Game Over

The Tacx i-Magic is a great training tool, except for those times it completely kicks your ass. Then it's still great training, but you feel like tool for being defeated by a trainer. Specifically, some of the Real Life Videos (RLVs, like a cycling video game, where you ride over "real" terrain) can be pretty tough to finish at a reasonable pace. Even more specifically, The Pyrenees Stage.

The Pyrenees Stage recreates the final three climbs of the 2005 Tour de France stage that was won by George Hincapie: the Col de Peyresourde, Col d'Azet, and Pla d'Adet. In three previous attempts at this RLV, I have been soundly defeated each time. I was never able to drag myself up the last climb. All the matches would be burnt, and I would have to get off the bike, and collapse to the floor, entirely spent. Today was my last shot, since the RLVs will be put away until after the Disney Marathon.

56.5 km later, I crushed it. The stars were aligned, my moon was in the house of Jupiter, or some other cosmic confluence of events occurred that gave me the power to not only finish, but basically dance up all the climbs. Either that, or I was just better prepared than my last attempt, which happened right after the honeymoon, and two days after a workout that left me with such significant DOMS that I could barely walk down the stairs that morning to hit the bike. Maybe that wasn't a great idea. Either way, today I stand as a man who finally defeated a glorified video game. I am win.

Training:
Bike: Pyrenees Stage RLV - 56.5 km, 2:39:xx (@232w avg)+10 min warm-up, 5 min cooldown