Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - See that moutain over there... One of these days I'm gonna climb that moutain.

Its the small goals that count so much in life. I finally made it to the top of Mt. Nebo. Its not a long ride or even that high but it is extremely steep. I tried last year and only made it part way. Today I made it to the top but took a lot of breaks. Hopefully by summers end I will be able to ride it non-stop. The last little straight stretch is 18% grade.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ar/russellville/629858600

Congrats!

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o260/TomStormcrowe/Spinner%20and%20Clydesdale%20charts/b_young_Mt_Nebo.gif

Thanks Tom,

I think I am going to start printing these off and posting them above the bikes in the garage. I'm sure my wife will love you for it.

Hmmm....reminds me of my hike up Mt. Richtoven.
First time- drive up there and find out the trailhead is still snowed in, can't even drive to trail head.
Second time- hike up from the backside, run out of steam partway up and turn around
Third time- hike up from front side, get to the narrow ridge and chicken out
Fourth time- set around the house for a week thinking "It wasn't that narrow" and go back and make it to the top.
So congratulations for hanging in there and accomplishing your goal.

That's why I make them. :D Visible reminders of your progress :D


Thanks Tom,

I think I am going to start printing these off and posting them above the bikes in the garage. I'm sure my wife will love you for it.

Its the small goals that count so much in life. I finally made it to the top of Mt. Nebo. Its not a long ride or even that high but it is extremely steep. I tried last year and only made it part way. Today I made it to the top but took a lot of breaks. Hopefully by summers end I will be able to ride it non-stop. The last little straight stretch is 18% grade.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ar/russellville/629858600

His legs were a blur, his lungs were a gasping,
His Shimano index shifters were rasping,
As for the lowest gearing he was grasping,
As he climbed that hill, did that Clyde.

He huffed and he puffed and he rode that bike clear
over the top of the hill, and folks far and near
heard him shout, "I'm not even in my lowest gear!
I climbed that hill like a Clyde!"

Congratulations. Feels good, doesn't it?

Congrats man!! Sounds like a climb I am wanting to do one day.

Nice job! Personally, I never want to meet a mountain.

"I bet I could throw a football over that mountain."- Uncle Rico

Nice job! Personally, I never want to meet a mountain.

And living where you do, you seem safe from such an encounter.

"I bet I could throw a football over that mountain."- Uncle Rico

hahaha...shut up Kip

1300ft of elevation change during a 2 mile climb. Wowza. This looks like a great training hill!

I'm jealous.

Thanks all.

Its my dream to ride in the Tri Peaks (http://http://www.tri-peaks.org/)challange next year for my 40th B-Day. But it looks more and more like it will remain a dream. Its about 400 miles in 4 days finishing on Nebo. I may still enter, they can always kick me out for being too slow.

"I bet I could throw a football over that mountain."- Uncle Rico

"Tina, Ya big lard"

His legs were a blur, his lungs were a gasping,
His Shimano index shifters were rasping,
As for the lowest gearing he was grasping,
As he climbed that hill, did that Clyde.

He huffed and he puffed and he rode that bike clear
over the top of the hill, and folks far and near
heard him shout, "I'm not even in my lowest gear!
I climbed that hill like a Clyde!"

Congratulations. Feels good, doesn't it?

With the exception of the lowest gear part,:o I felt the same as the great Clyde mentioned above. But at the same time, on the decent, I was doing 43mph in 1st gear.:eek::D

It's achievable, though.....always remember that. If you want it badly enough, you CAN do it. :D

3 years ago, I was more or less in a wheelchair because of my weight and this Summer, I'm attempting a triple century in a day. If you really want to do it, I'll be pleased to help you plan a training program, and help you with benchmark goals. Let me know.....:)

The only thing I can say is that even if you don't finish, it's better to try and know than it is to not try at all and always wonder if you "could'a been a contender"!;)


Thanks all.

Its my dream to ride in the Tri Peaks (http://http://www.tri-peaks.org/)challange next year for my 40th B-Day. But it looks more and more like it will remain a dream. Its about 400 miles in 4 days finishing on Nebo. I may still enter, they can always kick me out for being too slow.

Its the small goals that count so much in life. I finally made it to the top of Mt. Nebo. Its not a long ride or even that high but it is extremely steep. I tried last year and only made it part way. Today I made it to the top but took a lot of breaks. Hopefully by summers end I will be able to ride it non-stop. The last little straight stretch is 18% grade.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ar/russellville/629858600

Wow...that is quite a feat!!! The reason I say that, is because I rode up Mt. Nebo last August...on my motorcycle...and I have to say it had a fairly large "pucker" factor for me. :eek: I thought it was pretty darn challenging on my Harley...I can't even imagine how much more challenging it would have been on a pedal bike. Congrats to you! You certainly earned it. ;)

Linda

Wow...that is quite a feat!!! The reason I say that, is because I rode up Mt. Nebo last August...on my motorcycle...and I have to say it had a fairly large "pucker" factor for me. :eek: I thought it was pretty darn challenging on my Harley...I can't even imagine how much more challenging it would have been on a pedal bike. Congrats to you! You certainly earned it. ;)

Linda

Great view at the top isn't it. Did you ride Petit Jean as well? Do you come this way often? In the summer there are a ton of Harley Gangs through this area. It really is a nice drive for a bike on Hwy 7.

It's achievable, though.....always remember that. If you want it badly enough, you CAN do it. :D

3 years ago, I was more or less in a wheelchair because of my weight and this Summer, I'm attempting a triple century in a day. If you really want to do it, I'll be pleased to help you plan a training program, and help you with benchmark goals. Let me know.....:)

The only thing I can say is that even if you don't finish, it's better to try and know than it is to not try at all and always wonder if you "could'a been a contender"!;)


Here is my problem and any advice or program will be welcomed. I work in the nuclear industry and we start an "Outage" in a week that last 5 weeks. Thats 6 nights 12 hrs shifts. I am in class for the rest of the summer. Class is brutal and I am usually studying every night. I try to get a 40 or better ride on the weekends. Most of my riding is commuting 21 rt. Next Sept. we have another "Outage" lasting ~60 days with 6/12hrs shifts. The Challange is in May and after Sept I will be done with class. So I could hit it hard then but it is hard to get a good routine in the winter, no trainer.

Overall its just a bad year for it. But on the plus side I will be getting a new bike around Sept IF I finish this class. Put something together and PM me. I am willing to give it a go.

OK, I'd actually suggest short hard interval training for now. I'll get it together for you after vacation and we'll get something going. :D We'll train for for fast and hard and then transition to more of an endurance/maintenance routine. :D


Here is my problem and any advice or program will be welcomed. I work in the nuclear industry and we start an "Outage" in a week that last 5 weeks. Thats 6 nights 12 hrs shifts. I am in class for the rest of the summer. Class is brutal and I am usually studying every night. I try to get a 40 or better ride on the weekends. Most of my riding is commuting 21 rt. Next Sept. we have another "Outage" lasting ~60 days with 6/12hrs shifts. The Challange is in May and after Sept I will be done with class. So I could hit it hard then but it is hard to get a good routine in the winter, no trainer.

Overall its just a bad year for it. But on the plus side I will be getting a new bike around Sept IF I finish this class. Put something together and PM me. I am willing to give it a go.

Congrats. Nothing wrong with breaks on a climb, says the guy who has no real hills except bridges and parking garages.

I hate stopping though. It reminds me of how out of shape I am. I tried to stop only long enough to get my heart rate down, mainly because it was cold. I need lower gears but don't want to spend money for them. It hurts to be tight.

You can do it, if you want! I remember too many riders telling me I was too big to climb. I started climbing then did a century with 10,000ft just to see if I could on my 40th birthday. I did it with a friend that said I couldn't. A year later, I bettered my time by one hour along with smoking him up the mountain!:D

I did my best time that year. 100 with 10,000ft of climbing in 7:05, 7:38 total time including breaks. Out of the 400 registered riders, I placed at # 123. Not bad for a guy that outweighed most by 70 lbs.

I knew others were faster climbers but figured endurance and strength would carry me through. I remember riders flying by me matching team kits flying by me in pacelines at the beginning of the ride. I continued to hold my pace while trying not to outdo myself. The ride climbs 62 miles to the highest point of 8,400 ft. I remember on the early climb thinking I sucked as others flew by. I wondered what the heck I was doing there.

But later I realized I had a big engine so it was just taking a while to warm up. After 40 miles of climbing I was feeling great. This is what it's all about! I passed riders one by one. The same guys that flew by me on the early section of the mountain. Some on the side of the road with snot hanging from their thin faces. This was great! They were tiring as I was able to lift the pace at that point. I remember catching other riders with jerseys from other glorious rides. Most would try to outrun me almost as if it was an attempt to protect the honor of the jersey they wore.:D

One guy hung with me on the way down, 40 miles with only one stop sign. He said," you climb real F'ing good for a Clyde". I hadn't noticed the guy throughout the ride but found out he had his sites on me through the entire ride. Of course I wore my signature Mr. Beanz jersey, the bright orange Performance cheapo. AND the bright orange socks with the smiley face!:D

4 years and 20 lbs later I did this ride. Didn't set any speed records but finished well within the time limits. Lat May, 114 miles with 12,000 ft of climbing. All climbing rides were done with a standard double, 39/25 low gear combo!:D
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/ba6.jpg

If there's a will, there's a way!

Great view at the top isn't it. Did you ride Petit Jean as well? Do you come this way often? In the summer there are a ton of Harley Gangs through this area. It really is a nice drive for a bike on Hwy 7.

It's an awesome view at the top. No, we didn't get to Petit Jean, but we did do all of 7 from Hot Springs all the way up to Harrison...gorgeous road! We spent an entire week riding all over that area...loved Hwy 123, 74, 374, 21, 16..ALL fantastic roads!! I'm from the Chicago area, and me and my riding group try to get in at least one nice, long road trip every summer...and since I was planning the trip, I chose the Ozarks last year. I would definitely come down that way again...in a heartbeat! You live in some beautiful country for sure. I wouldn't exactly consider myself or my riding group as a "Harley Gang", though...LOL We're a fairly normal, non-intimidating bunch, that just enjoy riding motorcycles. ;) I'm just getting back into riding a bicycle this year...going to do my first triathlon in June. It will certainly be difficult dividing up my free time this summer, between riding my Harley and riding my new Trek 2100. :D


Linda

Thanks Mr. Beanz I am gonna try it.

nscrbug,
I consider all bike groups of more than 3 a Harley Gang no matter what they ride:D. All I have encountered have been great people. I love watching their reaction as I give the 2 finger salute from my bicycle. You should see if you can rig up a bike rack on the back of your Hog and take a ride on your rides.

Congrats!

Seeing the thread title again reminded me of another story. For several years, I lived in Loveland and Fort Collins in Colorado. THE prominent landmark in that area is Longs Peak, one of the 14,000'+ mountains of Colorado. I hiked up it a couple of times while I was there and it was an awesome experience. But at the office where I worked, none of the people had ever been up it. They saw that mountain every time they stepped outside, day after day, year after year, but none of them had ever been up it.

Congratulations on getting out and accomplishing a goal.