Originally Posted by terrymorse
This is the profile from today's ride. I needed to try a long, hilly, hot ride to see if I'm ready to do Climb to Kaiser. Verdict: I'm not ready. I suffered greatly when it started turning hot and the road turned upwards. My Polar 720 recorded 98F on one of the climbs, and I'm covered with salt.
This route starts in San Jose, at the base of Mt. Hamilton. It goes up and over Mt. Hamilton, down the back side, to "The Junction", right on Del Puerto Canyon Rd. to the town of Patterson. Then it returns the same route. If you're looking for a a hot and hilly ride, this one is hard to beat in the local area (South San Francisco Bay).
Update: I couldn't let a ride beat me so badly, so I rode it again yesterday. This time the winds were brutal, but I didn't suffer like last time. I rode at the same pace, but I drank and ate more. My legs had no get-up-and-go on the final climb up Hamilton, which I assume meant that my muscle glycogen was gone. But no hammer and tongs, which was just fine with me. I just couldn't get my legs to go, no amount of concentration could get my heart rate up to 80%.
From what I've read, there's nothing to do once you run out of muscle glycogen. Eating carbs will keep your blood sugar up, but it won't replenish the fuel in your legs. The only thing to do is prevent running out of them in the first place, and that's done by pacing.
Oh yeah, the 24-mile return ride up Del Puerto Canyon from Patterson to the Junction? It's a killer. It's a long, slow, hot, exposed, windy grind up a gradual grade, finished off by an even hotter and very steep climb. I was feeling great when I got to Patterson, but I was pretty tired when I got back to the Junction.