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remember my earlier post "did my biggest climb to date"?

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Well, it can be nixed from the RM database!

Let me set the stage (I'm very proud of my accomplishment, so I'm going to drama it up for all of you)...

You know those sports car commercials where the husband and wife are looking at a house with their realestate agent and they walk out side and the husband sees the twisty windy road that leads to the house, then instantly decides this house is the one he wants? Well, it's kind of like that.

For the last 2 years, since I moved into my current house, I've been eyeballing the beast of a hill that leads up to my driveway. I've ridden down that hill several times, but never had the nerve (or thought I had any chance at making the climb) to try it. It's about 1.5 miles from the bottom of the hill to my house. The climb averages about 14% grade and maxes out at just over 19%. It's the stuff I dream about at night.

Well, I rode my bike to work today, then remembered that my daughter had dance class after school, so the kids/wife would not be home until late. I thought about doing a long ride home, but decided to do a brutal ride instead with lots of climbing, most of which I had never tried before. It started out with a good climb that I thought I had a shot at... wasn't confident about by any stretch, but didn't think it was unrealistic. Then a long smooth recovery-style downhill, then about 8 miles of griding rolling road - the kind of stuff where the uphills are hard enough to wear you down and the downhills are fast enough that you don't really get to recover before the next uphill. Then it was time for THE hill.

All in all it was 14 miles total, done in about an hour and a half with an average speed of 11.8mph. I didn't walk or stop at all. I'm sure at some point a great deal of self satisfaction and achievement will set in, but for right now I just want to curl up in the fetal position.

It's one of those rides where I can't go up or down the stairs in my house...
 
J

JRB

Guest
douglas said:
nice job!!


I want to find some bigger hills.....something that makes me think about getting off & walking
Don't - I didn't have to walk, but stopping sucks. I have done it though.

*congrats, Jackson.
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
douglas said:
I want to find some bigger hills.....something that makes me think about getting off & walking
I never thought about walking... but there were a couple of times (near the top/end at 19%) that I wasn't sure if I was goign to be able to keep turning the cranks.
 

douglas

Chocolate Milk Doug
May 15, 2002
9,887
6
Shut up and Ride
loco said:
Don't - I didn't have to walk, but stopping sucks. I have done it though.

*congrats, Jackson.

well, ok I'll go w/ "stop" instead or "walk"

I have a cheap bike w/a triple..........and its very rare that I ever drop it into the granny......I can only think of one hill that (might) be pretty tough around my area
 

Pau11y

Turbo Monkey
Woo hooo...! man, I remember your first posts about riding and the shape you were in. They were only like since June. Dude, you're progressing really fast!
As for climbs that make you hate life...I get that from climbing on dirt. Some of the trails you just look at and think, "I hope who ever built this thing is in prision being sodomized by Bubba!"
Hey, LO, lets go do Flag Staff this coming spring (when I'm able to get some milage under me again). I've put the double back on the De Rosa...haven't needed the triple climbing Lookout/40 these days. Maybe we can also work in Loveland pass when the snow melts (friggin Steamboat is WHITE right now!)