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08-05-07, 11:42 PM
I decided today was the day that I take on Mt Diablo. I wanted to see how fast I could make it to the top. I seem to be a pretty good climber against some of my riding partners but I wanted to race against the clock on a killer climb... make it 10.5 mile climb. I heard that an hour to the summit is good so that would be my benchmark.
I didn't get to the Athenian school until about 5pm. I could tell I was already in trouble. Clouds overhead and it was pretty breezy. All I had with me was my shorts and paper thin jersey. I ate a cliff bar and hopped on the bike for a 1.5 mile warm up.
The first 5-6 miles weren't too bad. I kept chuggin along, switching from spinning and hammering. Cramps slowed me down for a while but I kept suffering. All I could hear was myself panting like crazy. By mile 7 I am literally in the clouds. It felt good but the winds were very gusty. Finally by mile 9, I find sunshine again and can actually see the summit but it's still waaaay up there. By this time I am curious so I discover that I have 10 minutes to break the 1 hr barrier. Not gonna happen.
Once I realized I wouldn't get the 1 hr mark I slowed down just a bit. I caught some of my breath back and made the final push. I was waiting for this so-called steep part to show up. Once I got there I knew it. My bike would stop after every push of the pedal! After stair climbing my bike to the parking lot I checked my clock. 1:03:15.... I'll take it!!!
I was pretty excited about my performance. I would like to try the Mt Diablo Challenge this October and I want a <1hr T-shirt. Hopefully I can squeeze a few more minutes worth of performance by then. Oh, and the descent was awesome but I froze my ass off. Thanks for reading!
I didn't get to the Athenian school until about 5pm. I could tell I was already in trouble. Clouds overhead and it was pretty breezy. All I had with me was my shorts and paper thin jersey. I ate a cliff bar and hopped on the bike for a 1.5 mile warm up.
The first 5-6 miles weren't too bad. I kept chuggin along, switching from spinning and hammering. Cramps slowed me down for a while but I kept suffering. All I could hear was myself panting like crazy. By mile 7 I am literally in the clouds. It felt good but the winds were very gusty. Finally by mile 9, I find sunshine again and can actually see the summit but it's still waaaay up there. By this time I am curious so I discover that I have 10 minutes to break the 1 hr barrier. Not gonna happen.
Once I realized I wouldn't get the 1 hr mark I slowed down just a bit. I caught some of my breath back and made the final push. I was waiting for this so-called steep part to show up. Once I got there I knew it. My bike would stop after every push of the pedal! After stair climbing my bike to the parking lot I checked my clock. 1:03:15.... I'll take it!!!
I was pretty excited about my performance. I would like to try the Mt Diablo Challenge this October and I want a <1hr T-shirt. Hopefully I can squeeze a few more minutes worth of performance by then. Oh, and the descent was awesome but I froze my ass off. Thanks for reading!