39 x 21

If my racing season is successful I may have to write a training book titled "39 x 21 training".

See, it all has to do with procrastination. Once I started riding my indoor trainer I decided I would put my 11-21 cassette on my PowerTap wheel so I would wear it out since I really don't use that cassette any longer. Since I have a PowerTap I like to use it to train with power, so I use that wheel exclusively for training.

Since my bike is setup for an indoor trainer I have been fortunate to get plenty of outdoor rides in in the last two months yet my 11-21 cassette remains on my bike. I am 900 miles away from home, I have another set of wheels that has my favored 11-28 cassette, I brought the tools to exchange the cassette, yet before every ride I decide to leave the 11-21 cassette on my bike. I come up with plenty of excuses such as "I'll do a flat ride today" or "I'd rather not spend the time working on my bike when I can ride it" or "I have to maximize daylight" or junk like that. Secretly I am going with "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

In the last week or two I found dozens of roads around Burnaby, BC with a grade higher than 12%. I saw 17% at one point. Those are tough climbs with a 39x21 gear ratio. In case you don't know Burnaby, BC is basically on the Pacific ocean. Elevation is 45 feet in our campsite. I keep thinking everything is flat here. This brings me to my theory that my Garmin 705 hates me. For some reason it keeps finding routes back to my campsite that have the most severe climbs possible. It hates me. I am certain of it.