Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - 50 mph descent video

Man today was a great day:D Here's the fastest descent I've ever done in my life. This was my first time DOWN this hill. I've climbed it several times, but never got around to descending it until today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQ6Jk6aNic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQ6Jk6aNic

How can you climb it multiple times without descending?

"Gravity!!! I am in you!!!"

Awesome vid! I loved the exuberant "woo hoo!". Soo fun looking!

How can you climb it multiple times without descending?

Maybe went down the other side?

And all I can say is friggin' amazing! I was all over the brakes coming down a tiny hill today!

How can you climb it multiple times without descending?
I meant that I had climbed it several times in several different past rides. Sorry about that:)

In the past rides I took a different route for the descent.

Did you come to a complete stop at the stop sign?

Did you come to a complete stop at the stop sign?
What do you think?:p

I pleadz the fifth:D

Nice. I liked the excitement at the end. I let out a wha hooo myself :lol:

Excellent video film!

You really should use your bell to alert other riders when you are overtaking.

Excellent video film!

You really should use your bell to alert other riders when you are overtaking.
What bell?

I have bells on all my bikes except my road bike and my 1982 vintage Dahon Da Bike folder.

I actually talked to that rider at the top of the hill before we all started our descents. I told him I would be recording video, and that I wanted to see if I would hit 50 mph.

I also have a feeling a bell may be ineffective with all the wind noise at those speeds. Of course, if you were joking please disregard this post:)

Wow - that is a FAST descent. I hit 47 yrs old this weekend and I dont know if getting older makes a person more "panic-stricken" or more experienced as to what can go wrong. I pull my brakes on 90% of descents and rarely go over 20mph. I just dont have confidence in the foam "helmet" that is supposed to keep my brain matter in place if one if the $6 tubes blows on a high-speed descent.

Last week, I was pumping up a brand-new tube on the driveway and as I hit 7 BAR a sound similar to a gunshot rang out and the tube shattered - faulty tube. Now what if I was descending down a big hill and.....:)

Please be careful - hate to sound like an old f@rt but sometimes you can make your own luck. :)

Pretty cool!:D

Wow - that is a FAST descent. I hit 47 yrs old this weekend and I dont know if getting older makes a person more "panic-stricken" or more experienced as to what can go wrong. I pull my brakes on 90% of descents and rarely go over 20mph. I just dont have confidence in the foam "helmet" that is supposed to keep my brain matter in place if one if the $6 tubes blows on a high-speed descent.

Last week, I was pumping up a brand-new tube on the driveway and as I hit 7 BAR a sound similar to a gunshot rang out and the tube shattered - faulty tube. Now what if I was descending down a big hill and.....:)

Please be careful - hate to sound like an old f@rt but sometimes you can make your own luck. :)
Yeah, I do think about what could go wrong. I did touch the brakes on the last turn before the final straightaway. I also inspect my tires thoroughly before these types of rides. This kind of speed is a first for me, as usually I top out in the 40s somewhere, and only on smooth roads like this one.

This is also why I won't climb in wet conditions. I do like to carry some speed down a hill, and there's no way I could safely do that in the rain.

Good procedures!

I think Im just an old f@rt. I remember laughing at my dad as he lectured me on the 3 out of 4 bald tires on my mini cooper. Luck rides with the young :)

Very cool video ...i should post my climatic "21 mph descent" with wobbly front wheel :)

Good procedures!

I think Im just an old f@rt. I remember laughing at my dad as he lectured me on the 3 out of 4 bald tires on my mini cooper. Luck rides with the young :)

Very cool video ...i should post my climatic "21 mph descent" with wobbly front wheel :)
:lol:

The scary thing is, I ain't young anymore, except at heart. I'll be 44 in 4 days. I'm trying to beat the aging clock:D

That looks like an amazing road.

You've got stronger nerves that me!
My fingers were just twitching to put on the brakes while I watched the video.

Great video! Where in Northern California can you find a road anymore that looks that good? The roads in San Benito County are all falling apart.

What's the grade on that hill? Takes a pretty good grade to hit 50 mph on a single. Looks like a great 55+ mph road for the tandem.

Wish I had a road like that. The fastest I've ever descended was a little over 35, on a narrow 2-lane country highway with crappy pavement, and I was scared out of my mind.

That looks lie a great place to ride, great vid. But where's the music?:innocent:

Great video! Where in Northern California can you find a road anymore that looks that good? The roads in San Benito County are all falling apart.

What's the grade on that hill? Takes a pretty good grade to hit 50 mph on a single. Looks like a great 55+ mph road for the tandem.
This is in El Dorado Hills, which is a wealthy area. I'm guessing they have pretty high homeowner's association fees to pay for the pristine pavement.

The max grade on that road is 16%. When I climb it I notice a lot of prolonged stretches of 12% too, so needless to say it never gets any easier.


That looks lie a great place to ride, great vid. But where's the music?:innocent:
It's in the beginning of the climb video:innocent::p

WOW! That looked like a lot of fun, thanks for posting!

Nice! Unleashing going down the hill is a great reward for climbing up it. Looked fun to me!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :D

Descending at 50MPH, heck if I tried that, I think my spouse would be calling the guys with the white coats to haul me off to the place with a Styrofoam wallpaper:twitchy:. My best descent was 48km/h or just over 29MPH, my brain was saying, give it another 2km/h and the front wheel would probably explode, leaving me Wile E Coyote. :eek:

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :D

Descending at 50MPH, heck if I tried that, I think my spouse would be calling the guys with the white coats to haul me off to the place with a Styrofoam wallpaper:twitchy:. My best descent was 48km/h or just over 29MPH, my brain was saying, give it another 2km/h and the front wheel would probably explode, leaving me Wile E Coyote. :eek:
:lol:

I seem to be getting more ballsy the longer I do these climbing rides. I don't plan on making these speeds a habit though. It's like playing Russian Roulette. Eventually something bad will happen. That said, on all the other descents my speeds range from the 20s to just above 40.

Excellent video film!

You really should use your bell to alert other riders when you are overtaking.

Bell is probably superfluous when you're passing with a 10' berth.


Nice video! It's been some time since I've been above 43. I spin out around that speed on a local hill and it's not steep enough to take me any faster.

Bell is probably superfluous when you're passing with a 10' berth.


Nice video! It's been some time since I've been above 43. I spin out around that speed on a local hill and it's not steep enough to take me any faster.
Thank you:) When I read about people reaching 50 mph on this hill, I just had to try it:D

That looks lie a great place to ride, great vid. But where's the music?:innocent:

If we had music we'd have missed the yell at the end! Not to mention the wind noise!!!

Very cool video! Thanks for posting!!! That's now my second favorite video of yours... :)

If we had music we'd have missed the yell at the end! Not to mention the wind noise!!!

Very cool video! Thanks for posting!!! That's now my second favorite video of yours... :)
Thanks:D What's the first?

LOL! The camera problem and bumpy ride video, of course!

old is a state of mind. I remember the first time I hit 150MPH on my motorcycle... I'm 40 (was 38 then) and felt like I was 20 again. Difference is, I know when to and when not to take risks like that (at least I've convinced myself of that). Middle of nowhere, can see clearly in all directions, wind her up and let her go. In traffic or anywhere I'm riding "blind" and I ride like a very experienced motorcyclist rides in those situations, which is cautiously and with my head on a swivel looking out for danger. That downhill looked like as good a place as any to let it all out. Smooth pavement, little to no traffic, no blind driveways, what the heck. Looked fun as heck!!

Awesome video! I did get a lump in my throat as your were approaching the intersection a bit fast though. Of course, *I* couldn't see that there were no cars coming. I imagine you could.

I love descending. It is the true reward for the climbing. I've hit 47.5mph once, but hitting more than about 42 is difficult on the roads around here.

If I ever get to visit, I'll race you to the bottom, but I want to ride my recumbent. :)

LOL! The camera problem and bumpy ride video, of course!
:D


old is a state of mind. I remember the first time I hit 150MPH on my motorcycle... I'm 40 (was 38 then) and felt like I was 20 again. Difference is, I know when to and when not to take risks like that (at least I've convinced myself of that). Middle of nowhere, can see clearly in all directions, wind her up and let her go. In traffic or anywhere I'm riding "blind" and I ride like a very experienced motorcyclist rides in those situations, which is cautiously and with my head on a swivel looking out for danger. That downhill looked like as good a place as any to let it all out. Smooth pavement, little to no traffic, no blind driveways, what the heck. Looked fun as heck!!

+1:thumb:

I'm young at heart. Always will be:D. And you're right, that particular descent is perfect for hauling ass:D No driveways or houses, very light traffic, great visibility in all directions, and pristine pavement. A road cyclist's dream!:thumb:


Awesome video! I did get a lump in my throat as your were approaching the intersection a bit fast though. Of course, *I* couldn't see that there were no cars coming. I imagine you could.

I love descending. It is the true reward for the climbing. I've hit 47.5mph once, but hitting more than about 42 is difficult on the roads around here.

If I ever get to visit, I'll race you to the bottom, but I want to ride my recumbent. :)
Yup, had great visibility at the bottom of the hill. You can see cars coming in either direction for quite a distance, plus it's a T-intersection, which also works in my favor.

I would love to try it on my Sun EZ-TAD CX recumbent tadpole trike, but I ain't compromising my knees (and my love of climbing) to climb it first on that bike.

It would be a blast to descend this hill on a Catrike 700 or Speed, with the camera mounted as low as possible to give the impression of even more speed. That would be a great video!:D

Man that speed is fun!

Great descent video! I like the yell at the end too! I can tell you had a blast.

Great descent video! I like the yell at the end too! I can tell you had a blast.
Thank you:) It was hella fun:D

Looks like the YouTube morons are starting to come out of the woodwork:

"Pretty cool until that lame ass "woohoo" at the end. Thumbs down for that."

Of course, this comes from someone whose only upload is someone else's copyrighted work (a news story from a Bay Area news station). Typical.

That was awesome! Loved the wind sound!

:lol:

I seem to be getting more ballsy the longer I do these climbing rides. I don't plan on making these speeds a habit though. It's like playing Russian Roulette. Eventually something bad will happen. That said, on all the other descents my speeds range from the 20s to just above 40.

New user id for ya: ballsyfreighttrainingDOWNhill. Remember what "the little train that could" did at the top of the grade. He flew down the other side just like you. Yep you gettin more ballsy as time marches on. Like I said earlier, if we were closer together, I would be tryon to hang with ya goin up or down. I don't think I will ever hit 50mph around here but if I do and survive to tell, tell I will. Now if I could just plant my front wheel on your rear wheel goin down, maybe, just maybe........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is just so beautiful where you live. Got to see that part of our great country some day. By bicycle of course.
Another great vid and thanks for posting. Thanks also for lettin us hear the excitement especially when you finished. :-0 Every time I watch the decent, my eyes water and as you approach the intersection, I pee a little bit. :-0 This is one of the great vids I've seen and I was enjoying the hard breathing till I realized it was ME.
KEEP IT UP! Remember, "Keep your hand (feet in this case) on the throttle and your eyes on the rail". Old gospel song that You reminded me of as you flew on the decent.
PS: You are habit forming. When I open the Forum, I start looking for your post to see what you have done next. Please be careful and don't crash. OK if you must crash, be sure and video it. :-) Just messin wit ya.

:lol:

I seem to be getting more ballsy the longer I do these climbing rides. I don't plan on making these speeds a habit though. It's like playing Russian Roulette. Eventually something bad will happen. That said, on all the other descents my speeds range from the 20s to just above 40.

The more you descend at those speeds the better you get.

Thanks guys:) I just wish the moron who gave my video a thumbs-down because of the "woo-hoo" at the end could see this thread and realize he is a stick-in-the-mud with no sense of humor.

Thanks guys:) I just wish the moron who gave my video a thumbs-down because of the "woo-hoo" at the end could see this thread and realize he is a stick-in-the-mud with no sense of humor.

bah, trolls are everywhere.

Excellent video film!

You really should use your bell to alert other riders when you are overtaking.

I find yelling "Clydesdale" on hill descents gets the point across.

I'll bet that STOP sign at the bottom is a real treat! :eek::rolleyes:

I'll bet that STOP sign at the bottom is a real treat! :eek::rolleyes:
Yeah, what is it about stop signs at the bottom of hills? Seems like every time there's a sweet descent within city limits, there's a #$%& stop sign at the bottom:mad: Makes it really hard to reach top speed:D

Country/mountain roads rule for descending:thumb: