The grade of the climbing portion is roughly 6%; its actually a little higher than if you straight out calculate it since there's two descents between the starting point and the summit. Besides the descents, it is all climb with no flats for resting. I tried spinning at low gear, which was great for a while at 85 RPM, which slowly became 80, 75, 70... etc. Breathing wasn't heavy at all, just muscle fatigue; it was like being on a ship that was slowly sinking... I tried changing positions to relax certain muscle groups (according to theory) but to be honest I was way too tired to figure out what muscles were even activating at that point. Standing to get momentum was pretty much not an option.
I guess my follow up questions are:
Is there a trick to activating alternate muscle groups? Judging from my soreness, the majority went to my quads, less than a third to my glutes, and barely any to my hamstring. I tried every hand position I could think of, sitting fore/aft on the saddle, etc, and yet everything seems to go to my quads...
Is a camelbak a worthwhile investment over a normal water bottle for long climbs, or is it more of a fringe item?
Do you eat anything while riding?
I plan on doing this climb every weekend to get in shape and to become a better cyclist...