Fifty Plus (50+) - Highest 50+ Jersey Photo

I'm in Colorado for a week of riding with folks from another forum (Bikejournal.com (http://www.bikejournal.com/)). Wednesday we climbed Mt. Evans, just west of Denver. At 14,131 feet, it's the highest paved road in North America.

http://www.brucew.com/images/bikeforums/tsl-top-mt-evans.jpg

I've worked on climbing all season, and had a reasonable plan for the climb. It worked beautifully.

I arrived in Denver on Monday to try to acclimate to the altitude. (My home altitude is 500 feet or so.) We SAGged to the entrance at 10,000 feet. From there it was 14.5 miles to the parking lot at the top.

I rode in the granny ring and big cog most of the way. Although my max heart rate is in the upper 170s, I set a limit of 160 BPM and rode along at that pace. It worked out to between 70 and 75 RPM cadence most of the time. I planned two hours ride time and an hour of rest sprinkled in. I'd hoped to ride two miles, rest, then ride two more. As it worked out, I rode one mile, rested for just a little bit, then rode another.

As expected, wind (mine, and no, not that kind) was the limiting factor. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised I wasn't really Hoovering it, although I was breathing harder than usual. It wasn't uncomfortable. My heart rate recovery time was also far better than I expected too. Each rest stop was only a couple of minutes, and my rate wwould be down to the 80s or 90s.

All in all it was an enjoyable ride. A lot of work, but enjoyable nonetheless. At the top, the view was magnificent, well worth the climb. And I found myself crying tears of joy twice on the descent. I was just overwhelmed with that "I did it!" feeling.

Good job carrying the flag for the rest of us. :thumb:

Ta Da! A man with a plan. Way to go. Chalk one up for the old guys.

Ta Da! A man with a plan. Way to go. Chalk one up for the old guys.

...and gals. Way to go!! What's next, MTB on Everest? :D

I'm impressed that you dealt with the altitude so quickly. Going from 500' to 10,000' & then riding up to 14,000+ within 3 days is not something that everyone can do.

When I was out there a couple of years ago, I was hiking at 12,000' and was fine. But a couple of days later, I was up on Pikes Peak at 14,000' and had some problems. I was really surprised at the difference between 12,000 and 14,000.

Nice job, tsl. Looks as if it may have been chilly at the top.

View looks awesome!

How fast on the descent?

I'm impressed that you dealt with the altitude so quickly. Going from 500' to 10,000' & then riding up to 14,000+ within 3 days is not something that everyone can do.

I'm amazed, actually. I was all prepared to bail out after mile or two, but I felt good all the way up.


Nice job, tsl. Looks as if it may have been chilly at the top.

View looks awesome!

How fast on the descent?

I was cold. I took three jerseys, originally for separate photos, but ended up wearing all three and the jacket you see on the bike.

The descent was less than 30 all the way, and less than 25 for most of it. Two reasons: 1) No shoulder or guard rail, coupled with gusty crosswinds. I hugged the double-yellow most of the way. 2) Bad pavement. I was afraid the bike would start shedding parts.


...and gals. Way to go!! What's next, MTB on Everest? :D

Not for me, but there is an MTB tour of the Himalayas...

Wow, looks like a beautiful ride...congrats for making it to the top!

Wow, I'm impressed! You did a great job planning your ride, setting your limits and staying within them.

We should have a contest of favorite photo with a 50+ jersey -- yours should win.

That 50+ jersey sure looks good at the top of the mountain. Nice ride report.

Great shots! Keep em coming. :thumb:

Very nice picture. And good job on the ride -- impressive!

Awesome. Thanks. Maybe someday. Thanks again.

Wow! The one time I rode up that mountain was on a motorcycle that was "running out of wind" by the time it wheezed to the top. I can't imagine doing that on my own leg & lung power. My hat (helmet?) is off to you.

Awesome achievement TSL. Congratulations. I'd say you should definately hold the record for the highest 50+ jersey photo.

TSL...You Da MAN Nice job and congrats on the great ride. :thumb:

tsl...Those Super Legs

tsl...Those Super Legs

:roflmao2: That's not what it meant, but that's what it means now! Thanks Lenny!

Way to go! TSL!

It's tough to walk, hike or climb at that altitude let alone ride the bike. I always found it much easier in a helicopter and we still couldn't land!

Congrats - but, ain't that ride back down just awesome? No pedalling whatsoever!

And the thing is he is just a little guy, I don't know where at that power comes from.

I'm looking forward to tomorrows ride when I get to ride some with TSL!!!

We rode today but I stayed in the rear of the pack to make sure no one got lost or left behind so I didn't see much of TSL.

You da climbin goat!

Amazing feat!

A lifetime memory and one hell of an achievement...your training plan must have been spot on. A question....that looks like a WoundUp fork on your Trek (at least it looks so on my aging CRT monitor). I've been thinking of building up a bike with a 1 inch threaded headset....and WoundUp are one of the few usable forks I can find.

Your impressions of the fork?

Well Done. :) Now pick up the bike and walk the 164 feet up to the true Summit. I did that with my Miyata 1000.

Good job! I've dreamed about that road. The race up there just happened on the 19th. The racers don't ride back down, they get in a car. Ageless Jeannie Longo won the women's 1-2 and Deadly Nedly came in 5th for the men.
http://www.bicyclerace.com/

Great picture, tsl. Congratulations on climbing that mountain:thumb:

A question....that looks like a WoundUp fork on your Trek (at least it looks so on my aging CRT monitor). I've been thinking of building up a bike with a 1 inch threaded headset....and WoundUp are one of the few usable forks I can find.

Your impressions of the fork?

That's a Bontrager clone of a WoundUp. Same concept, though--carbon tubes bonded to an aluminum fork crown and dropouts. It's the only carbon fork I've ridden, so I have nothing to compare it to. Compared to the CroMo fork on my other bike, it's a dream. :love:

The one on my bike is the Satellite Elite (http://bontrager.com/model/05028/en) and is disk brake specific. They make one for cantis or V-brakes too, the Satellite Switchblade (http://bontrager.com/model/06248/en). Unfortunately, both are 1 1/8 threadless.

Great picture, tsl. Congratulations on climbing that mountain:thumb:

Thanks. Hey, Beverly, when is (was?) your trip around Lake Erie?

Well Done. :) Now pick up the bike and walk the 164 feet up to the true Summit. I did that with my Miyata 1000.

I rode with two other guys, and that's what one of them did.

What was truly amazing is that there are bike racks up there. They don't have them at my grocery store, but they do at the top of a frickin' mountain.

Well done! I was out there for the Triple Bypass ride and did okay on that. Like you I was surprised at riding (in my case) up to 12,000 feet 2 days after arriving in Denver since I live at 300 feet. I had hoped to rest a few days, then try Mt. Evans, but just didn't have time on this trip.

I did what you did, picked a HR that was below what I thought I could sustain (about 155-160 for me) and just held that on the climbs.

If you live at ~sea level, I don't really know how to train for things like this, except to do a lot hill climbs and then ride conservatively.

Nice photo!

Great ride and great pic! Just curious tsl, you mentioned that you rode your granny most of the way, what were the gears? Thanks

Great ride and great pic! Just curious tsl, you mentioned that you rode your granny most of the way, what were the gears? Thanks

30F/27R I ran my 16-27 cassette, which jams a whole bunch o' gears into the low end. That made it easy to have exactly the right gear for each part of the climb.

Great job, tsl.
I don't know how people go from sea level to altitude. I go to western CO - Grand Junction - to visit the in-laws and I can never ride to 10,000 ft without stopping every 1/4 mile to let the heart rate drop. It's a little easier by the end of the week but I still have to stop often above 8,000. I can't imagine 14,000.

Am I the only child of our era who misinterpreted the "high" in this title?

What an accomplishment!

Thanks. Hey, Beverly, when is (was?) your trip around Lake Erie?

We are leaving August 16th for nine days of riding almost around the lake. We're starting in Windsor, ON and plan on 55-60 miles a day with a day off to visit the Niagara Falls area. We'll make it back into Ohio but will probably quit around the Cleveland area to return home. A couple of the members aren't retired and one couple has some previous commitments. I'm not retired either but screw the company!

We had a meeting of the group yesterday to finalize plans. I'm getting anxious to get on the road. I've decided to take the Trek touring bike.....this will be a good trip for it. The tent is setup on my enclosed patio getting a good coat of seam sealer and water-proofing.

Congrats! I've done the ride and it is a real accomplishment. Live in Boulder, Co and still when I get to 13,000ft it is super granny gear all the way. Did you see any of the high mountain sheep? You have done something very difficult. Your trip sounds like a great success. I'll check out your journal.

I guess now we need a 50+er to ride Death Valley so they can claim the Lowest 50+ Jersey.

http://www.brycekintigh.com/images/death_valley_lowest_elevation.JPG

Hint... Maybe it's better to wait till it gets cooler.

Just got off the train and back home. It was great to ride around Denver on Monday, roll the bike into an Amtrak Bike Box, then here, roll it out of the box, put the pedals and bars back on, then ride home from the station.


I can never ride to 10,000 ft without stopping every 1/4 mile to let the heart rate drop.

I'm as amazed as anyone. I did take the train, so that gave me two days to elevate to Denver, then overnighted in Denver, I rode 56 miles on the Denver bike paths, and overnighted again before tackling Evans. No sure what, if any of that, made a difference. On the other hand, I'm working with only 1½ lungs and only quit smoking (after 35 years) 20 months ago. So I shouldn't be able to breathe at sea level!


Am I the only child of our era who misinterpreted the "high" in this title?

No, that ran through my head when titling the thread.


Congrats! I've done the ride and it is a real accomplishment. Live in Boulder, Co and still when I get to 13,000ft it is super granny gear all the way. Did you see any of the high mountain sheep? You have done something very difficult.

Thanks. No, I didn't see any sheep. A guy I was with pointed them out, but my distance vision sucks beyond 100 yards or so. What he said were sheep were for me, indistinguishable from rocks.


I guess now we need a 50+er to ride Death Valley so they can claim the Lowest 50+ Jersey..

One of the guys I rode with last week (although on a different ride than the Evans one) did them both in the same month a couple of years ago.

Thanks again for all the congrats. It just shows what a little training and determination can accomplish.