Volume, Technique, Intensity, Recovery.

Since my last big racing block with NOW and Novartis for MS out West (B.C. Canada, and Bend, OR)  I'm happy to be home in Montréal for a few weeks to focus on hitting some good training days HARD.  I'll be training at the PowerWatts Studio in Montréal, all over the province of Québec, and even in New England, USA.

VOLUME
I spent a weekend on the Véloroute des Bleuets in Lac-St. Jean for some volume riding.  Steady pace, long rides.  The bike route goes around the Lake, covering over 200km with perfect pavement and the scenery is excellent.  Here are a few articles on my visit in the local papers:
En amour avec la région - Roby St. Gélais (Journal de Québec)

Lex Albrecht s'entraîne chez nous - Serge Tremblay (L'étoile du Lac)
I took the time to stop and pick blueberries after my final ride in Lac St. Jean, a fruit that the area is famous for.  I had a tough time deciding what I was going to do with them.  I ended up creating...these:


TECHNIQUE
Kindgom Trails in East Burke, VT is my absolute favorite mountain bike destination.  I took my 29" double suspension trail machine and hammered through the trees for 5 hours.  Pure bliss!  What a great way to work on bike handling skills.

INTENSITY
Le Parc de la Mauricie the ultimate place to ride in Québec, in my opinion.  I drilled through the Parc with the highest intensity I've ever held before (confirmed by my Quarq Powermeter) with a great training partner and friend.  YEOWCH.

RECOVERY
You can't go hard if you're not well recovered from the last hard workout.  I purchased the Indie Coffee Passport in Montréal this summer for my coffeshop rides.  It's the perfect way to see the city, discover new coffee shops, and a fun way to create a destination for a recovery ride.  Somtimes...I go to two in a row.  Want to know my favorites?  I usually share on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Lex_Albrecht