Road Cycling - Two personal milestones in one week!!! (hills)

Although I have a road bike for over 3 years, I really started riding only at the beginning of this year. Until then I was too heavy to do ride well, and my rides where of between 10 and 20 miles with no mountain climbing.

after losing a bunch of weight (I'm still 215lb! part of a 50m ride) I started working on my climbing. One of the hills I was tackling is Old La Honda, which is a 3.3 miles climb, ~1750 vertical feet, and about 25 miles from home.
It took me a few months until I could climb it in one shot, without stopping to rest in the middle.
All other climbs in the area are so intimidating that I never even attempted them. Until last Sunday: I climbed up Page Mill (10 miles/2500' vertical, part of a 53m ride) as part of a 53 mile ride and made it!!! today I had to try Highway 9 (9 miles/3500' vert. part of a 35m ride)...
Man! I feel so much better!!
I probably could have done those climbs earlier, but the fear and intimidation stopped me. I also learned how to climb better, how to manage my energy, how to relax during a climb, and how to eat before a climb..
Now I am eying some other killer climbs.. :D and looking to improve my speed up those hills.. I'm psyched.. :) another notch on my top tube (not for real!)...

I did my first mountain climb while on vacation in Virginia this past weekend. 2500' vertical in 8 miles (part of a short but fun 27 mile ride). I definitely need to work on my climbing skills but it sure did feel good to make it up without stopping. Going down sure was easy.

I wish I had so many big climbs so close by. And nice job on tackling those hills and the intimidation factor.

Way to go Sorebutt!

Most people just can't get past the fact that all you have to do is ride, and things like hills, speed, etc. become easier! I too, have experienced milestones like yours and thought back, "I should have tried this a long time ago!"

RoadToad

out-friggin'-standing! Those are some serious climbs.

Congratulations on some great achievements, those are some very respectable climbs. The climbing bug bites hard though so be warned! Every hill in California becomes a challenge, enjoy them. :D

Nice work man! I always used to psyche myself out at the bottom of hills, but now I just project to the top of them and just go for it. As long as you have the right gearing, the worst thing that could happen is you'll go really slow if you crack. No big deal huh? A lot of riding is in your head, or a head vs the body experience, as you've just discovered.

Hey, how's the ol Traut treating ya? You should post some pix of your ride.

I did my first mountain climb while on vacation in Virginia this past weekend. 2500' vertical in 8 miles (part of a short but fun 27 mile ride). I definitely need to work on my climbing skills but it sure did feel good to make it up without stopping. Going down sure was easy.

I wish I had so many big climbs so close by. And nice job on tackling those hills and the intimidation factor.

Whereabouts in Virginia was that climb? I used to live in Springfield (just outside Washington DC) and would head out to the Blue Ridge all the time to work on my climbing. I miss those roads; I sure don't miss the summer.

Now I am eying some other killer climbs...The dreaded Bohlman-OnOrbit-Bohlman climb beckons! Redwood Gulch is a nice way to by-pass the lower half of Hwy 9. :)

Good work on building up your climbing skills! It certainly opens up a vast array of great roads if you can climb all the major climbs in the area. Did you head north on Skyline and then descend on Page Mill Rd.?

Congrats! SteveE

We were staying intown in Luray, VA. The climb was going east on 211 into the Shenandoah National Park then heading south on Skyline Drive up to Pinnacle's Peak, 3320 ft. elevation (I think that's the name). I'd love to live out there, if there was some place to work, and if I could convince all my friends and family to move :)


Whereabouts in Virginia was that climb? I used to live in Springfield (just outside Washington DC) and would head out to the Blue Ridge all the time to work on my climbing. I miss those roads; I sure don't miss the summer.

-----snip----
Hey, how's the ol Traut treating ya? You should post some pix of your ride.

My "old Traut" is not even 2 months old.. :) only 450 miles on it.. :)
How is the bike? -- What bike? the bike kinda disappears under me, Like it is not there, like it is part of me. it is a great bike!

BTW, how is your custom job? behaving? :)

The dreaded Bohlman-OnOrbit-Bohlman climb beckons! Redwood Gulch is a nice way to by-pass the lower half of Hwy 9. :)

Good work on building up your climbing skills! It certainly opens up a vast array of great roads if you can climb all the major climbs in the area. Did you head north on Skyline and then descend on Page Mill Rd.?

Congrats! SteveE

I was looking at Redwood Gulch today, but not yet..:) My Page Mill loop is from Sunnyvale/Cupertino, via Los Altos Hills to page mill, go over skyline to alpine, down to pascadero road, to 84 back up to skyline, and down to wards woodside, and back home.. 53 miles, and total of 4500' climb.. (route profile (http://www.litman.com/bikes/08-22-04-profile.jpg))

I was looking at Redwood Gulch today, but not yet..:) My Page Mill loop is from Sunnyvale/Cupertino, via Los Altos Hills to page mill, go over skyline to alpine, down to pascadero road, to 84 back up to skyline, and down to wards woodside, and back home.. 53 miles, and total of 4500' climb.. (route profile (http://www.litman.com/bikes/08-22-04-profile.jpg))Yeah, that's a great ride. Doing it in the opposite direction (except ascending via Old La Honda) is nice, too. Pretty soon you'll be ready for the ride over to the coast (OLH,35,84,Stage,1,Tunitas,King's, and back through Woodside).

Yeah, that's a great ride. Doing it in the opposite direction (except ascending via Old La Honda) is nice, too. Pretty soon you'll be ready for the ride over to the coast (OLH,35,84,Stage,1,Tunitas,King's, and back through Woodside).

3 weeks ago I did this: Start at woodside school, up OLH, down to 84, to San Gregorio, stage road to pascadero, to 84, to woodside.. it was a real killer, but I think this ride threw the switch in my head, to be able to go up Page mill 2 weeks later.. :) the rest of the stories over coffee..

Yeah, that's a great ride. Doing it in the opposite direction (except ascending via Old La Honda) is nice, too. Pretty soon you'll be ready for the ride over to the coast (OLH,35,84,Stage,1,Tunitas,King's, and back through Woodside).

That's the Giro di Peninsula ride (including OLH and Tunitas and Page Mill made for a long century).
Too bad you guys start down south. I start in San Bruno and go south, or north sometimes.

Howdy sorebutt,

Sounds like you might want to take a look at the Chronicle Tour de Peninsula route - just did that at the beginning of August. Only 30+ miles and goes from Sequoia High in Redwood, down Alameda, up Ralston Ave., up Skyline to Sawyer Camp Trail, to Canada Rd., down Edgewood. Cars when its not closed off, but Ralston would be a good hill for you...

Too bad you guys start down south...No way, dude! I can hit all the climbs from Hicks in the south to Hwy 92 in the north riding from my doorstep.

No way, dude! I can hit all the climbs from Hicks in the south to Hwy 92 in the north riding from my doorstep.

I meant too bad since we'd not likely see each other on our rides, normally.
It's nice having all the climbs so close. They're all 20 miles to ride to for me.

I meant too bad since we'd not likely see each other on our rides, normally.
It's nice having all the climbs so close. They're all 20 miles to ride to for me.Do you get down to the Woodside area much? I don't get north of Skyline & Crystal Springs too often.