The Carmichael

There it is, the little clipping from Bicycling Magazine from a long, long time ago. I keep it next to my bike on the trainer each year just in case I need a reminder as to how this 45 minutes plays out on the bike. I've done this workout so many times the routine is engrained in my head.

Again, this is something that Chris Carmichael shared in a magazine article as his quick hotel workout while on the road as one of Lance's trainers. Somehow it has stuck with me all these years.

I just did one again today, meaning I now have done back-to-back Carmichaels. In fact, I began the indoor season in 2021 by doing one of these as my very first ride, something I had never tried before. I always sort of worked up to doing this one. Not this year.

Try it.

Try variants of it.

Like today, after the middle easy spin portion from 20 to 26 minutes I shifted up one, meaning for the second rep everything was UP one harder gear. Easy gear gone. Medium gear became the easy one and harder gear became the medium one, with a new level of the hardest efforts in a bigger gear.

Today totaled 10.4 miles, the same as the first Carmichael of the year WITHOUT raising the difficulty of the second round. This tells me I took it too easy in the easy portions today because my overall miles should have been slightly higher than 10.4 today.

Okay, that gives me a goal for next time; No matter how I do it, put in more than 10.4 miles.

Felt good today, although I was feeling it by the end of the workout. Heart rate was up and breathing got a bit labored. The good kind of pain I guess you could say.

2021 OUTDOOR

RIDE ROUTE--

MILES--

AVE. SPEED--

WEATHER--

TOTAL OUTDOOR MILES--

.....................

2021 INDOOR

WORKOUT-- Carmichael w/second half gear increase

MILES-- 10.4

TOTAL INDOOR MILES-- 31.0