• Rider Diaries

Garmin’s Will Frischkorn reports on mid-season life in the ProTour

by VeloNews.com

• June 11, 2009
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By Will Frischkorn

Will at the Tour last year.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Editor’s Note: Will Frischkorn is a member of the Garmin-Slipstream ProTour team and writes regular journals for VeloNews.com. Click to read Frischkorn’s previous journals.

Half way already?

It doesn’t seem but a blink of an eye in past that training camps were in full swing and we was off to Qatar. At the time, looking ahead, the season seemed to stretch forever. You look at your race calendar and count the days of racing ahead, and despite the winter-fresh enthusiasm it seems almost unfathomable the kilometers to be covered over the course of the season. But now, somehow, it’s already mid-June, and the end of the year all of a sudden seems to be coming just around the corner. Just around the corner being a solid 40-plus race days ahead, there’s still quite a chunk, and with some of the most important races yet to be tackled; but the fall races are far from intangible.

Before any of that, a big summer lies ahead. After a full-on spring schedule with few breaks of more than a few days between races I headed back to Boulder for some serious recovery. A week with the bike in the back of the mind, just a couple cruises on the knobbies, before a few weeks of just riding and enjoying some amazing spring weather in the mountains. A lush spring with a few late snows — including one the day after I arrived home that prompted a snowshoe adventure far more fitting for mid-December – made for some of the most stunning riding I’ve ever experienced on the front range. As a cyclist, you can’t stay put for too long however …

A couple of days in Fruita on the mountain bike is now an annual spring trip and the trails out there are like a giant amusement-park – it’s hard to imagine more fun on two wheels. A quick trip up to Glenwood Springs to try a little whitewater stand-up-paddleboarding could have me hooked on my new favorite river activity. There are few things like trying to stay upright on a slightly oversized surfboard to make class one and two whitewater seem exciting. And the core workout it gives – think of standing on a Swiss ball for an hour or two. My sorry attempt at river surfing was quickly and very soundly put to shame by my girlfriend, who shortly after went on to win the inaugural world championships. Skills. A family gathering for my youngest sister’s graduation was also a nice treat, as I probably won’t see my sisters or parents for quite a while now.

After a few weeks of play however it was time to put the chin back on the stem and do some groveling to get ready for what lies ahead. I’m pretty sure I can once again visualize every grain of sand on the climb up Flagstaff Mountain, asleep. Brainard Lake, at 10,000 feet, got a lot of love. In addition to the training miles with my trusty Ipod, the opportunity just a few days before coming back over to Europe to do a historic local criterium, just blocks from home, was a blast. It’s always fun to race in front of friends who don’t normally get to see what I do in person.

Now it’s full on summer in Girona: hot days, needed post-ride siestas, beautiful evenings to lounge outside, mobs of tourists swarming us from afar, and some serious hours on the roads around town. I can only imagine the scene when the Tour comes through in a few weeks; the downtown is going to be out of control. If weaving through people just to get out of town now is a challenge, wow …

Next up is the Tour of Suisse, a test for Garmin to see how Christian has recovered from his Giro injuries and for the rest to see how the legs are going into the months ahead. After my break at home the motivation couldn’t be better; it’s almost like the season is just starting again and having that excitement at this point in the year is critical. While there’s only half of it left there are some serious mountains to climb. That freshness is going to be called upon time and time again now before cooler temperatures and knobby tires return.