It was a week of tests for the Junior team, as we used a mid-summer intensity block to check out progress. Mountain Camp and Mini Mountain Camp were big stressors…the goal was to train hard, train long, and get tired. Then, recover and rest in such a way that the team saw an increase in fitness. This week was the test of that process.
On Tuesday, we began the newest iteration of the Double Pole Test. The MNC DP Test 2.0!
Our very first DP test was held at Greystone, the steady climb off of Cochran Road. It ended where the steepest pitch leveled-out, and was eventually completed so quickly that it was abandoned in favor of a test at the Range.
Well, suffice to say there is no rollerskiing at the Range right now, and we needed to get a test in. We went back to Greystone, and this time I mapped a course that went all the way to the highest point before the road began to dip downward. Yes, it’s a little bit flatter at the top, but it’s a 1km test that in some ways is even tougher than the Range one. It doesn’t have any “wall-esque” pitches, but it is a nearly consistent and relentless grade for that 1 kilometer, meaning there’s no rest and no let-up. Your core, arms, legs, and aerobic system just get steadily pummeled until you’re done. It’s great to see how people look at the start and the higher portions only a few minutes later…
In what we predict will be a fall of “Virtual Racing”, we are trying to create Strava segments of some of our tests, timetrials, and favorite loops/climbs
MNC DP Test 2.0: Stava Map and Segment Link
The test for the Juniors went well, with the course records being set for the first time as 4:25 (Women, Ava Thurston) and 3:35 (Men, Kai Richter).
Perry and I were able to capture some video footage both during the test and during some intervals after the group had finished the main event:
Meanwhile, over at Allen Brook the other groups were being run through a DP test of their own! The climb up Lawnwood is a notorious stretch of rollerski pavement, and while not as steep or brutal, this group took to it for their version of the DP testing protocol.
We’ll use the times for the tests, along with video footage, to look for improvements when we next complete the test. Both tests are also segments on Strava, so the challenge is out there for any other rollerskiers to give it a go!
Next up was the Bolton Uphill Test on Saturday. It was sunny, humid and hot, but not the worst we’ve seen. What WAS different was the race format. We chose to hold the race as an individual start competition to keep away from being a crowd on the trails. This proved to be a good move as plenty of folks were out hiking and we avoided mobbing the popular trail. Things felt a little different but it seemed like nobody had trouble pushing themselves…it’s quite hard to even complete this test without pushing yourself, so no matter what you’re in for a good workout.
The big note of the day was Ava absolutely DECIMATING the previous athlete course record (which, by the way, she set earlier this summer). It went from 16:33 to 15:29 with a big stamp of SEND. Naturally there was Ben and Jerry’s involved for the record-breaking, but it was so cool to see so many of the group do well that I just made the announcement on impulse that I would buy a bunch of ice cream for anyone that wanted to follow Ava and I to the Waterbury grocery store. So you might have spotted a group of MNC skiers spread out in the parking lot median, sitting on the grass with compostable bowls and spoons all digging into some cold pints in the middle of the day had you gone shopping.
When you have an individual start race, you gotta break out the old biathlon race bibs
Although Ava got the record in a big way, it was actually Virginia who scored the biggest PR of the day by a minute and 30 seconds! In fact, the first time Virginia did this test last spring (2019) she ran a 24:49. This past weekend she ran a 20:15…that’s a 4:34 improvement! Many athletes got personal records that showed that the training is, in fact, working, even if it has been a packed couple of weeks.
On Sunday we finished the week in style with a 20 mile bike ride that covered every type of riding terrain: mostly gravel road, two sections of mountain biking singletrack, and connector roads on pavement. The sun and heat held off for the morning and we covered all that terrain with 2,000 feet or vertical for some of the best views of Smuggs, Mansfield, and the valleys of Cambridge and Underhill.
Not a VT bike ride without a covered bridge
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