First Mountain Climb

[Paco97]

I live in the Capon Valley in Capon Bridge, WV, so all of my riding so far has been in the valley. It has it's ups and downs, but also is fairly flat. My town is bookmarked by two mountains one on the east (Bear Garden Mtn) and one on the west (Schaffenaker Mtn). I was able to do a training ride at 6 am this morning, so this afternoon I thought I would test my abilities against the bigger of two mountains. The mountaintop is 1.5 miles long from my house and 1.25 miles of incline . My goal was to try and ride it without stopping or stepping off the bike. I thought that I could do it before the attempt, but once I got started, I thought I would have to stop. The top is 1265' and the start is 827 feet so its about 438' of elevation in about 1.25 mile long incline. I learned quickly to not look at the top, but to look about 15-20' in front of me. It wasn't pretty, nor was I quick, but I successfully made it to the top without stepping down. I did spin about 90% of the incline in my 1-1 granny gear, but I made the climb!!!! It was harder than I thought, but it was easier than I thought also--if that makes sense. I did a nice controlled descent at 32 mph on the way down. Wish I would've taken a photo at the top!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/paco97/SchaffenakerMountain.jpg

[Mr. Beanz]

Keep doing it. Relax and do what you can. It will get better. One day you will wake up and do it in a bigger gear no problem.:D I start hill training by concentrating on getting there. It just all falls together eventually. Then one day I wake up and it's easier! Be consistent and don't force yourself or you will get hurt. Just do it!

There is a very steep hilll where I ride when training for hills. First week or two I must stand to make it up. Later I find I can do it while seated as the legs strengthen. Keep at it! :thumb: