Monotony?

Part of my base training involves very long rides---around 4 hours or so---twice a week. In that amount of time I can usually ride around 75 miles, maybe 80 if I keep the pace up. This is supposed to increase my overall muscle and aerobic endurance so that during shorter races I don't ever run out of steam.

These rides have a potential side effect, however: boredom.

Living in the middle of a fairly large metropolitan area does have its drawbacks. Traffic, frequent road obstacles like stop lights and signs, few long and quiet routes...etc. Lucky for me, Louisville does have some of the best parks in the country, including three designed by Frederick Law Olmstead and his design team way back in the day. Cherokee Park (just down the street from my apartment) is a hot spot for local racers. The 2.3 mile loop includes two 100 ft climbs that (while not Alpine passes) provide a pretty good workout if done as part of numerous laps. 10 laps of the park counts for 2000+ feet of climbing. That's not shabby.


courtesy KyBikeRides.org


Now, if only it was in the middle of the countryside and yet still a minute from my house...