of smoked salmon, crackers, oranges, chocolate, and an assortment of other goodies. We had some goodies and water and then set off for the first 7 mile long ascent under increasingly warm temperatures.

Shortly after starting our climb I heard someone yelling, but could not see what was happening.  Bridget was behind me and being a Good Samaritan, stopped to assist a woman who had been attacked by the jumping Cactus (aka cling on cactus) while taking photos.  Renzo pulled up and, borrowing her husband's cane, extricated the cactus from her clothing. Beware the dangerous jumping cactus of Arizona!

We continued climbing and climbing and climbing....oh did I mention that we were going uphill a long way on our bikes?  Thank goodness the grade was only about 6 percent.  The spectacular scenery we had all admired on the way down faded into the background, as we focused on surviving the ride up.

At the top of the climb, who should  be there waiting for us but Saint Frances again, with her trunk full of goodies! Thank gawd for Saint Frances! And according to rumors, the first thing out of many cyclists' mouths was "Holy #*"+"  that was quite the climb!" It was about 5000 feet all told.

As we stood and enjoyed the treats, we heard a loud noise and we looked up to see a swarm of thousands of bees passing just over our heads, like something right out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.  Thank goodness they were not in the mood to bite humans at that moment!

We all regrouped back at the resort and heard more stories from the ride up. Hardly a kilometer from the top, Allan's frame actually cracked on one of the rear stays when he stood up to hammer, to catch up to someone.  That was the end of his cycling day...a good Samaritan to the rescue, who drove him back to the resort. In a show of solidarity, Virginia offered to accompany Allan in the van to the top of the hill, where she was dropped off so she complete the last 10 kms of the ride, all downhill.

The rest of the day was anti-climatic, we actually had time to lie beside the pool. We swam, lay in the warm sun, jumped in and out of the hot tub, while those of you back home were experiencing one of nature's little April fools jokes.  We also went  one by one to get our sore bodies healed under Athena's healing hands.

Most of the group spent the evening shopping at a local mall, then went to sleep dreaming about our 100 km. ride tomorrow.

DAY 4: HIKING NOT BIKING

After several days of early mornings (including Pearson airport) at long last we got to sleep in.  The previous evening we had been treated to a wonderful dinner made by Petrina's family, including Helen's famous lasagna and lemon cake, Renzo's BBQ steaks, and many delicious salads, and great company, so it was good to sleep in!

For those of you reading this who are thinking that this is a relaxing vacation, think again! This is spring training camp, we have 7 days to work with Petrina and other coaches in this idyllic cycle setting, before returning home to....snow??!!!

Here's a view from a car in Oakville from Wednesday.

We all piled into the Canadian National Cycling team van (at least, it said that, written in dust on the rear window!) with some unfortunate persons drawing the short straw and having to sit in the very back.  First stop enroute to Sedona was Starbucks, we were all suffering withdrawal symptoms from our favourite hot drinks. After a two hour drive, mostly uphill as we gained elevation gradually, Petrina took us to a stunning restaurant at the  Enchanted Resort. The large glass windows in our private dining room looked out onto beautiful red cliffs.

Picture of the Team Van with Canadian National Cycling Team written in to the dust:

Following lunch we set off on a hike to visit one of the vortex's that Sedona is famous for.  After a gradual uphill walk we reached "the vortex",  where we experimented to see if we could find the energy.  The best source of energy there came from our belly laughs as several group members decided to sing and act out the song YMCA". Perhaps this vortex really does make you do funny things? 

Thanks to our late start, leisurely lunch, and voretex finding, we managed to arrive in the town of Sedona at 5:45 PM, just as all the stores were closing. That was unfortunate, but was good news for our pocketbooks! We then headed to the best Mexican restaurant in town, or so we were told, only to find a wait of an hour for dinner.  With a two hour drive ahead of us, we headed back to Carefree and to a late dinner.

While we were gone, Allan, the local mechanic who has been helping out, was repairing two of our bikes and returning them to our rooms. What terrific service! Petrina has certainly planned this trip well, engaging not only Allan's help but also bringing in an exceptional massage therapist, Athena, who kneads our tired bodies almost very day.  Petrina is also arranging to have laundry done daily for us, if we wish. She has thought about all the little details, and several times has gone out of her way for us.  Her family also has played a big part in our experience, and this we are all very grateful.

Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened here:

DAY 3: RAIN AND PAIN, HOPEFULLY GAIN!

The day started early for some keen tri-athletes with an outdoor swim at the local YMCA, with the rest of us all snug in our beds until later.  In yet another unexpected twist of weather, we had rain all night and into the morning, despite the weatherman's 0% chance of  rain prediction. The day's ride started off pretty cold, making those of us who did not bring our knee warmers envy those who did!

Here's Donna, Jo, Christine, and Kathy having some fun before the swim.

Today we did the urban Scottsdale route, Rio Verde, and we were all impressed by the presence of cycling lanes throughout most of the ride today.  Our guest rider today was Alan, a local bike coach and mechanic from the Bicycle Ranch. The lack of 80 kph winds made the ride somewhat easier, but the distance of our ride, 110 kilometres, was quite the challenge for early season.

As usual, Petrina had some hidden "gems" up her sleeve for us, including an 18% grade hill which we had to climb before lunch.  As we compared notes afterwards, all of us were gasping for air big time while climbing  and appearing to weave all over the road as we neared the top.  Fait accompli for all!

Lunch was planned for 90 kms into our ride, so before the ride we were all stuffing our jersey pockets with as many power foods as we would need to get us to lunch! We quickly learned to appreciate those jerseys with THREE pockets in the back instead of two....

Lunch was at "That's Amore Gelato", where we had a hearty sandwich followed by delicious gelato.  Annie commented that the gelato was so good that "if I throw up on the way home it was worth it".  Most of us bike to eat, don't you know??!!  Some of the group members attempted to bribe Petrina to go get the van to take us back to the resort, but she stood firm telling us that all this training is for our own good! (Petrina's note:  I offered to pick them up for 1 million dollars, but no one paid up.)

We had a quick flat change, first one of the ride, before starting our ride home.

We set off for the final 20 kms amidst complaints of sore butts, shoulders, tired legs and other assorted pains, all of us looking forward to Athena's massages and the resort jacuzzi. We are also very much looking forward to dinner tonight, hosted at Petrina's Arizona home and put on by members of her family.  

Last but not least, this writer has been urged by group members to include certain events and stories that have happened off the bikes, but it's probably best that  "...what happens in Arizona, stays in Arizona"

Tomorrow we are off to Sedona for a day off from the bike

ARIZONA TRAINING CAMP DAY 2: MIGHTY WINDS AND LOST SOULS

Unfortunately, the forecast for today was bang on: very strong winds. As we ate our breakfast this morning at 7 AM, there was not a breath of wind ruffling the palm trees around the pool.  According to Petrina, the wind started precisely at 7:30 AM.  We all met with our bikes at 8:30 AM and were pleased to be joined by a guest cyclist , Renzo, Petrina's dad.  

Christine and Kathy talking about the wind before the ride.

The winds were not too bad initially (because we had the tail wind we didn't notice), but seemed to be building by the minute.  We aborted our 80 kms. ride plan and instead started off with a shorter loop.  What Petrina did not tell us is that the loop included lots of climbing (but not as much as tomorrow's 3500 feet of climbing!)

Here's a quick video from today: 

However, some of the riders accidentally missed the turn to a meet-up spot and after 3 miles of downhill, realized that they missed the turn.  We were patiently waiting for them....and waiting....as the wind got stronger and stronger.  Despite the warm temperature, we started to get cold in the wind and the dust started to sting our faces.  Petrina went looking for the lost souls while we headed back to the resort.   Our lost riders only put in an extra 12 kms. And showed up about 1/2 hour later.

Lunch was in Cave Creek, at a great coffee cafe, The Grotto Cafe in Cave Creek. The town is an interesting place....western shops, gun shops,. Western bar/pubs and lots of motorcycles.  Oh did we mention that it is Arizona Motorbike Week in Cave Creek?

As I write this, we are enjoying pre-dinner libations and awaiting our massages.  Oh what a rough time we are having! Off to a western /motorcycle pub called Harold's Corral tonight to experience  some local flavour .  

Tomorrow we head out on a 110 km ride with lots of climbing and gentle winds, but we'll be rewarded with the best Gelato this side of New York. 

ARIZONA TRAINING CAMP

For the Arizona spring training camp Sandi Robinson will be the guest blogger for the week..

Day 1, Sunday: At last, the long awaited day of departure has arrived. Family members, fellow cyclists and colleagues are all tired of hearing about the warm temperatures awaiting us in Arizona, as the weather continues to be way too cold in the GTA.  

We all eagerly arrive early at Pearson for our flights, preparing to do battle with our nation's most unfriendly and unhelpful airline (which shall remain unnamed).  Not only that, but US Customs officials decided to do a work slowdown.  Through a combination of Nexus passes, Elite members and running through terminals, we all made our flights.  Flight was mostly uneventful except for the ever-present intoxicated partiers en route to greener pastures.

We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by both Petrina and Darin at the airport.  All 9 participants arrived safely, then we waited anxiously by the over-sized luggage door for our bikes to arrive....five came, then two more...and finally the last two. To our amazement, Petrina managed to squeeze all 9 bikes boxes into the back of the 15 seater van (thank goodness for inflatable/deflatable bike bags!)

The heat outside the airport felt wonderful, after long months of cold temps.  As we drove to Carefree Resort, we all admired the countless types of cacti seen outside our windows.  As none of us know the names of the cacti, they will be named "the one with Mickey Mouse ears, the tall one with arms" etc. 

Petrina and the resort are certainly ensuring that we have a "Carefree" week.  Upon arrival we immediately sat down for a terrific lunch, and Petina gave us goodie bags filled with treats, as well as personal notes welcoming us.  While we ate, Petrina and Allan, a local mechanic, put our bikes together.  After we settled into our rooms, we headed out for an easy hour long bike ride. That is, if you can consider it easy riding with a full belly, while still jet-lagged, and trying to adapt to the sudden onslaught of a full-on heat wave.  Oh and did I mention that we started off riding uphill?

Nevertheless we all survived and are looking forward to many more rides, perhaps with the exception of tomorrow, when winds of up to 90 kph are forecast!!

The day ended with dinner out at a local resort.  We ate outdoors (sigh it was wonderful) and were serenaded by the night noises of local coyotes fighting over their dinner. Petrina was quick to reassure us that the coyotes don't like the taste of humans. We were all very tired by this time, especially with the three hour time difference, and headed back to the resort, after the obligatory stop at Safeway for libations.

 Tune in Monday night for more tales from the road!