Edonis13

man i lost a lot of fitness over the winter. i knew the hill was going to be hard because ive gained a few pounds too, but man, i didnt think it was going to kick my ass this bad.

its 1 mile long, starts at 6% and then at the halfway point becomes 12%. i was cranking up the lower section feeling pretty good and once the road went up i dropped down a couple gears and settled in for some work. last season i could push hard up this thing and get out of the saddle to crank out the last 200 feet or so. today that was not the case. i was forced all the way down to my 34x26 pretty quickly and the suffering began. i wanted to get out of the saddle and pound out that last section, but i just didnt have it in me. my legs felt great but my cardio wasnt there. as i crested the top i started getting light headed and pulled off to take a breather. 30 seconds later i was laying down on the curb and puking my guts out into a storm drain getting some odd looks from drivers as they drove by me. man that sucked.

anyways, i got back on my bike and finished out the last 20 miles of the ride. now im home and i feel great.

have any of you guys had similar experiences so far this year? or did you gets get enough trainer/rollers/rain riding time in to keep your fitness up.

jinws

A couple months ago I decided to try Sierra road (TOC stage 3 final climb) for the first time. I tell ya, I was on my granny (34x27)all the way up, I almost threw up twice on that climb.

scotch

the first long hills after a lay off are always a bicth for me, and there are a lot of hills in my area. i honestly don't think riding the trainer actually does much for me other than allowing me to work up a sweat. however, i do play a lot of racquetball in the winter and that absolutely helps to keep my lungs and legs in shape. i also ride in the winter, but not nearly as much, especially with the 110 inches of snow this year.

i've never lost my lunch after a hill, but i have felt like i might pass out or - on a couple of occassions - die, so you're not alone.

Edonis13

its not a feeling i will soon forget. ill tell you what though, once it was over and my heart rate came back to normal, ive never felt more alive.

Edonis13

i saw the profile for that climb. i wont be doing it anytime soon. i wont say never because who knows....

jinws

Oh I'm sure you will try it. You're close enough to it. one of these days, we'll talk you into coming down for some bay area group rides, then we'll trick you into it.

Edonis13

ill have to lose 40-50 pounds before i think about it.

Thirstyman

I'm not wishing this happens to me or you again but, if it does I'd get my pulse rate before puking so at least you you know your threshold. very considerate of you to find a storm drain.

Edonis13

well the funny thing is that my heart rate was 5 beats lower than it would normally be on that climb last year. the storm drain just happen to be there, i wasnt worried about being considerate, i was concerned about having a place to lay down that wasnt on the road. the area above the storm drain offered me that place.

mrrabbit 

Man it is amazing the difference is when you are out of shape aint it?

Used to do Sierra Road here in San Jose like others here on the board...and the Mt. Hamilton loop.

Back in high school and college - 1984 - 1994, both were a piece of cake.

I would ride Sierra Road on the weekends - get to the top literally sprinting. (42 x 21)

I would ride Mt. Hamilton every month - once got to the top in 1:42:00 - because I paired up with guys on touring bikes who were really spinning...they were good and set one hellavu pace...also had the help of wind in the first stage...

Also, every Wednesday during 4 years of high school - I would RUN (hill charge sprint) the first 200 yards of Sierra Road sixteen times.


Today? Out of shape me sure admires Sierra Road - but I don't turn right - I just keep going on Piedmont Hill Road...

Today? Out of shape me loves going up Mt. Hamilton Road . . . in my car.

I wish I could...I wish...


=8-)

jkizzle

out around the kentucky river, about 15 miles of constant up grades and rollers then on the way back there is maybe a 4 or 5% grade max, about a quarter mile long, i bonk, last 2 miles takes me about 20 minutes. walked into starbucks shaking, trying to get some carbs fast haha

sunburst

Sounds like my afternoon, after dropping my son off at soccer. I tried a hill that a cycling neighbor told me about. I thought, "sure, why not, I'm thin. Hills - no problem." Not only that, but I had my new compact crank (34/27 is my low), so I figured I had the gears.

Fortunately for me, I had to get back to pick up my son, so I had my excuse to turn around after grinding away for a long time. I really have no idea how far I was from the top.

mattm

damn, edonis, that's a helluva story! kudos to you for finishing the ride.

and i do believe you just Hardened-The-****-Up a little there on the side of the road; pcad would be proud of you.

me? i've been pedaling (outside) all through the winter, so when i do cougar mountain (1400 feet over 2.5 miles) on tomorrow's lunch ride, i'll be winded at the top but not sick.

i'd say tackle that same hill in a week, and you'll probably make it up this time, lunch intact.

Thirstyman

Interesting. How close to estimated max HR was that climb for you last year? I really need to up my training as I haven't felt on the edge of puking since late last year. Fun times! Winter has made me a wussy. Although I never puked back then (25 years ago), there used to be several guys on my high school indoor track team that made it a regular ritual.

Nerves from the anticipation of the pain from pushing yourself way past the limit in front of a couple of hundred spectators, hot cheerleaders and your team mates in order to deliver a worthy performance -- the best kind of peer pressure going-- would always get me total amped. Man I miss that as almost all my rides are solo these days. I wish my schedule allowed me the time to join a local team.

Himmelberger

Edonis13, what hill are you referring to? I am also in Sacramento and I am always looking for new rides.

caloso

As a sidenote, you don't even need a hill to make you puke. My buddy and I were doing flat land intervals on the lower section of the bike trail yesterday and I got a second taste of my breakfast oatmeal....

Edonis13

that hill is where i tested my max heart rate last year. my max recorded is 177, i was hovering around 170-172 yesterday before i got sick.

Edonis13

Ironpoint road in folsom, east of East Bidwell. commonly called "Costco Hill" because Costco is basically the only thing on that section of the road.

i work about a mile away from it, so i would take my bike to work and do my repeats after a shift.

Edonis13

i believe it. today will be a nice easy recovery ride on the bike trail. a couple of my friends are just getting into cycling, so ill be cruising with them a couple days a week until they get their legs under them so to speak. what bike do you ride/what jersey do you typically wear, ill have to keep an eye out for you. im the fat guy in the USA jersey on a red felt f4c. if you ever see me out there, say hi, and i might even try to keep up with you for awhile.

neurocycler

No kidding, first club race of the year is a flat time trial. Let's just say that raisin bran doesn't taste as good the second time round.

caloso

Great! I'm usually on a silver Trek 5200 in my Team City kit. I usually don't get above Sunrise but occasionally I'll ride up to Beals. See you on the trail!

Thirstyman

I do congratulate you on the presence of mind to note your HR as you were looking for the storm drain. I guess for now 171 is max. But it could just have been the timing of your last meal.