A shout out to The Big D

No, No, No!!

Not a shout out to Dallas!

The Big D I am referring to is my trainer Damian Harris…. intergalactically known as Big D!

(Just as hot and much stronger than the other D) 😎💪😂

When I decided to take on the Great Divide Ride one of my first calls was to Damian to give him the bad news.

Yep, The Big D and his reaction to me deciding to ride the Great Divide.

Once his hysterical laughter died down, he went into full “let’s make a purse from this pigs ear” mode (no purse jokes please)

He totally downloaded all the ride information. He assessed the physical dynamics and we had lots of discussions of what it would take to adequately perform and be “comfortable” during this type of event. He then scripted a workout plan for me.

At the first of the year we began Operation Steve is Stupider Than Jupiter and dove into honing me into a GDR capable rider.

Core strength is incredibly important in any endeavor and we began with basic core strength work

Important note…Damian and I began our training relationship well over a decade ago and he was the one who suggested I take up biking for a cardio supplement to weight training. Little did I know!

Off we went to the DH torture chamber a minimum of twice a week and did fun stuff like:

Turkish Getups

Battle Ropes

Side slides

Pull Ups

Pull Downs

Russian Twists

Elephant Walks

We then went bike specific with:

Lots of leg work

Upper and lower back work

And

Alot of between the 👂 coaching/chats.

Now the big finale!

Today we made the penultimate climb of the ride over Indiana Pass (elev. 111951ft.) from Del Norte (elev. 8474).

I can only say I couldn’t have done this without all of Big D’s help.

And of course the brains behind the brawn. Trainer Exemplar…. his wife Stacey!!!

As they say, it is all downhill from here!

Yours truly,

Mr. Flew right past Jupiter to Uranus