Originally Posted by
lhbernhardt
...The Davis ride was great. I started with one companion, then pace lines caught us, and pretty soon we were riding in a large group along the flat fields of the Central Valley as the sun rose. We reached the hills, which weren't bad. There were more than enough rest stops (I skipped two of them), and then we hit Cobb Mountain. So here I thought this would be easy on a fixie. The sign at the bottom of the climb said "Cobb - 7 Miles." So we start climbing. We reach Cobb, and it's still climbing, but only steeper. I know that I can pedal to a max 18% grade on the 44x17 fixed gear, and it felt like a 17% grade for the several kilometers to the rest stop...
Cobb will definitely get your attention. Especially if you didn't know it was coming! Davis is a great double but it is definitely not the easiest. I think it gets the nod for newcomers because of the support.
Originally Posted by
lhbernhardt
... The next seven miles was along a flat bike path, and then we started climbing again. The hardest part of the ride was the five-mile climb halfway up to Palomar Observatory. It was hot at the start of the climb, so I finally took off the leg warmers, but then a couple of miles later, at about the 2000' level, it started to get chilly again.
That's a fun little climb there. It doesn't actually take you up to the observatory though. That's about ten miles up the mountain on your left after you finish the "fun" little climb on hwy 76. A great little climb itself!
Originally Posted by
lhbernhardt
...By the time I hit the top of the Montezuma climb (no more uphill after this), it was already dark and I had my lights on. During the day, this would be a thrilling descent, with the desert floor 2 or 3 thousand feet below just distracting enough on the tight turns. At night, though, when all you had was a pool of light thrown out by the reliable Light & Motion Urban 300 (at the 150-lumen setting), it was like descending any other road. Except the three times when I'd hit a wall of wind and the bike would come to a complete stop on the descent!...Two different rides, one organized with military precision, the other a bit spotty but with its own charm. Next double: Knoxville. On the fixie again!
Luis
Montezuma grade is great fun! That's the first place I ever touched my knee on the ground (without crashing) in a corner on my motorcycle. As far as the support goes, what you are seeing is the difference between a very large bike club with years of experience and a single long distance enthusiast doing something she really enjoys.
I think you'll find the Knoxville double on par with the Borrego Springs double in difficulty. While there is plenty of climbing there is nothing as steep as Cobb on the Davis Double. Additionally, most of the climbing is done in the first half of the ride. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun!