| Ride Stats |
|
Distance:
48.84 miles
|
Altitude Gain:
4,140 ft
|
Avg Speed:
13.27 mph
|
|
Route:
Cheaha Mountain
|
Avg Grade: 0 %
|
Max Grade: 0 %
|
|
Max HR: 152 bpm
|
Avg HR: 127 bpm
|
Terrain: Road: Steep
|
|
Bike: Look Blade RS 795 Iconic Ltd Road
|
Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 76 F NE wind @ 6 mph |
|
Survived yesterday's climbing outing okay so decided might as well do my big climb today. Numbers are still too low to expect a good outing, but good outings may be things of the past. Neck was still quite stiff but have more movement than yesterday. Plan was to ride out to the western face and ride up the Cheaha Road. Had a fifteen mile fairly flat highway ride to get to the climb. There was a fairly good tailwind and a good shoulder, so it was a steady mostly pleasant section. The climb is over ten miles long with dozens of curves as the road serpentines up the hill. It starts off with a short steep section to a reservoir and then flattens out to a slight grade. The bottom half is more of a step climb than a mountain climb as there are short steep sections often followed by a half mile of flat or slight downgrade. The last four miles though is all uphill at a decent grade. Started having some tightness in the chest on a couple sections so didn't push hard or try to make good time. Got a nice rhythm going so the bottom section was enjoyable. Started dreading the last couple miles after the turn unto SR 281 that goes to the top of the mountain and a state park. It wasn't as bad as I thought but I was totally tapped out as I rounded the last turn. The next section of downhill is epic as it is steep but being on a highway the corners are engineered so there isn't any off camber challenges. Ended up coasting again but still got some fast riding in. Fun only lasts for a few miles before the pain returns. There are two or three ridges to cross that are only a mile long but with grades of over fifteen percent. Unfortunately, the climbs also have uphill approaches so one can't carry any speed into the hill. While the climbing up Cheaha Road was entertaining these sections were just painful. Lost big chunks on time grinding up them. Eventual got down to route 24 which was the highpoint of yesterday's climb up the north side of the mountain. Felt a bit better today and pedaled hard on the fast downhill in a failing attempt to get the average up. Actually felt good to be doing some speed work after plodding along for the last month. I wasn't able to do much after that and just spun back to the start. Had a good mixture of terrain today with an even mix of flatland, climbing and downhill. Weather was a bit cool over the mountain but great in the valley.
0 member views | 6 total views
report problem |
|
|
|
|
more...
