Vacation in ABQ and a high altitude training camp

So a couple weeks back Becky and I headed back home to ABQ. Becky's nephew was graduating from high school and we hadn't been home in a while. I took the opportunity to use the 6 days as a high altitude training camp. I brought the velo vie along and decided to demo a 29er mountain bike while I was there. I'll spare you all the details and instead give you the basic ride details along pictorial view instead.

On the road I got in 4 rides with a total of 148 miles of riding and a total of 7k feet of climbing.
On the 29er I got in 1 ride with about 20 miles of riding in the north foothills Elena Gallegos trails with 3 6.5 mile laps and about 1k feet of climbing per lap

Starting elevation for road rides was approximately 5k
Starting elevation for the mountain bike ride was 5700

Longest ride was 66 miles and with a ride time of 3hr and 17 minutes (see map my ride link at bottom of page)

Now if you like what you see here...you'll have to join me sometime...all I can say is the photos never do it justice.

So now on with the photos:

With 1 hour to go to ABQ Becky and I the Land of Enchantment welcomed us home with a beautiful sunset in Pecos NM



On second day of riding I took to Tramway Rd climbing from the Rio Grande River valley up to the North Foothills Area. The climb is 4 miles long and averages only 3% but its misleading because theres a good false flat in the middle which sucks the life out of your legs. I was also feeling it this day as it was my 2 day in ABQ and usually at this point the effects of altitude are the worst.

 

Looking back down to the valley nearing from the top of the climb

 

After topping out the Tramway climb you have several options. One is to take a left and continue climbing to the base of the Sandia Tram. This is a view of the tram as I climbed up to it. You can see the tram lines which go all the way to the top of the Sandias at 10.5k feet. The climb up to the tram station is much steeper than Tramway Rd probably averaging nearly 5-6% for about 2 miles.

Oh I do love ABQ...bike lanes everywhere. I was able to start each ride safely from the house without having to drive anywhere and took bike lanes the entire way



To get back home I always had to cross the mighty Rio Grande River. Notice how muddy it is in the background. Low flows right now.

 

Not only are there bike lanes but theres also a great trail system interconnecting the city from N-S and E-W. This is the Rio Grande system which parallels the river.

 

And Here's one of the Ped bridges over the Rio Grande which is connected to the bike lanes and the trail system on both sides of the river.



Fortunately Becky and I's trip coincided with the REI Anniversary sale to which we had some money to burn. Antics ensued!

 

When in ABQ always refule with the best cuisine...such as Sadies! Carned Adovada, Red Chile Pollo Enchiladas con Pintos y Arroz! OMFG so tasty...needless to say we brought back some chile stuffs to continue our chile addiction.




The best way for me to refuel after a ride is with a Keva Juice. Keva Colada with a full scoop of Protein is perfect after a long ride!

  

On my Ride in Tijeras I had two options. Option 1 was turn north and ride up the back side of Sandias or 2 was to turn south and go up 338 to Pine flats. Because Option 1 might have some construction I went with Option 2. It took me past the Tunnel Canyon and Otero Canyon Trail heads some of the best mountain biking in the area. As expected on this day the road and trailhead were packed with cyclists doing the same thing I was.  Also, I should say the ride back down is amazing. Nothing like blasting a 7 mile twisty turny descent on a road bike.



 

Yep high altitude...thinner air but great riding and climbing

  

A little water and food stop in Tijeras. Just past the bike are the Sandias.

  



Finally, capping it off was the mountain bike ride. There were some minor rain clouds over the Sandias that day. Made for perfect riding conditions with a bit of shade. Trails were dry and fast as usual. Man that was fun.