Originally Posted by
Jack Tone
Back when I first started with Pen Velo, I did the New Year's Day San Bruno Mt. Hillclimb. I had my version 1 Cannondale with a 42X24. I remember it as one of the hardest, coldest bike rides I've done.
January 1, 2000 I climbed Mt Hamilton. It was a cool, but not cold day, but damp. No rain, but it had rained recently. The climb produced enough heat that I sweated through everything I had on. AND what I didn't know is there's a part of the route where you give up a hundred feet or so of your hard-won elevation, and then you have to regain it. It's not all that steep, really. The last mile or so was foggy and so REALLY damp. At the top, there were about 2 dozen of us, all trying to warm up in the lobby of the Post Office at the top, which was open and heated. I'd brought plenty of food and drink, but no other clothes, so I had to do the descent in soaking wet clothes.
AND the fog had expanded so it covered the first FOUR miles, not just the first mile. AND as I had ascended, I'd noticed most of the turns had sand/gravel on the inside of the turn. So I had to keep my speed down, braking with frozen hands. Not the coldest ride I've ever done, but the one on which I got the coldest!!!!