Northern California - NorCal East, Sunday May 29 - Some Auburn Chili

Come out and over test your legs for the June 4 ride up Cantelow!

Sunday I'm planning to hit some up the Auburn area hills. Chili Hill, Baxter Grade, Ridge Rd., and Indian Hill. That's about 4000 ft. Here's the route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/430336

Lunch will be at the spectacular Newcastle Deli after Ridge.

Got a few options for start. Rolling from Folsom Bike at 9:30 for about 57 mi. Or, if you'd like extra, rolling from my house at 8am, and should hit the Sac State Aquatic Center about 8:30.

Hope some of you will come out and join me!

I may be in for this. I'm still trying to figure out my weekend plans.

OK I'll meet you at Folsom Bike. This should be a good pre-Cantelow ride and I'm riding around Lake Tahoe in June so I could use some road hills (though I have been getting some nice climbing in on my single speed in Auburn :) ).

Sounds good! I'm planning a cup of coffee and a 2nd breakfast when I get up there about 9. We'll head out after that.

I have plans that day already or I'd be all over it like flies on feces. I want to take on Chili Hill (the one that psyched me out 2 yrs. ago on the tandem) and pwn it. Guess I'll try next time...

Deb, any time you want to come out and kill it, let me know. I'll be more than happy to take you up there.

I want to take on Chili Hill (the one that psyched me out 2 yrs. ago on the tandem) and pwn it.
I did it last month for the first time. It was fun, even though I suck at climbing due to being overweight. Here's proof:p:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81350751

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnT0vfuP3iY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnT0vfuP3iY

hehe this looks fun. I'm doing a big mtb ride Saturday too, guess I'll make sure to bring some serious rehydrating/recovery Sierra Nevada with me :D

The Auburn Victory Velo group is planning a Ride Around the Lake ride Sunday morning. Down to Folsom and then Salmon Falls to Cool and then to American River Canyon, Foresthill Bridge and back to Auburn. I've read Joel's recounts of his 1st try at this ride and then watched Freighttraininguphill's Sufferfest video. I'm a little uneasy. :)

Well, I suppose if you hit Folsom and change your mind, you could wait for us at Folsom Bike....

Good luck with it! It's a fun route. Haven't done it in a while, might be a good one for next Sunday....

The nice thing about riding below Auburn (like this Chili Hill route) and mixing up the different roads is the ability to bail out at almost any point and mostly have a downhill exit in the Folsom/Roseville/Lincoln direction.

I live in Rocklin, so it is easy to ride the area, but I don't do it enough. Great riding in any case.

Joel, I've watched your posts and routes over the months/year. Have you ridden on Millertown (between Mt. Vernon and Wise), a slightly bumpy 1.5 car wide road in total tree cover, or the roads closer to Penryn (Rock Springs, Gilardi, Brennans)? I don't think I've seen those in any of your routes, and they're all nice rides.

Hi Brian.....You named a lot of roads I love to ride on! Millertown is a great connector to some of the other climbs. From Nevada Street, take Mt. Vernon to Millertown and enjoy a beautiful treed downhill to Wise Road. From there you can turn right on Wise and hit Baxter Grade. My other standard ride is riding Shirland Track down and hopping on Rattlesnake to New Castle to Auburn Folsom to Rock Springs to Gilardi to New Castle and left on New Castle to Powerhouse. Powerhouse is beautiful by the way with minimal traffic. Powerhouse to Auburn Folsom, then the choice of either riding Auburn Folsom up (the big hill) or coming up Shirland Track (harder). Mark

The Auburn Victory Velo group is planning a Ride Around the Lake ride Sunday morning. Down to Folsom and then Salmon Falls to Cool and then to American River Canyon, Foresthill Bridge and back to Auburn. I've read Joel's recounts of his 1st try at this ride and then watched Freighttraininguphill's Sufferfest video. I'm a little uneasy. :)
If you watched my first climb video, "The Salmon Falls Sufferfest", I was 40 pounds overweight when I made the video, so that climb was even harder then than it is now. It's still hard, but I get up it a little faster now that I'm 150 lbs instead of 166. I still want to lose at least 20 more pounds.

My Chili Hill Road climb video was made in April, so I was a bit stronger. That climb was still a hard, painful one though. Can't wait to do it again!:D

I have a feeling you'll do fine;) From what I remember from reading your previous posts, you've done some other good climbs around here. :)

The nice thing about riding below Auburn (like this Chili Hill route) and mixing up the different roads is the ability to bail out at almost any point and mostly have a downhill exit in the Folsom/Roseville/Lincoln direction.

I live in Rocklin, so it is easy to ride the area, but I don't do it enough. Great riding in any case.

Joel, I've watched your posts and routes over the months/year. Have you ridden on Millertown (between Mt. Vernon and Wise), a slightly bumpy 1.5 car wide road in total tree cover, or the roads closer to Penryn (Rock Springs, Gilardi, Brennans)? I don't think I've seen those in any of your routes, and they're all nice rides.

I hit Millertown on a somewhat regular basis. It's a fun road, though a disappointingly easy climb. Rock Springs I don't hit very often, though do occasionally. Brennens is a regular, and often on the way back from Newcastle if I'm not climbing Indian to A-F to head back.

Tomorrow's ride *may* end up being a little slower than I initially posted. Mostly because some folks are coming along that haven't been riding so much recently.

I'm strongly considering the Folsom Lake Loop for next Sunday. Though I like to do a variation that drops down Millertown to Wise to head over to Newcastle Deli for lunch. Then Newcastle -> Brennans -> King -> A-F on the way back. I'll post this one up shortly.

If you watched my first climb video, "The Salmon Falls Sufferfest", I was 40 pounds overweight when I made the video, so that climb was even harder then than it is now. It's still hard, but I get up it a little faster now that I'm 150 lbs instead of 166. I still want to lose at least 20 more pounds.

My Chili Hill Road climb video was made in April, so I was a bit stronger. That climb was still a hard, painful one though. Can't wait to do it again!:D

I have a feeling you'll do fine;) From what I remember from reading your previous posts, you've done some other good climbs around here. :)

LOL...I was watching your "Sufferfest" on Salmon Falls video last night and getting really nervous about tomorrow's ride! Yes, I've one a few climbs around the area, but none are real long. Last year I attempted Iowa Hill and I bonked. I was 95% of the way to the top and I died. Some day, I will try again! This time I will pay better attention to my food and water intake.

The Auburn Victory Velo group is planning a Ride Around the Lake ride Sunday morning. Down to Folsom and then Salmon Falls to Cool and then to American River Canyon, Foresthill Bridge and back to Auburn. I've read Joel's recounts of his 1st try at this ride and then watched Freighttraininguphill's Sufferfest video. I'm a little uneasy. :)

Tomorrow should be a good day for it. I did this ride with Joel a few years ago (I think it was his first attempt on that ride) the hardest parts were:

Pilot Hill
Not rear ending cars on 49 from Cool -> Confluence
Old Foresthill Rd. in the heat (it was HOT that day).

Weather should be great for it tomorrow.

LOL...I was watching your "Sufferfest" on Salmon Falls video last night and getting really nervous about tomorrow's ride! Yes, I've one a few climbs around the area, but none are real long. Last year I attempted Iowa Hill and I bonked. I was 95% of the way to the top and I died. Some day, I will try again! This time I will pay better attention to my food and water intake.
I just got back from a nice drive up 50 to the top of Ice House Road (snowing!) and back through Placerville. I told my friend who was driving about a climb I read about here (http://www.beautifulvista.com/Bike_Rides/Mosquito_Road_Loop/mosquito_road_loop.htm), Mosquito Road. We drove out and back on it, and I feel that I would need to lose another 20 pounds before attempting that one. It reminds me of Iowa Hill Road, which I climbed back in 1997 when I weighed 140 (still too fat, but better than the 150 I'm at now).

Tomorrow's climb will be Eagle's Nest in Auburn. ;)

Slightly hijacking Joel's thread ... but given he should be riding right now, it shouldn't be too much of a distraction.

Back before getting married and having kids when I still rode a motorcycle, Mosquito Rd and the curvy bits of 193 between Georgetown and the river (isn't that Chili Bar, as a bit of tie-in?) was a favorite. At the time a good source of Gold Country'ish roads for bicycling was pashnit.com. Back then it was only a web page with the authors favorite (motorcycle) rides, but I looked at it a month or two ago and it's a big forum now, and still seems to be a great source for local (plus much further) road information.


I just got back from a nice drive up 50 to the top of Ice House Road (snowing!) and back through Placerville. I told my friend who was driving about a climb I read about here (http://www.beautifulvista.com/Bike_Rides/Mosquito_Road_Loop/mosquito_road_loop.htm), Mosquito Road. We drove out and back on it, and I feel that I would need to lose another 20 pounds before attempting that one. It reminds me of Iowa Hill Road, which I climbed back in 1997 when I weighed 140 (still too fat, but better than the 150 I'm at now).

Tomorrow's climb will be Eagle's Nest in Auburn. ;)

Slightly hijacking Joel's thread ... but given he should be riding right now, it shouldn't be too much of a distraction.

Back before getting married and having kids when I still rode a motorcycle, Mosquito Rd and the curvy bits of 193 between Georgetown and the river (isn't that Chili Bar, as a bit of tie-in?) was a favorite. At the time a good source of Gold Country'ish roads for bicycling was pashnit.com. Back then it was only a web page with the authors favorite (motorcycle) rides, but I looked at it a month or two ago and it's a big forum now, and still seems to be a great source for local (plus much further) road information.
I've heard of pashnit.com. That site often comes up in Google search results when I'm looking for information on local climbs.

Here's (http://eldorado.virtualsierra.com/eldBike.htm) the site where I found the information on Mosquito Road. It lists plenty of good rides. ;)

What a fun ride! Great company, lovely roads, climbs, descents, fantastic lunch too. I got a flat in the front though on the way up Crater Hill from Chili. Stopped and patched it. Then when I went to leave the bike shop to head home, I had a flat in back. That one needed a new tube. After that, I gratefully accepted Matt's offer for a lift. The 16mi back from the shop are pretty flat.

Ended up with 74mi, 4300 ft, and a 16.6 avg. Here's the data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88870658

Thanks for coming!

What a fun ride! Great company, lovely roads, climbs, descents, fantastic lunch too. I got a flat in the front though on the way up Crater Hill from Chili. Stopped and patched it. Then when I went to leave the bike shop to head home, I had a flat in back. That one needed a new tube. After that, I gratefully accepted Matt's offer for a lift. The 16mi back from the shop are pretty flat.

Ended up with 74mi, 4300 ft, and a 16.6 avg. Here's the data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88870658

Thanks for coming!

Joel, Looks like a great ride. Sorry to hear about the flats! It doesn't look like you took it very easy at all according to your Garmin. You were flying up those hills! Good speed on Ridge Road then over 12 MPH on Indian Hill at the end of all that climbing?? You stud!

Have you tried www.strava.com (http://www.strava.com) ? It's REALLY neat. You enter your ride info (from your Garmin) and it calculates all these segments (climbs and descents) and you can see your personal best and how your latest ride compares. Also, you can see how close you are to the King Of the Mountain' best time. You can even create your own segments. I have a code that gets you 3 months free use, then it's $5 a month for unlimited uploading and 5 uploads per month for free. My own personal KOMs are little ridden segments near my house. My son keeps searching for my KOMs and squashing them! Kids!

Our Around the Lake Ride was great! The racer-types from Victory Velo dropped us on Auburn Folsom so my son and I did the whole thing by ourselves. My son could have kept up with thise guys but it wasn't fun for me to be riding so hard. I knew there was a lot of climbing to save myself for so we let those guys go before Douglas. The Salmon Falls climbing wasn't too bad at a nice even pace. The roller coaster down the canyon on 49 was SO FUN!!!! No cars!!! Felt like I was in the Tour De France (in my mind)! The climb out of the canyon on Old Foresthill was tough, but strangely enjoyable. I even ate while riding! It just goes on and on. I though I was near the top and I passed a sign saying curvy road next 2 miles! UGH! So, the hardest part of the ride for me was the final big climb that I was taking for granted. After crossing the Foresthill Bridge, it's that big climb up to Lincoln Way. Man, that takes some strength! We really enjoyed the ride though - great scenery and the weather turned PERFECT! Thanks for the encouragement to try this one.

Mark

PS - About 59 miles, 4600 feet
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88831527

I just got back from a nice drive up 50 to the top of Ice House Road (snowing!) and back through Placerville. I told my friend who was driving about a climb I read about here (http://www.beautifulvista.com/Bike_Rides/Mosquito_Road_Loop/mosquito_road_loop.htm), Mosquito Road. We drove out and back on it, and I feel that I would need to lose another 20 pounds before attempting that one. It reminds me of Iowa Hill Road, which I climbed back in 1997 when I weighed 140 (still too fat, but better than the 150 I'm at now).

Tomorrow's climb will be Eagle's Nest in Auburn. ;)

Have fun on Eagle's Nest - can't wait for the video!

Mark, that climb on Foresthill back up to Auburn is a beast. It always hurts, especially as there is so much climbing already in the legs. Sounds like you had a fun ride with your son. That's fantastic!

Actually, I did take it somewhat easy on the climbs. Kept my heartrate well in check and made sure not to destroy my legs. The only one I couldn't was Glenview from Newcastle up to Indian. That hill is a bear. Thankfully it's not too long.

I have played a bit with Strava, but on today's ride, I got a flat on one of the climbs, so my time was really skewed. It's a shame they don't pull that out when doing the comparisons. Also, we waited a few times on the climbs for the slower riders to catch up, and that time got added in too. So I think their algorithm could use a bit of work there.

It's an interesting site, and I like how they have categorized the climbs. Kinda cool to have that info. I never would have thought Ridge made a Cat 3, as there are only a couple of steepish sections and much of it is fairly mild. Here's a link to my Strava upload from today: http://app.strava.com/rides/643415

Thanks for the compliment too. I put in a lot of miles though, so my fitness right now is pretty good. I'm always seeking out the hills. So far, I've got 745mi on the month with just under 33,000 ft climbed. On the year, I'm at 3289 mi.

Oh....I didn't look close enough to see you tackled Glenview at the end! I love Glenview! I suffer on it, but I love the sharp turns and challenge. Just when you think you're done and you come out of the final turn, you still have that last straight part that is just hell to finish. I always chuckle when I finally get to the part in the road that says "Stop Ahead"......not soon enough! Time seems to stop between thos words and the stop sign!

Your mileage is insane Joel! I have about 360 miles so far this month and I thought I was doing reasonable. Here's my last Strava..... http://app.strava.com/rides/642004#9550514. I still have about 10 pounds I'd LOVE to lose so I can climb better!

Mark

Slightly hijacking Joel's thread ... but given he should be riding right now, it shouldn't be too much of a distraction.

Back before getting married and having kids when I still rode a motorcycle, Mosquito Rd and the curvy bits of 193 between Georgetown and the river (isn't that Chili Bar, as a bit of tie-in?) was a favorite. At the time a good source of Gold Country'ish roads for bicycling was pashnit.com. Back then it was only a web page with the authors favorite (motorcycle) rides, but I looked at it a month or two ago and it's a big forum now, and still seems to be a great source for local (plus much further) road information.
When I was in to cars and such I'd do drives with the Subaru club on Mosquito Ridge Rd. FUN road. Especially in the snow! Actually, I don't think I have been out there in summer :)

The ride today was a bunch of fun. It rocked to ride with Joel again, I made some new friends and I rode a bunch of stuff I haven't hit previously. The pace was good - us bigger guys were out on the front in the flats and especially the down hills, and everyone just clocked their own pace on the climbs. Lunch at the Newcastle Deli was superb; the food rocked, the staff was friendly (and cute, even the old lady) and it was safe for unlocked bike's. Thanks for leading us today, Joel.

Can't wait for Cantelow next weekend, and I hope we can ride more this summer!

I love Glenview! I suffer on it, but I love the sharp turns and challenge. Just when you think you're done and you come out of the final turn, you still have that last straight part that is just hell to finish. I always chuckle when I finally get to the part in the road that says "Stop Ahead"......not soon enough! Time seems to stop between thos words and the stop sign!
I've only climbed it once so far. It was fun, but I suffered too. Climbs like these make me curse my fat even more. Check out my 3-5 mph speeds:p:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22q2zixhX18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22q2zixhX18

Ridge Rd. a 3? From which direction?

I was just there on Saturday and it certainly didn't seem so steep.

I wonder if Cantelow is HC by Strava definitions? Guess I could sign up and find out.

Ridge up from the West (from Gold Hill) side heading in a generally Easterly direction. I didn't figure it for a 3 either.

I wonder if Cantelow is HC by Strava definitions? Guess I could sign up and find out.

I just looked; it's a 4.

And I did not like Ridge Rd. :)

I just looked; it's a 4.

And I did not like Ridge Rd. :)

It's a 4 coming up the West side, a 3 on the East side (which we're doing on Saturday). http://app.strava.com/segments/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=cantelow&cat=%3E%3D1

I've only climbed it once so far. It was fun, but I suffered too. Climbs like these make me curse my fat even more. Check out my 3-5 mph speeds:p:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22q2zixhX18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22q2zixhX18

There's one turn where I always feel the front tire start to come off the ground! Your video brings all that suffering back to life!

After you do Eagle's Nest, if you're feeling exploratory, there's a state park paved road you could try close by. Just come back up to Maidu and turn right and go down the hill. After rounding the corner you'll see a ranger shack and a road there leading part way down the canyon. Fun is!

Ridge Rd. a 3? From which direction?

I was just there on Saturday and it certainly didn't seem so steep.
I climbed Ridge Road on the same day I did Chili Hill and Glenview Roads. Ridge Road was "easy" compared to those two. It didn't even hurt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyKjhQc9Qbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyKjhQc9Qbk


There's one turn where I always feel the front tire start to come off the ground! Your video brings all that suffering back to life!

After you do Eagle's Nest, if you're feeling exploratory, there's a state park paved road you could try close by. Just come back up to Maidu and turn right and go down the hill. After rounding the corner you'll see a ranger shack and a road there leading part way down the canyon. Fun is!
Thanks! The more new hills the better;) Eagles Nest will be part of a longer ride, as usual. I'll add this new one in too. :)

It's supposed to be windy in Auburn today, but so far in all my years of climbing I've never had wind be as demoralizing in the hills at it is on the flats. Should be fun:D

If memory serves we climbed Ridge Rd. from E-W; the pavement wasn't great on the way up and was much better on the descent.

It did not compare to Chili Hill. That's a real stinger.

If memory serves we climbed Ridge Rd. from E-W; the pavement wasn't great on the way up and was much better on the descent.

It did not compare to Chili Hill. That's a real stinger.

That would be a short, gentle ride with a kickin fun descent?

If memory serves we climbed Ridge Rd. from E-W; the pavement wasn't great on the way up and was much better on the descent.
I climbed it both directions. Neither way was super hard, even at my weight.


Have fun on Eagle's Nest - can't wait for the video!
Ask and ye shall receive! Here it is. While riding up Maidu Drive on the way to Eagles Nest, I noticed another climb I've heard is a good one, Shirland Tract Road. That got dealt with in both directions once I was done with Eagles Nest and the state park road that climbs out of the canyon;) Speaking of that road, that descent was so bumpy it made me feel like I had to pee:o That feeling disappeared the minute I reached the bottom of the hill:lol:

The video has the entire Eagles Nest steep climb you told me about, the steepest part of the state park road (12%), and the two steep parts of Shirland Tract Road, westbound and eastbound.

I must have had a pretty good tailwind on most of the climbs today. Either that or my Garmin was being a bit generous with the grade readings. Some grades that read 15% were awfully easy for a 15% grade, especially at 150 pounds. It went nuts when I started the Eagles Nest climb, reading 29% until it settled down a bit at 19%. I'll give it a 1% benefit of the doubt and say that Eagles Nest was 20%. I was all ready to use my lowest gear, but I didn't need it.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89131951

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

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

The rest of the ride was spent exploring Auburn trying to find more sufferfest climbs. I didn't find anything long enough to qualify as a sufferfest climb.

Here's another reason why my average speed sucks:p When I'm not in the middle of a climb, I stop to take pictures like these:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/5778608531_8d765a1659.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608531/)
Cardiac Bypass Trail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608531/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5779153348_9c78a368ba.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5779153348/)
Auburn Endurance Capital of the World (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5779153348/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/5779153446_3c91fcf00c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5779153446/)
Victory Velo storefront display (right side) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5779153446/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/5778608339_e544fc6ed0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608339/)
Victory Velo storefront display (left side) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608339/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/5778608901_82893e8758.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608901/)
Auburn, CA bike route sign (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5778608901/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Great job on the Auburn Sufferfest!! I can imagine you riding one or two of those but to do all that back-to-back is just amazing. You are my hero. So which climb was truly the most taxing? I guess that's hard to say as each one gets harder after legs have been punished like that.

Did you go as far as a parking lot on the state park road?

Very impressed,
Mark

Great job on the Auburn Sufferfest!! I can imagine you riding one or two of those but to do all that back-to-back is just amazing. You are my hero. So which climb was truly the most taxing? I guess that's hard to say as each one gets harder after legs have been punished like that.

Did you go as far as a parking lot on the state park road?

Very impressed,
Mark
Thank you:) For the steepness, Eagles Nest was harder, but not as hard as Glenview or Chili Hill Roads. Shirland Tract is longer, so it was a little harder. That first 13-15% section heading westbound from Maidu Drive hurt worse than Eagles Nest.

Yup, I took that state park road to the bottom where the parking lot is and climbed back up.

+1 on the climbs getting progressively harder the more hills you climb. That's why I haven't gotten around to climbing Newcastle Road. I park at the Newcastle park-and-ride, so by the time I'm done climbing I don't feel like riding up that road. I'll have to climb it first next time.

Thank you so much for telling me about these roads. If you know of any other good ones, let me know;)

That would be a short, gentle ride with a kickin fun descent?

Exactly.

I don't want to dispute people's assessments of grades too much, and I'd really like to get calibrated on what grades actually are. Lately I've been searching out grade information for some Sierra passes and have seen wildly differing claims, from "average 6%" to "average 20%" for the same pass.

I've ridden Mix Canyon which feels like 4 miles of absolutely straight up, and get similar numbers to those I've found online for steepest roads in CA (10.3% average grade, 15.8% steepest mile). Locally in Rocklin we have some very short 16% grades (private roads in Whitney Oaks), and I can't think of any other public roads I've found in the area that are as steep (steepest public roads I've found in Rocklin are ~10%).

From a number of my past rides with an Edge 305 or 705 along the steepest portion of Chili Hill Rd, I get a max grade of 10-10.5%. That's measured over a pretty short distance. For an example of a longer distance, I get ~7.2% (with the majority being 7.1%) for the climb up Old Foresthill Rd from the confluence towards Foresthill Rd (the consistent grade part, not the whole climb).

Am I out to lunch on my numbers? Have I really been riding up 20% grades on the road? Today I did an MTB ride from the confluence in Auburn, and hit what I thought was a 20% grade with the climb from the top of Mossy Rock to Foresthill Rd. I can clean that climb, but only with MTB gearing (22x32) and a height adjustable fork I can slam down.


I must have had a pretty good tailwind on most of the climbs today. Either that or my Garmin was being a bit generous with the grade readings. Some grades that read 15% were awfully easy for a 15% grade, especially at 150 pounds. It went nuts when I started the Eagles Nest climb, reading 29% until it settled down a bit at 19%. I'll give it a 1% benefit of the doubt and say that Eagles Nest was 20%. I was all ready to use my lowest gear, but I didn't need it.

From a number of my past rides with an Edge 305 or 705 along the steepest portion of Chili Hill Rd, I get a max grade of 10-10.5%. That's measured over a pretty short distance. For an example of a longer distance, I get ~7.2% (with the majority being 7.1%) for the climb up Old Foresthill Rd from the confluence towards Foresthill Rd (the consistent grade part, not the whole climb).

Am I out to lunch on my numbers? Have I really been riding up 20% grades on the road? Today I did an MTB ride from the confluence in Auburn, and hit what I thought was a 20% grade with the climb from the top of Mossy Rock to Foresthill Rd. I can clean that climb, but only with MTB gearing (22x32) and a height adjustable fork I can slam down.
I measured a max grade of 17% on Chili Hill, and I believe it. I was in a pretty low gear, going 3-4 mph, and it hurt. It looked pretty steep too.

On Old Foresthill Road, I get a max grade of 11% on the steepest part before it levels out somewhat for the remainder of the climb. From the confluence on up I get a lot of 8-9%, but some 6-7% too.

Exactly.

Yup, you went down the climb! It's a blast riding down it.

<snip>

Am I out to lunch on my numbers? Have I really been riding up 20% grades on the road? Today I did an MTB ride from the confluence in Auburn, and hit what I thought was a 20% grade with the climb from the top of Mossy Rock to Foresthill Rd. I can clean that climb, but only with MTB gearing (22x32) and a height adjustable fork I can slam down.

The max I saw on my Garmin on Chili was 16%. It might get a touch steeper depending on how you hit the curves. And the average grade will depend entirely on where you start and stop the measurements. As for the average grade, it's likely half that, maybe lower, depending on where you start and stop from.

The other interesting thing about the Garmin is that the slower you go, the higher the numbers you get. It's also interesting what the little bumps and dips in the road surface, along with the chosen route up the climb, do to the numbers. In other words, there is less data smoothing as you climb slower. I think there is some "optimal speed" for reading grade numbers off the unit, however, I have no idea what it is.

I've gotten to the point where I just use grade numbers as a guideline. When it gets above 10%, it's gonna hurt. When it passes 15%, it's really steep. The last 1/4mi or so of Mix is just stupid.

Today I did an MTB ride from the confluence in Auburn, and hit what I thought was a 20% grade with the climb from the top of Mossy Rock to Foresthill Rd. I can clean that climb, but only with MTB gearing (22x32) and a height adjustable fork I can slam down.

I hate that climb.

The max I saw on my Garmin on Chili was 16%. It might get a touch steeper depending on how you hit the curves. And the average grade will depend entirely on where you start and stop the measurements. As for the average grade, it's likely half that, maybe lower, depending on where you start and stop from.

The other interesting thing about the Garmin is that the slower you go, the higher the numbers you get. It's also interesting what the little bumps and dips in the road surface, along with the chosen route up the climb, do to the numbers. In other words, there is less data smoothing as you climb slower. I think there is some "optimal speed" for reading grade numbers off the unit, however, I have no idea what it is.

I've gotten to the point where I just use grade numbers as a guideline. When it gets above 10%, it's gonna hurt. When it passes 15%, it's really steep. The last 1/4mi or so of Mix is just stupid.
That explains why I only see goofy grade readings on steep hills. I've never had that happen on long steady climbs like Indian Hill Road, Old Foresthill, or Donner Pass Road, since I'm not going 3 mph up a 17% grade like I probably did on the steepest part of Chili Hill and Glenview.

I also like to make climbs as difficult as possible by riding into the steepest part of switchbacks. I did that in the Glenview video and the one I posted yesterday.

I hate that climb.

heh. I hadn't ridden it in a year, but some friends and I were looking for a change from FHDL and they hadn't been on Manzanita before, so the climb up to and over the bridge was required. The weather was pleasant enough that the climb was almost easy, with the bonus that Fuel Break hadn't been disked, so it was pleasantly ridable as well.

OK; the grade displayed on the Edge 305 was always wildly off during climbs and I gave up using it (and have never tried it with the 705). Combine the very minor fluctuations of the barometric altimeter with slow speeds and weird sampling rates (may be their attempt at smoothing) and a multi-second lag, and it'll show a 20% grade when it is really only 5%. Now I measure the grades after the fact and compare new hills I'm riding with past experience.

No past experience had me ready for Mix Canyon though. :-)


The max I saw on my Garmin on Chili was 16%. It might get a touch steeper depending on how you hit the curves. And the average grade will depend entirely on where you start and stop the measurements. As for the average grade, it's likely half that, maybe lower, depending on where you start and stop from.

On Old Foresthill Road, I get a max grade of 11% on the steepest part before it levels out somewhat for the remainder of the climb. From the confluence on up I get a lot of 8-9%, but some 6-7% too.

I found Sporttracks seemed to calculate the same grade %'s as I would doing it from hand measuring deltas in MapSource. Here is a recent climb up Old Foresthill Rd. The highlighted portion of the map == the highlighted portion of the profile. This is the first ~2mi, ~700ft of climbing, and appears to be the steepest part. While there may be little depressions in the road that cause the % to spike (1 sec sample rates), the road seems to be consistent and averaging 7.2%.

http://www.fourthreefive.com/pub/bikes/confluence-climb-map.jpg
http://www.fourthreefive.com/pub/bikes/confluence-climb-profile.jpg

I found Sporttracks seemed to calculate the same grade %'s as I would doing it from hand measuring deltas in MapSource. Here is a recent climb up Old Foresthill Rd. The highlighted portion of the map == the highlighted portion of the profile. This is the first ~2mi, ~700ft of climbing, and appears to be the steepest part. While there may be little depressions in the road that cause the % to spike (1 sec sample rates), the road seems to be consistent and averaging 7.2%.
That's probably about right then:) Old Foresthill isn't a totally smooth road, so I bet my Edge 500 is picking up those little depressions in the road.

What I can't figure out is why I'm getting more of these goofy grade readings, even though I'm slightly faster up steep climbs than I was a month ago. Maybe it's the new firmware. I just upgraded to 2.70.0.0 recently.

OK; the grade displayed on the Edge 305 was always wildly off during climbs and I gave up using it (and have never tried it with the 705). Combine the very minor fluctuations of the barometric altimeter with slow speeds and weird sampling rates (may be their attempt at smoothing) and a multi-second lag, and it'll show a 20% grade when it is really only 5%. Now I measure the grades after the fact and compare new hills I'm riding with past experience.

No past experience had me ready for Mix Canyon though. :-)

The only climb I know that will make Mix look mild is Gates Canyon.

I have no desire to climb either one again.