We’re in the midst of peak foliage right now, which means that even when the days are grey and misty, the scenery still can’t disappoint. That was nice to have this week, since we were trying to fit in a lot of big training and saw everything from sun and vibrant colors to rain and clouds. Fall sure makes for some great photos and videos, though! There were a LOT of sessions this week and hopefully some of the media captured just how busy we were.

We took the opportunity for a week without a “race” effort to get some good L3 work in. On Tuesday morning we were still overcoming a bit of the sickness from the past week and missed a few of the gang, but the crew got in a really good set of skate intervals working on staying smooth and working transitions well. Hopefully the video conveys a bit of that, as I tried to take clips on flatter and mixed terrain instead of the usual “uphill interval” style clips. I also figured out how to do a better job of creating and uploading thumbnails to our Youtube videos, so hopefully they are even more engaging…be sure to subscribe to the channel and all that!

Gravel grind on Old Pump Rd

Wednesday was the first “rough” day of the week in terms of weather. We were supposed to have a fun MNC Bikegang mountain bike ride at Saxon Hill but a ton of rain closed the trails. Instead of ripping berms and flow, we went on a foliage tour up through Essex and into Jericho.

As you can tell in the above photo it wasn’t quite “peak” yet but getting close. A few more cold nights afterward helped.

It’s also important to keep fueled during your workouts…so even though we were mostly on dirt roads seeking the finest views and country life in Vermont, we also made sure to get back to the pavement before our crew had to go to school…because on days like this coffee is essential.

In the afternoon, we had a big group out at Mobbs Farm but the weather remained it’s dreary self. With the dropping temps and occasional shower and frost it’s easy to lose motivation. Thankfully, everyone comes to training with good energy and we usually find a way to make things fun even when it’s not picture-perfect outside.

Jax getting his strength gains going!

Things were bright again for Thursday afternoon, when we got our big gang together including St Mikes for some towing strength. We’ve done this workout basically all fall and will continue to do so weekly…we ski up a gradual hill 4 times…if skating, we alternate V2 and double pole. If classic skiing we just double pole. Each week we extend the distance of the tows just a little bit, and this week we also added in two speeds up the hill WITHOUT towing after everyone had their turns pulling their partners. We’ll keep progressing like this as we go along through fall.

We were in for a treat on Friday morning. This is a workout we tried once earlier this fall with similarly amazing weather and sun, and this day was no different. If you’re anything like us, you’re sick of rollerskiing out-and-back on Cochran Road all year…so, this workout changes it up! It involves a pre-drive of the route to check on the “trail conditions”, so to speak, on Dugway Road, but if all systems are go there you end up with an awesome route. Starting at the Round Church, taking a right onto the dirt road at Dugway, emerging into the beautiful valley in Huntington, and skiing up to the town library.

The dirt road is all gradual uphill, the scenery is unbeatable, and the traffic is pretty much nonexistent on a Friday morning at 8AM. Even when you get onto Huntington Rd, almost all of the traffic is headed toward Richmond and is going the other way, not trying to squeeze around a group of skiers. It’s by far one of the most scenic rollerskis you cold do outside of Pleasant Valley!

Dirt or pavement? Almost hard to tell in this photo…

On Saturday, we returned to another “favorite”, this time getting treated to another of the most scenic rollerski routes you could find in our area. We were ready for some classic intervals up Road 101 at Smuggs, made famous a few times earlier this year by both Juniors and Masters alike. This hill is great, and the setting is astounding. We made 3 trips up the hill, each one taking between 15 and 20 minutes. The first 2/3 of the intervals were smooth L3, and then cranked up to race pace once the steep sections hit and the pedals went down. We got some nice footage from this ski:

After the ski we had a nice team lunch down in Jeffersonville, and then headed BACK up to get in a ride and run on the mountain bike trails right off the side of Road 101. Lots of fun!

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Be sure to register for the Fall Rollerski Classic: registration closes WEDNESDAY at 5pm!

• Signup to contribute to the concession table here. Thanks 🙂

• Junior Winter Training signups are online!