SC vs Cambridge Street, Round 1 (Cambridge in a laugher)

"Concentrate on your breathing... you've gotta get oxygen to your heart"

Words of wisdom from one of Owen Wilsons best characters. Dignan, from the movie Bottle Rocket. Even though he's saying it because Applejack is having a heart attack it could definitely apply to me and my attempts tonight at climbing Cambridge Street.

That street kicked my a**.

So i'm racing the Snake Alley criterium on May 28th and i'm very excited about it (finally i'll get to race on the cobbled climb I keep seeing pictures of) my super secret training plan involves repeats of Cambridge Street. It's over in the Volker Neighborhood. You need to breathe when you climb this street. You need to get oxygen to your heart when you climb this street. It's steep, like San Francisco steep, like so steep that when i got out of the saddle the rear wheel was spinning out due to the dirt on the road. It's not a long climb, but neither is Snake Alley (from what i understand) it should be perfect practice.

So that's my plan.

Too bad I felt like s*it while executing my plan. My spirits were however buoyed by the fact that the weather was nice. Tonight was one of those nights were things just felt different. As if suddenly, via rocket ship, we're living on a different planet. Weather is powerful. If you ever find that your weather rocket ship is running low on fuel just pump in some new music.

So, where was i.... while warming up before my Cambridge intervals i was thinking i'd climb it 10 times. The skeptic in me said 10 was too many but certainly i could do at least 5, right?

Wrong.

I could only do it twice. Twice! After that i had a giant fork sticking out of my back.

The cat 4's will do 12 laps at Snake Alley. That's 12 times up the hill. Oh buddy do i have some work to do. Tonight the lungs went first but the legs were right behind them. I figure i can fit in 4 more rounds of the SC vs Cambridge Street fight and by that fifth and final round i'm looking for 10 laps. I'll settle for a decision as opposed to a knockout.

And yes, i'm referring to myself in the third person.

George likes spicy chicken.