New personal speed record: 45mph
06-25-07, 02:17 PM
#1
going downhill fast
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New personal speed record: 45mph
This Saturday a friend and I took a route from Burlington VT to a place some other friends were camping in Waitsfield. Rather than take the most direct route, we put together a few good looking roads from (non-topographical) bike maps we had. Most of the 40 mile ride was nice, good scenery, decent sized hills and hardly any traffic. The last 10 miles of our trip, though, took us along route 17 and over the Appalachian Gap, a 1,600 ft mountain pass. I wish we'd known of it's existence before but I guess that's what we get for lack of preparation... Anyway, route 17 was brutal, we had to push our loaded mountain bikes for probably 80% of the way up. I can't remember ever being in more pain from a bike trip. The mental anguish of not knowing how far I was from the top was also pretty bad.
Finally at the top, I stopped for a minute to catch my breath, and ignored some hikers calling to me who probably wanted to know if I was alright or insane, but I just didn't have the energy to get into it with them right there... Put my helmet back on and push down the road... Wheeeeeeee!
I really can't find words to explain the feeling I got going down the other side. Within 20 seconds of leaving the peak my speedometer reached 45 mph!! The fastest I'd ever gone before was 36 on the hill in front of my house. Anyway, I would have reached for faster speeds but there were some switchbacks I had to negotiate all the rest of the way down. But wow, what a ride. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they're up to the climb.
Just felt like sharing that...
Finally at the top, I stopped for a minute to catch my breath, and ignored some hikers calling to me who probably wanted to know if I was alright or insane, but I just didn't have the energy to get into it with them right there... Put my helmet back on and push down the road... Wheeeeeeee!
I really can't find words to explain the feeling I got going down the other side. Within 20 seconds of leaving the peak my speedometer reached 45 mph!! The fastest I'd ever gone before was 36 on the hill in front of my house. Anyway, I would have reached for faster speeds but there were some switchbacks I had to negotiate all the rest of the way down. But wow, what a ride. I highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they're up to the climb.
Just felt like sharing that...
06-27-07, 06:36 AM
#2
Lanky Lass
Congratulations! Darn those switchbacks!
My hills have too many driveways along them to take downhills really fast
.
How long did it take you to get back down to the bottom?
East Hill
My hills have too many driveways along them to take downhills really fast
.How long did it take you to get back down to the bottom?
East Hill
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TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...
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TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...
06-27-07, 07:30 AM
#3
Out fishing with Annie on his lap, a cigar in one hand and a ginger ale in the other, watching the sunset.
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Wait til you get a chance to drop off onto Monument Valley in Utah or off Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado! You'll be able to hit 67+ MPH!
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. “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”- Fredrick Nietzsche
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel Kant
06-27-07, 09:13 AM
#4
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Congrats on getting an adrenaline rush from the speed.
Switchbacks can bring up as much of a rush when going down the side of a mountain on an old fireroad with loose dirt. Besides mud, I found a genuine need for good disc brakes on a mountain bike.
Switchbacks can bring up as much of a rush when going down the side of a mountain on an old fireroad with loose dirt. Besides mud, I found a genuine need for good disc brakes on a mountain bike.
