Originally Posted by twisted
Sounds like you are making excuses for a pathetic performance after posting how fast you would be. How hard is it to put the chain on, drop it to an easier gear and get back on the bike? I don't know of any situation where a good rider can't clip back in and get going again, regardless of the pitch of the hill.
Maybe you realized you were in over your head and needed a way to save face after shooting your mouth off.
Sure I was in a little over my head, 11 - 15 percent grades with a 42-23 as the lowest gear... this is pro teritory for gearing, my tt bike was not designed for this kind of climbing. Have you ever done a short time trial like this on this kind of course? You get going so hard that you forget basic things in the heat of battle.
Cliping in on an 11 percent grade is no easy matter BTW. When you are pushing 30 RPMs max to try and get up the hill and are already dead tired from going 100 percent a push from zero is nearly impossible. Many pros barly climb this type of hill in a 39-21 which is the same gearing I have and I am certainly not a pro. With no running start to the hill there was almost no chance to gain momentum going up it... I.e. once I lost it it was over.
In hindsite socal rider is right, I should have clipped in, went to the bottom of the hill and tried again, hoping that I could get up it starting at zero not an easy task by any means. Next time I am going to take a 12-27 on the back if I use the TT bike (likely) so I can spin up the hill. I am also working on power for the next few weeks for I can hopefully be a bit stronger.
No one has broken 12 on the course yet, the lowest time is still a few seconds over 13 minutes. Please do not make these kind of remarks before you have any idea on what it is like...