12.09.2009

2010 Primal Elite Cycling Team

This is your Primal team for 2010:
Patrick Hill
Ewam de Freitas
Mark Agcaoili
Marty Guess
Drew Christopher
Brad Winn
Aaron Whalen
Chris Cummings
Evan Gatseos
Jesse Allen Goodrich
Garrett Davis
John A. Matthews

12.08.2009

THE Incline

I've only done the Incline a handful of times and each time I do it I love it yet hate it. There are no surprises for this simple short 1 mile straight up hike yet just before tackling it the mind games begin. Can I beat my previous time? Is Dan fast? Is John fast? Do I go harder at the bottom and will I have anything left at the top? Don't forget about that false flat. What should I listen to help ease the pain? Is my gear selection right? The reality is none of it matters and it just comes down to you vs. THE Incline.

Last Sunday I did the Incline with my bro-in-law John and his buddy Dan who is a former Olympic wrestler. John always turns in a respectable time up the Incline pacing himself to the tunes of his iPod. I on the otherhand always enjoy a little competitive aspect to any sport so it was exciting to do the Incline with Dan who keeps in great shape and is often referred to as the strongest man by anyone who knows him. Dan is very familiar with the Incline as it was a part of the training program for the wrestlers at the Olympic Training Center. Now he often talks about hiking up it with his bike strapped to his back so that he can ride down the BART trail. Crazy I know. So of course I wanted to be the first to finish but I knew it was going to be a serious effort and possibly a huge mistake to even try to keep pace with Dan. I was scared. Dan and I kept equal pace for the first third of the climb until I opened a short 30m gap. Keep in mind a 30m gap is maybe 2-3 story difference with how steep the Incline is at times. Dan tried to bridge the gap and paid dearly for the effort and I was able to slowly extend my lead which in the end became a 10 minute difference at the finish. At the top I nearly fell over in complete exhaustion and I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. You don't really feel the damage to the legs until the next day when you're walking all goofy because every muscle hurts. I'm looking forward to doing it 2 more times this month and each time I'll go into it scared and nervous like I've never done it before. That's THE Incline.


John tearing it up.



Dan rolling in just behind me.


No hiding.



The best 1 mile workout.



Straightforward, steep, short