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So, there's this big hill

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

So, there's this big hill

Old 10-03-15, 05:03 AM
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Good luck to you!
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Old 10-03-15, 11:38 AM
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Lots of good advice here. Btw, extended climbs are more of a legs rather than lungs issue -- what makes them hard is you burn your muscles up and had nothing left. Presuming you can handle the grade, you won't have that problem with your lung. Good luck, and I predict you'll be fine. In the worst case scenario, you pull over and take a break or two.
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Old 10-03-15, 03:40 PM
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Can't wait to hear how it went. Kind of bummed to be missing it this year, myself. But I'm doing the Jensie Granfondo next weekend, so, I'll get my share of hills and norcal beauty.
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Old 10-03-15, 05:58 PM
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Well, I finished. Though I walked up the two steepest parts. But, I easily climbed the first big hill. In fact I got up with so much ease, I may have gotten overconfident. :-( The weather was perfect. Cool in the morning and even when the sun came out, it wasn't overly hot. Coleman Valley was just brutal and I cramped up while climbing which is why I got off to walk it a bit. I wasn't able to ride every hill but I rode most of them. and I fought through the cramping to finish. My goal was to get it done in under 6 hours. I finished in 6:33, but ride time was under 6 so that feels good. It was 4,000 feet of climbing, the most I've ever done by far in one ride.

I rode along highway 1 by the coast which I've never done but always wondered if I could so that's cool. And Bohemian Highway down to Route 1 was a blast of a descent, the most fun I've ever had on a bike. I think I'm going to take a couple of weeks off now. Thanks for all your input, advice and support. I thought about a lot of it the whole ride.
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Old 10-03-15, 06:55 PM
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Congratulations.
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Old 10-03-15, 07:14 PM
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Great job. I have a hill I'm climbing tomorrow. Pretty nervous about it. Probably won't sleep much tonight but I'm just hoping to reach the top.
A coworker talked me in to riding with him. I have never seen the hill hill before but googling (mt Diablo ) has me doubting my ability too. Congratulations on your accomplishment.
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Old 10-04-15, 12:06 AM
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Originally Posted by shyonelung
Well, I finished. Though I walked up the two steepest parts. But, I easily climbed the first big hill. In fact I got up with so much ease, I may have gotten overconfident. :-( The weather was perfect. Cool in the morning and even when the sun came out, it wasn't overly hot. Coleman Valley was just brutal and I cramped up while climbing which is why I got off to walk it a bit. I wasn't able to ride every hill but I rode most of them. and I fought through the cramping to finish. My goal was to get it done in under 6 hours. I finished in 6:33, but ride time was under 6 so that feels good. It was 4,000 feet of climbing, the most I've ever done by far in one ride.

I rode along highway 1 by the coast which I've never done but always wondered if I could so that's cool. And Bohemian Highway down to Route 1 was a blast of a descent, the most fun I've ever had on a bike. I think I'm going to take a couple of weeks off now. Thanks for all your input, advice and support. I thought about a lot of it the whole ride.
Congrats! So you did the Medio? I did the Gran today, and boy did it kick my arse I think I was over-confident in my climbing ability... I'm by no means the fastest guy out there (flat or climbing!), but I've been doing Mt Hamilton and Mt Diablo many times now with reasonable ease, and exactly 2 weeks ago I tackled the 10,000ft Haleakala in Maui (which was awesome by the way!). I felt they were all easier than the 100-miler Gran. Actually, according to Strava's calorie-burning estimate, it indeed was, by far! I completed it in 7h43m, with 6h45m of riding.

Geoff
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Old 10-04-15, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Jofu
Congrats! So you did the Medio? I did the Gran today, and boy did it kick my arse I think I was over-confident in my climbing ability... I'm by no means the fastest guy out there (flat or climbing!), but I've been doing Mt Hamilton and Mt Diablo many times now with reasonable ease, and exactly 2 weeks ago I tackled the 10,000ft Haleakala in Maui (which was awesome by the way!). I felt they were all easier than the 100-miler Gran. Actually, according to Strava's calorie-burning estimate, it indeed was, by far! I completed it in 7h43m, with 6h45m of riding.

Geoff
wow great ride. You probably hammered by me on the way to the finish. It's a tough, tough ride. I did do the Medio. I have actually ridden as far as Camp Meeker on Bohemian Hwy before but I've never been able to ride all the way to the top. Today, I killed it. And felt so good after, I thought maybe Coleman was doable but the cramping surprised me. I drank a lot before and during the ride but it was so cool in the morning, that I may not have been hydrated enough. It cost me on the bigger climbs.

Did you hear about the rider who died today on one of the King Ridge descents? He lost control on a downhill and crashed. He was only 54. Very sad.

Last edited by shyonelung; 10-04-15 at 12:18 AM.
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Old 10-04-15, 12:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Flatbroke
Great job. I have a hill I'm climbing tomorrow. Pretty nervous about it. Probably won't sleep much tonight but I'm just hoping to reach the top.
A coworker talked me in to riding with him. I have never seen the hill hill before but googling (mt Diablo ) has me doubting my ability too. Congratulations on your accomplishment.
Mt Diablo is very nice! It's 4000ft of climbing, without much downhill along the way, but it's luckily not super steep, so just make sure to pace yourself, especially if it's your first time. If you're going through the South Gate Rd, in no time you will hit the gate, then Rock City (camp ground), Junction Ranger Station, Juniper point, and finally summit.

Note that the last 0.2-mile stretch to the summit is steeper than the rest, so make sure you stop by the parking lot for a few minutes before going for it! Otherwise, you may find yourself walking it, and it's just not as fun

Enjoy the ride, and good luck!

Geoff
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Old 10-04-15, 12:18 AM
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Ah, yes I heard... It's very sad indeed... It was a few minutes before I passed by that descent myself, and so they blocked people at the rest stop at the top for about 10-15 minutes. By the time we were finally allowed to go, escorted by a motorcycle, an ambulance was already on site. We had heard it was really bad, but I didn't think he was gonna die

I know it sounds a bit cliche, but at least he went while doing something he loved!

Geoff
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Old 10-04-15, 01:05 AM
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Congratulations on your metric! I like the sore and tired feeling after a Gran Fondo day. I sleep like the dead and don't move a muscle, because it hurts too much
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Old 10-04-15, 03:38 PM
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I began riding FG last spring and soon found that I needed a new technique for getting up even moderate hills. I've done more out-of-the-saddle pedaling this year than in my entire previous life! Initially, the standing was hard to sustain for very long, but practice (compulsory on a fixie) has greatly increased my endurance.

Mental conditioning (already mentioned in this thread) is equally valuable. I think about the scenery, the movie I saw last night, anything but the long grind ahead. My cadence slows down drastically, and I don't care - I find the cadence that optimally conserves my strength. Before I know it, I'm at the top.

As others have said, there's no shame in taking breaks and no glory in over-straining yourself.
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Old 10-04-15, 03:40 PM
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@shyonelung. I rode my event today and thought of your posts. It kept me motivated to climb the mountain without stopping or walkin
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Old 10-05-15, 01:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Flatbroke
@shyonelung. I rode my event today and thought of your posts. It kept me motivated to climb the mountain without stopping or walkin
Congrats! So Diablo wasn't all that bad, was it? The views are beautiful though.

Geoff
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Old 10-05-15, 01:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Jofu
Ah, yes I heard... It's very sad indeed... It was a few minutes before I passed by that descent myself, and so they blocked people at the rest stop at the top for about 10-15 minutes. By the time we were finally allowed to go, escorted by a motorcycle, an ambulance was already on site. We had heard it was really bad, but I didn't think he was gonna die

I know it sounds a bit cliche, but at least he went while doing something he loved!

Geoff
Riders who saw him said he was going way too fast for the descent. I don't know if this is true, only what witnesses told the accident investigators. If so, it's a cautionary tale to take it easy and be safe.
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Old 10-05-15, 01:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Flatbroke
@shyonelung. I rode my event today and thought of your posts. It kept me motivated to climb the mountain without stopping or walkin
Awesome. This makes me happy.
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Old 10-05-15, 01:36 AM
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Originally Posted by MikeyBoyAz
Congratulations on your metric! I like the sore and tired feeling after a Gran Fondo day. I sleep like the dead and don't move a muscle, because it hurts too much
Thanks. I was completely wiped out today. Not necessarily sore, although my knees were a little painful when I got up but only the very first few minutes when I first got out of bed. Haven't felt any twinges sincek. But overall I felt, well the only way to describe it is like I was getting a cold or flu maybe. Throat a little sore, a bit groggy, cramping in my stomach and, weirdly, irritation inside my mouth. I spent the day chilling, ate a good but light breakfast and lunch and drank a ton of water, by itself and also with Emergenc-C. Most of the symptoms are gone, although that weird feeling in my mouth is still there. I'm thinking it's probably not related to the ride but has anyone else experienced this? I usually have a pretty intense workout on Monday morning with a trainer, but I'm taking the day off. I was thinking of taking a bit of time off from riding, but I might go for a brief spin on Tuesday. The best part of the ride on Saturday was remembering why I love being on the bicycle so much. It was starting to feel like I'd lost thar, and it's nice to have that back.
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Old 10-05-15, 04:05 AM
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Originally Posted by habilis
I began riding FG last spring and soon found that I needed a new technique for getting up even moderate hills. I've done more out-of-the-saddle pedaling this year than in my entire previous life! Initially, the standing was hard to sustain for very long, but practice (compulsory on a fixie) has greatly increased my endurance.


I set out to ride up a hill once and sustained 300 consecutive pedal strokes to the top. Yep. I counted them all the way.

shyonelung, EXCELLENT!!

When I read you last post, I thought some dehydration was the cause, and you followed up with the comment about drinking a lot.

As to the mouth, yes, long-distance riders can get mouth ulcers or other discomfort that may arise from large quantities of carbs being taken in.

There is also a theory that I subscribe to that intensive exercise (and probably a bit of dehydration) tends to leach out Vitamin Bs from the body and this manifests itself with mouth soreness or ulcers.

Because I work physically outdoors as well as doing moderately long rides, and I take B-complex supplements daily, I can tell my body is getting through Vitamin B by the colour of my urine.
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Old 10-05-15, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Jofu
Congrats! So Diablo wasn't all that bad, was it? The views are beautiful though.

Geoff
No it wasn't that bad at all And just as you described. I settled in to a nice comfortable gear from the start and tried to keep my heart rate at a reasonable level that would allow me to keep peddling. Your description of the ride was spot on. Thank you.
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Old 10-05-15, 03:15 PM
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Originally Posted by shyonelung
I finished.
I walked up the two steepest parts.
I easily climbed the first big hill.
Coleman Valley was just brutal ... and I fought through the cramping to finish.
the most I've ever done by far in one ride.
the most fun I've ever had on a bike.
FANTASTIC! I'm so glad to hear your ride went well! I've been checking this thread since Saturday just to find out!

It really is a great event, isn't it? Say what you want about Levi and his history, he and his organization know how to put on a wonderful ride/event and spread a lot of joy to a lot of riders -- to say nothing of the charity $$$ raised for the wildfire victims and whatnot.

Personally, I'm getting nervous about Jensie's Granfondo this weekend. I'm gonna get to do it on my brand spanking new Supersix, though!
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