Originally Posted by
chasm54
CFb's advice is good, as usual. On long climbs, especially in high temperatures, it's virtually impossible to keep your HR in Z2. I'd be using the HRM to pace myself, as you suggest, and trying to climb mainly in Z3 but not worrying about being in Z4 on steeper sections.
Thank you guys. I will try to stick with this. I tried it during my hilly commute today and it seemed to be doable.
Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Some guy wrote a whole book about training for and executing this ride. You can probably google it up. IIRC he said the minimum climbing rate to finish is 1450'/hr and he recommended a lowest gear of 30X34. This is for the full 5-pass course. Never done it, but I understand it gets steep in places. New brake pads would probably be a good idea.
HA. I googled and found it. I must say this whole fuss around this ride makes me kind of nervous. While I was sure that I can finish the ride by pushing myself to the limits, now I'm not that sure. We will see.