Rapha Festive 500: Day Seven

Distance: 27 km
Time: 1:08

I realized that throughout the entire Rapha Festive 500 I had neglected an old friend. In the northeast corner of Baltimore City is a small reservoir known as Lake Montebello. Around its 2.2km circumference is a road as well as dedicated bike and pedestrian lanes. As it has new asphalt, no stop signs (in the bike lane, at least), is completely flat, and is not overrun by inconsiderate dog owners who think a 20-foot leash is a good idea, Lake Montebello provides the perfect, controlled environment for intervals and sprints. It’s a place I ride at least twice a week during normal training but hadn’t visited at all during the Festive 500 because nothing is less epic than riding around in a 2km circle for two, three, or four hours.

But since I’d completed the Challenge the previous day and had nothing in particular left to prove, I decided I’d head over to Montebello for an easy, no strings attached, recovery spin. I did a few laps hoping to run into the group of five or so recreational riders I call the Lake Montebello All-Stars—generally older riders who follow local racing like most of us follow pro cycling—to shoot the shit, but even despite the favorable weather they were nowhere to be found. It was New Year’s Eve, after all, and there were other things to think about. For me, that included dinner at Cinghiale, a movie at home, getting back to the regular training plan, and putting together a recap video of my Rapha Festive 500 rides. 556km later, thanks for following along on this journey and keep an eye out for the video.

Just the facts: