Hamilton Ride
 

Is no one posting a write-up? What about those pictures that were taken.

My take on the ride: hard. By the time we reached the top of Hamilton at mile 40 with 8000' of ascent, I was pretty cooked. The ride down the back - out to the junction was trippy/bonky/desert-hallucinaty time. My head was POUNDING at this point. Lunch helped a little, but not enough. The trip back up Hamilton was a death march, and the descent down the front was not any fun. My head was hurting again, and I felt all foggy in the brain. I think I cruised down at like 20mph the entire way.

My Garmin said 95.2miles with 12456' ascent. I did go down to the gate on Kincaid and back up, and there was a little back-tracking on Quimby when Matt blew threw his chain.

Heh, I'm still sleeping in after that one. I have to say, after all the pain I did really enjoy the day. Ended in good spirits. The lowest point for me was Quimby, I was so frustrated with shifting issues and that creeping dread that I was finished that I couldn't enjoy it like I think I could have; after that it improved drastically. I find new remote roads like Kincaid exhilarating. What surprised me the most was how tired I was up the back of Hamilton: I've never felt that drained when the heat wasn't >90. Just shows how much vertical we hit that day!

I ended with 97 and 11932 ascent. I think the consensus is about 95 with 12k.

Thanks to Marco for the ride. Really!

It takes energy to post a write up ... of which majority of us were lacking ... So that meant sleeping in a bit.

I'll have my ride report in my blog, which I'm still working on. But I do have a few pics ... posted them on my smugmug page,

Photos: http://spingineer.smugmug.com/Cyclin...40965316_ULbEN
Slideshow: http://spingineer.smugmug.com/photos...AlbumKey=mpjBT

I'm actually not that sore, really, just a pleasant reminder that we did something BIG yesterday.

Nothing really fazes me anymore now that we've been through two, extreme, rides in two weeks - except maybe a Double and I'm NOT going there...ever.

I'm not into riding in the middle of nowhere and was starting to lose it on the backside when heading out to lunch. Next time I'll skip the back side, just do repeats on the front, and cruise down to a nice taco stand for lunch. :)

Can't complain with you on that one, but that is what it's like on a double, so you're just about there. It definitely stretched our limits. Just to think, I was going to skip the back side, but I saw everyone else was doing the back side, and I can't be the only one to bail, so like sheep, I went ahead, and proceeded with the carnage and suffrage.

I actually liked the Kinkaid detour quite a bit. Doing that out and back, then top of Hamilton, then back down would be a good healthy ride.

Heh. You can also just go down the backside to the bridge, and just do the main climb (6 miles).

Great pictures Ron - this sounds like an impressive ride. I've gotta try my hand at Quimby one of these days, but those backroads around Mt Hamilton look really gorgeous, apparently not so much after the morning's work you'd done to get there though. ;)

I know what you're talking about; the first time I rode the backside was solo, and I had this distinct thought at one point of "oh man, what have I gotten myself into? this was a bad idea." It's so remote out there it strikes a nerve.

Deliverance ????
http://www.bobcesca.com/images/deliverance.jpg

BTW, my ride report is on my blog at http://sevencyclist.wordpress.com/20...s-of-hamilton/

nice blog post!

the pic of Michael, Donald and me at theJunction is an instant classic. *****face all over that one.

It captured the essense of the mood ... and notice how chipper Donald is :roflmao2:

I gotta say, I thought it was a great ride. The weather and company really couldn't have been any better. I 'm sorry if some rough days were had, but hey its 95 miles with 12k feet, it's to be expected that it would be long and hard. We don't often do such long/hard rides, so hitting the roads less traveled (to me) is kind of nice, since we wouldn't be able to do so on something shorter/easier.

Here is our take on the ride:

- We got there at around 7:31, and started unloading the bike quickly. Matt showed up around 5 min after us... Thanks Matt for making me not the solo dunce of the group ;) j/k We rolled out at apx 7:40 - 7:45. Sorry about that guys.

- Crothers was an interesting warm up, and I plan on doing that one more often for sure.

- Qumiby, like Ron said, was GREAT. Rarely can you say that about Quimby. Cool temps, and a good rhythm set be Ruthie and I, made it a nice experience. We had such a good rhythm going, without over exerting ourselves compared to the last time we did Quimby. On the climb Ruth told me, "I think our goal should be to finish (the ride) strong." We commented that we felt good, and were very happy at this point. We were able to keep Chris, Michael and Ron in sight (just a turn or so ahead) for most of the climb. Chris and Michael pulled ahead a little, but we were able to have Ron in our sights all the way to the top. I gotta say, Ron you were having an awesome day, good job dude!.

- Next part of Hamilton was pretty much normal.

- Much of our suffering came on Kincaid, since it was an unknown, and looked much easier on paper. So it was a bit surprising, PLUS it came not long after Quimby. However we felt much better afterward when we got back onto the 3rd climb of the Hamilton frontside.

- About 2/3 of the way up the 3rd climb on the frontside, we got a bit of a second wind just as Ron had closed the cap to a couple hundred yards or less. I kicked it up to a bigger gear and we started tapping out a good pace. Ron disappeared from sight and then we reeled in another rider whose friends were cheering him on from the top, telling him a "tandem was bearing down on him, and to grab our wheel" ;) Haha. Instead we blasted by, I was anxious to get to the top, since we ran out of water just a moment ago.

- Observatory was good, Coke and cookies were good, and so was the cold water. Now it was time for a crazy descent.

- I had never piloted the tandem down the backside before, only up, but I knew it would be pretty crazy. The hairpins were a bit tight, and the steepness made it not the best tandem descent. For comparison, I consider the frontside is a good tandem descent if not for the bumps. I used a A LOT of braking. We were able to lead the group though, with Matt, Ben and Donald just behind.

- After the descent there was a pretty good hill that separated Ruthie and I from those three. We pushed on, and we could see the trio off, just ahead, in the distance. However, I was getting a bit concerned about the group behind us (Ramon, Michael, Chris and Ron) since I could not even see them at all looking back. :eek: I had no phone coverage there, so we pressed on to the Junction. I could see Matt pulling in just ahead of us. Ben and Donald had pulled ahead and were just getting their sandwiches.

- Lunch... we ordered and, Chris arrived a few min later. Ron and Michael had teamed up together and rode just just after Chris. Ruthie and I felt much better after eating and getting off the bike. When we left it was just after 3pm, so I knew it was time to pickup the pace to get back to the cars at a somewhat sane time.

- Way back on the rollers of San Antonio Valley was much easier. We set off at a fairly fast pace on the flatter beginning section, pushing the 53-ring a bit. Ramon and Ben caught us on a roller, followed shortly after by Donald. We rode together with those 3 until the first really big roller. We were passed be Michael, Matt and Chris, but then we re-passed them on the next downhill. Soon thereafter we caught DONALD... wtf :eek: I guess Ramon and Ben were kicking out a blistering pace, and Donald couldn't keep in the draft, so he decided to wait for ours. :D Us and Donald continued on. On the big roller before the main climb Donald got ahead, but then we re-passed him when he stopped to eat. Michael, Chris, Matt and Ron were still nowhere in sight.. so Ruthie and were feeling pretty good about our efforts.

- Then came the main climb back to the top which is around 7 miles (I have heard 6-8, but have no Garmin data myself). This climb is quite a bit steeper than the front side. We looked at the time and it was 4:01pm, we wanted to see our time to the top. Donald re-caught up, but then we stopped for a bit (maybe 4 minutes or so) to eat. Donald continued on, and when we were stopped we were passed by Michael, Chris and Matt. We got back on the bike and set off. After our quick bite, we started to feel pretty good, I could see the 3 just ahead and even Donald just off in the distance. Matt Michael and Chris had stopped for a nature break, and as we passed, expressed how pissed off they were that I had setup such a long/hard ride. We said sorry... :p

- We were feeling pretty good at this point, which was somewhat a surprise, and very exciting actually! We had a good STEADY pace going up the hill, and I was really proud of my wife at this point, I was smiling the whole time, even while pushing up the hill! :love: We saw Donald pretty close, but he took off hard to get to the observatory by 5pm. We got to the top at 5:05 pm. So only 1 hour of riding time for the ascent! We filled our bottles, then came Matt, Chris, Michael and Ron.

- Soon thereafter Ramon and Donald came down from the now closed observatory with Coke/soda for everyone that they got just before closing. That was very nice. Major props to Ramon. Ben had taken off, since he had to ride home to Los Gatos :twitchy:

Now our favorite part of the ride:

- The descent was fun. The cool thing is, we had energy left!!! I decided to put out everything I had in the 2nd climb on the way down the frontside. We were tapping it out in the 42x22, and even the 42x19, maybe even the 17!! Ramon and Donald made chase, and were slowly closing in, but we were keeping away. We were having a blast. Then Ramon caught up and matched our tempo, when suddenly just before the crest, out of nowhere, Donald looked like Contador and launched a ninja-like attack!! :D Ramon chased, and we tried to follow but couldn't catch their wheels. We chased hard and hammered the 53x11 on the descent and caught them on that short rise that follows soon there after. We passed them, only to be stuck behind a Mustang the rest of the way down.


WOW!!! That last part was a blast, some of the most fun I have ever had on a bike. To still have kick at the end (and be hammering with the likes of Donald and Ramon) was an exhilarating feeling, that we only experience every so often on the tandem.

Again, I love my stoker :love:... Major props to her for not only making it through this hard ride, but performing brilliantly. I am still on cloud 9.

Thank you to everyone that came. It was truly epic.

Well done everyone! AND, Great report Ron! :thumb:

Thanks Marco for the huge kudos. I was feeling really good, and hearing you say that means a lot to me. Thanks. And thanks for the complement on how I was looking out there. Every little bit does pump a guy up! :thumb:

I think the tough part was on the back side, after we got to the flat - rollie section, and the head wind to boot. Not knowing how much further we had to go, and seeing no civilation out there, except for 1 or 2 cows, was demoralizing to put it mildly.

Overall, it was a great ride, and even though the back side was tough, I am glad I did it. This will be my big "fish" tale.

The b!tching and moaning is temporary, but the memories last forever.

I never should've stopped for that break on the back side. Everything was going well but when I stopped I think my body thought it was time to pack it in. I couldn't get my HR above 130 no matter how hard I tried. Bonk!

Really? My HR was hovering between 135 - 145, and you were still ahead of me. Maybe it was my lower gearing.

I'm starting to see the real power of Ascent Software. I can pinpoint every data point of my HR and cadence, based on actual mile mark of the ride. Really cool, really geeky stuff! :thumb:

Yeah. Planning on getting the edge 500 once it's out and priced right. ;)

Just now got a chance to look at the pictures and read the ride reports. Thanks Ron and Marco!

I had a really good time out on the bike Saturday and felt much better than the Bohlman/Hicks ride. Rather than do a full ride report I think I'll just give some highlights this time. Kincaid was really great with fresh smooth pavement and an amazing descent after branching off from Hwy 130. At the midpoint it bottoms out and there is a steel deck bridge that takes you across a stream. Then the road goes back uphill but this time it's narrower and bumpier with much older asphalt. Toward the end there are a couple switch backs that are REALLY steep on the inside and with loose gravel here and there. Fun stuff and well worth the detour. Just be sure and top off on water at Joseph D. Grant Park. We saw a ton of other bikes going up to Hamilton but nobody else on Kincaid

On the last 5 mile stretch to the observatory I saw Donald and Ramon a little bit ahead and set out to catch them. I swear it took me 2 miles to close a 200 foot gap and then when I caught them it took me another 5 minutes of drafting to get my heart rate down. I asked Donald if he was doing the backside or turning around at the observatory since it seemed like he was setting a pretty quick pace considering the scope of the whole ride. As it turned out each of the three of us thought that someone else was driving the hard pace and nobody wanted to back down and get dropped ;) Anyway I was pretty spent by the time I reached the top for the first time and I really savored the Famous Amos cookies and a can of coke.

This was my first time down the back of Hamilton on a bike. I was on the brakes a lot! Marco and Ruth were setting a pretty blistering pace down the hill especially considering the decreased maneuverability of a tandem. I actually appreciated following them and Matt and Donald to help keep my speed under control. Definitely a descent to be respected as one lapse of attention could put you into a corner too hot and spit you off the road.

Going up the back side was long but not too bad. At the base Ramon and I were trying to figure if we'd get to the top before they closed and I felt like we had a pretty good shot. I ended up getting there around 4:50 I think. Ramon got there a couple minutes later and had the awesome idea of buying soda for everyone else since there would be no drinking fountain access once they closed at 5pm. I threw in a couple dollars to the soda pool but then hit the road again. I wish I could have said a proper goodbye to folks but I was feeling the need to get back home since I had ridden to the start.

Descent of the front side of Ham was awesome. No traffic until I got almost to the first little climb. Then to get home I turned left on Quimby and climbed that in the reverse direction from the morning. It's about 500' of climbing to the high point and then one of the wildest descents ever back into San Jose!

Like the tandem crew I actually had pretty good energy at the end of this ride for my flat route home. Traffic on Tully was a mess and I would take the bike lane up past lanes full of stopped cars to a red light. The light would turn green just as I pulled up and I could sprint ahead and then repeat at the next light. As much as I love going up and down hills sometimes I also really enjoy the sprint/recovery of riding in traffic.

All told I got 120 miles in and probably around 12500 to 13k of climbing. It was a fun day.

Nice summary. I think the weather factored majorly to why we were still fresh at the end of the ride.

The reports above basically covered it, so not much to add.

A couple of personal items:

1- that wind was killing me both physically and mentally. On rollies back to the base on Hamilton, I momentarily lost the wheel of Ramon/Ben and my speed just dropped to like 12mph. Saw the tandem a few corners behind so I waited for their draft and BAM, we were going 20mph.

2- this was the first long, tough, draining ride I did since the nausea/dehydration/stomach issues I was having during my big rides in July. Even though I was tired and on the verge of cramping on the return trip up Hamilton, all the water stayed in the stomach. I used Cliffshots and Eudurolyte pills with no adverse effects this time.

I should have spoke up earlier, but I had my 2 bike rack, and I could have given you a lift home. Oh well, next time.

Ah, thanks for the offer but no worries. It made the ride all the more epic for me to do it all the way from my house and back. I might have to take a rain check on your offer though ;)