Climbing Club - August

[Trekhawk]

Hey guys do we have a thread for Aug yet??

If not lets hear your Aug goals.

Im going to try and get back on my bike a bit more and with the kids starting school in a couple of weeks that should help.

Im setting my goal at 22000.:)

[Starfish]

Well, I am writing this from Shasta, where I hope to get in 10,500 feet on Sunday! :eek:

That will be 2500 more than I have ever done in one day, and at higher elevations overall. Frankly, I'm feeling nervous, but I'm not sure about what? :rolleyes: What am I afraid of? Not finishing? Not completing my goal? Being too slow and getting swept up off the course? Just suffering? I don't know.

That is probably the entirety of my climbing goal for the month, because when I get back, I start some new responsibilities and will probably just be trying to ride for fun.

(Although, I have to admit, I would like to use the endurance boost I will have gained for some fun, easy-ish century or something later in August...)

[SadieKate]

Sheesh, my entire month's goal for August is 12,000 ft. Heck, when my average weekday ride has only 80-some feet at best, you do what you can.

MP got me looking at climbing in a new way though - feet per mile. I was just boggled by some of the numbers some folks were reporting but once I started looking at this a per ride basis for when I could get to the hills, I started feeling like I was accomplished something.

Annually, I'm averaging 41 ft/mile which is pretty consistent with some of the folks reporting high climbing totals - they're riding more miles than I am but at the same ft/mile ratio.

Our Telluride to Moab tour was 106 ft/mile over 6 days.
The mtb ride we use for hill training is 180 ft/mile.
June's monthly average was 66 ft/mile.
July's monthly average was 51.6 ft/mile.

Somehow this has given me a psychological boost and helps me get through the flat miles during the week.

[Starfish]

Our Telluride to Moab tour was 106 ft/mile over 6 days.


Wow. For 6 days...that strikes me as a LOT.

[jobob]

I hope to hit 200,000 ft by the end of the month, which would mean 40,000 ft of climbing this month. Probably a big stretch, but we'll see what happens.


Feet per mile involves too much higher math for me :p

[jobob]

Well, I am writing this from Shasta, where I hope to get in 10,500 feet on Sunday! :eek:

Ooooh, where are you staying in Shasta? Is it nice up there?

[maillotpois]

Well, Jo you'll be about 1/4 of the way there after Tam.

I have no goal. Get through Tam with my friend and then maybe take some time off, or at least with fewer miles.

[maillotpois]

Hey Starfish - good luck!! More importantly - have fun!!!

[RolliePollie]

My August goal is 25,000'. Of course, this is somewhat dependent on the weather, because if it gets really hot, then all bets are off! This upcoming Saturday, I plan to ride 50 miles here locally with about 4,000' of climbing. That may not sound like much to some, but it's a bit daunting for me!

[Starfish]

10,403 so far this month, with no goal at all for the rest of the month!

[Starfish]

This upcoming Saturday, I plan to ride 50 miles here locally with about 4,000' of climbing. That may not sound like much to some, but it's a bit daunting for me!

That's a pretty healthy proportion of climbing. How did it go?

[jobob]

10,403 so far this month, with no goal at all for the rest of the month!

jobob, reading between the lines, realizes ...

You did it !!!
Congratulations !!! http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/yay.gif (http://www.millan.net) http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/clap.gif (http://www.millan.net)http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/yay.gif (http://www.millan.net) http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/clap.gif (http://www.millan.net) http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/yay.gif (http://www.millan.net)


But you're going to have to give us more than that. Throw us a bone here wouldja! :cool: :D

[DirtDiva]

Jeez it sounds like a lot when the numbers are in feet. Well, I suppose it still is a lot of climbing in a month, but I really did think Trekhawk was saying she was going to climb twenty-two thousand metres in August for a second there. :eek: :rolleyes: :o

[teawoman]

I'm just going to sit here and gape in admiration. :eek: :D

[Starfish]

jobob, reading between the lines, realizes ... [B][SIZE="3"]You did it !!!
But you're going to have to give us more than that. Throw us a bone here wouldja! :cool: :D

Checkout the new thread...Shasta Ride Report... :p

Jo, thank you SO much for your exuberance (sp?)! It is so fun to have people to celebrate with...people who actually ride, themselves, so they KNOW what I mean! Yippee! Thank you!

[maillotpois]

Yee - ha!!!

Way to go Starfish! (And Jo who did a heckuvajob on a tough ride on Saturday!)

I'm at about 8000 for August and resting for a bit. Have to exorcise the @ss thetans. (See the Marin Century thread in "California" if you really want to know.) Plus, I popped my ankle out last night (duh - klutz in clogs). So I am definitely off the bike for at least a week.

[Starfish]

(See the Marin Century thread in "California" if you really want to know.)

wow, I DID just read that thread...I'm going to have to keep track of the California forum...amazing

[Trekhawk]

Jeez it sounds like a lot when the numbers are in feet. Well, I suppose it still is a lot of climbing in a month, but I really did think Trekhawk was saying she was going to climb twenty-two thousand metres in August for a second there. :eek: :rolleyes: :o

LOL - now that would be a lot of climbing for this sloth. Its funny you should mention the metres/feet thing. For ages I didn't realize my computer was reading my climbing in metres (I have it set for metric so I should have known:o ). Lets just say I was pretty depressed with my climbing numbers. I felt much happier when I realized it was in metres. After converting the numbers to feet it sounded a little better.:D

[crazycanuck]

Ok..I have a new pet hill to climb on my long ride :) No idea of the elevation but it's a hill a skateboarder would love to zoom down :eek: ...I managed to get all the way up today!

I shall take a pic when i can..

C

[GLC1968]

I'm not sure what to use as my goal for August. I've just recommitted to a 'challenge century' at the end of September, so I'm gonna have to climb a lot in August (for me, anyway). My next real mountain climbing ride isn't until Labor Day weekend though, which is September...hmmmm.

Ok, I'm setting my goal at 20,000 ft.

[Starfish]

After converting the numbers to feet it sounded a little better.:D

Hmmmm, my computer is already in feet...what can I convert to? LOL


I shall take a pic when i can..

Yes, pictures!


I've just recommitted to a 'challenge century' at the end of September

Tell us more!

[GLC1968]

This is the description on the website:

The Six Gap Century

This ultra challenging route takes you up and down six of the steepest climbs in the North Georgia Mountains. Test your stamina with more than 10,700 feet of vertical climbing over the 100 mile course. Elevations for the six gaps in this ride range from 2,949 feet to 3,490 feet. The toughest climb, Hogpen Gap, will test even the strongest riders, averaging a 7% grade for seven miles, with sections as steep as 15%.

I haven't been able to find a profile of it...but I've seen it on t-shirts and it's scary. 6 climbs...one after the other...and the one they mention above (Hogpen, nicknamed HogPain) is the 4th climb.

I've heard a ton of mixed reviews about how difficult it is. The only people who's opinion I trust (because they did some climbing rides with me) said that I shouldn't have too much trouble. I don't know though...it still makes me super nervous. I've got a 30-27...so I should be ok. DH has a 28-29...and he gives me a hard time for needing to rest. :mad:

I guess that ultimately, my goal would be to finish the ride and to not hate every minute of it. :rolleyes:

[Starfish]

I guess that ultimately, my goal would be to finish the ride and to not hate every minute of it. :rolleyes:

That does sound like a challenging ride! But, trust your friends you have ridden with.

One thing that helped me a lot this year was reading something Chris Carmichael wrote about selecting goals. He said that you should set several goals, and put them in an order so that there is a hierarchy.

After reading his goal setting chapter in his book (I'm getting old...can't remember the name...is it The Ultimate Ride?), I very purposely set my goals in this order:

1) Maintain a positive attitude and have fun.
2) Set a PB for elevation gained.
3) Finish the century route.

I wanted my first goal to be something I could control. I couldn't control a lot of things (weather, mechanicals, etc), but I could control my attitude.

The second goal I chose because it would still give me a feeling of accomplishment, but even if I wasn't fast enough to finish the course, I still had a shot at setting this PB.

Finally, I knew that, even though I am a very slow rider, if everything came together for the perfect day, this goal would be in reach.

So, I set goals that covered the spectrum...from one I could keep even if the whole day fell apart, to one I could just barely reach, if everything all came together.

Your ride does sound tough! But, just imagine (and I mean truly visualize and imagine), how you will feel about yourself when you're done!

(One final note...you absolutely have to ride your own ride, especially not your DH's. It was humbling to my ego early in the ride to pace myself, even on the flats, while rider after rider zoomed by me...and also later in the day when I was climbing at 3mph, concentrating on keeping my tires on the white line and just breathing, rather than staggering around. But, slow & steady won the day for me. I met my goals.)

[crazycanuck]

k..I'm in & want to share my hill with you...

Mount Street is on the last half of my ride & will aim to do it twice a week..

Length of Mount St – past bridge to top (cliff st): 280m

Height at bottom: 15m

Height at top: 50m

Difference: 35m

% Gradient = 35/280*100 = 12.5%

I made it up the other day without stopping :)

It's the hilliest thing i can find on my weekday rides..

C

[RolliePollie]

Nothing terribly exciting on the climbing front, but I am pretty proud of myself tonight, so I just have to post this!

I just surpassed 1,500 miles!!! When I started riding in February, I never would've guessed I'd be at 1,500 miles by August. Pat-on-back for self. :D

[Starfish]

Pat-on-back for self. :D

BIG pat!!! And, we all have been seeing that a lot of those miles have been climbing miles. Nice job, Sara!! :)

[jobob]

Today I rode the Tour de Max, almost 7000 ft in 70 miles. Booyah! :cool:

Still not Starfish Level though. ;)

[Trekhawk]

Today I rode the Tour de Max, almost 7000 ft in 70 miles. Booyah! :cool:

Still not Starfish Level though. ;)

Woohoo!!!
Well done jobob.:)

[Veronica]

Today I rode the Tour de Max, almost 7000 ft in 70 miles. Booyah! :cool:



Remember two years ago - Tunitas Creek.
Remember when Nemesis was wicked hard.
Remember when you thought you'd never exceed the speed limit on the trail.

Keep on truckin' Jo. :D

V.

[jobob]

Thanks ! :o


Remember two years ago - Tunitas Creek.

Hee hee, you bet I did! As I was riding up Tunitas Creek Road yesterday, for only the second time ever, I was thinking back to the first time I went up it, two years ago with V and Thom (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=3874).

I did much better this time. Only needed to stop for a short breather about 2/3 up. yay. :D

That road still sux though. :p

[Tiffany]

What kind of computers do you guys use to keep track of your hill climbs? I am the "weirdo" of our group ... you know ... the one who actuallly likes to climb :) and I would love to keep track of things like that. Please share with me what you guys like to use! Thanks!

[Veronica]

I use a Polar 720. I think the current model is a 725. It tracks nearly everything.

I also often ride with a GPS - Garmin 60CSx.

V.

[Starfish]

Still not Starfish Level though. ;)

Just tell V you are committed to some ride, and then tell her she has permission to get tough. One day I will come down and we will struggle along in her wake together! LOL :p

[jobob]

I have a CicloSport CM436M that I really like (once I was able to comprehend the GEnglish instruction manual) but unfortanately it's been discontinued. Ciclosport currently doesn't seem to have an equivalent model.

One of the things I really like about it is that I can download my ride data onto my desktop computer and save epic rides for posterity :p

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k186/jobob22/stuff/120807.jpg

[Tiffany]

I use a Polar 720. I think the current model is a 725. It tracks nearly everything.

I also often ride with a GPS - Garmin 60CSx.

V.
Thanks for the tip. I went to the Polar website to check it out and :eek: ... I guess you pay for what you get. I was a little sticker shocked at first. I'm sure once the shock sets in I'll set my heart on getting one. Thanks for the lead. :)

[Tiffany]

Thanks for the graph, jobob. That's fantastic! I would love to track my favorite rides like that.

[maillotpois]

Wow Jo - great ride!!

On the computers, I used a Ciclosport HAC4 for years and now have a Garmin Edge 305.

[Veronica]

The Polars will do graphs like that too. But I like the color of Jo's.

V.

[Starfish]

Oh, and on the computer...I don't recall the model name, but my Specialized cyclometer has altitude as a function. Seems to be fairly accurate. No downloading, though.

[jobob]

The Polars will do graphs like that too. But I like the color of Jo's.

V.

I just wish it didn't show the world how freakin' slow of a climber I am. :D

[Veronica]

I just wish it didn't show the world how freakin' slow of a climber I am. :D

You're not slow, you're tenacious.

The Polar will allow you to turn off sections of the graph. :D

V.

[SadieKate]

Uh, Jo? Just crop the jpg file before posting it.:) :) :)

On the other hand, I like to admire your perseverance. All for the sake of Scharffen Berger and beer, huh?

[maillotpois]

Beer!!

Bend really did a number on me. I'm really picky about my beer these days... :rolleyes:

[maillotpois]

Well, this is climbing related, sort of! I just got my finisher's jersey from Devil Mountain Double!! :D ( http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15205 ) (I never pre-order jerseys from "epic" rides - I don't want to buy something before I finish the ride. Bad karma. So it took a while for the post-ride orders to get processed.)

It has this picture on it:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/maillotpois/DMProfileS-1.jpg

And I'm wearing it now. :cool:

[SadieKate]

Sometimes, you just have to be dorky. :)

[Veronica]

You rock!

Scott still has my check. He's convinced that I'll finish it some day. Maybe in my next life...

V.

[maillotpois]

yeah, I'm a dork. but it's important to be dressed appropriately to make annie's pasta for an 11 year old....who thinks I am Queen of the Dorks.

V - he can cash in your check next year. it'll be fun! :cool:

[Veronica]

yeah, I'm a dork. but it's important to be dressed appropriately to make annie's pasta for an 11 year old....who thinks I am Queen of the Dorks.

V - he can cash in your check next year. it'll be fun! :cool:

Yummy Annie's!

Yeah... it's still my dream/nightmare to do the stage races. :cool:

V.

[maillotpois]

it's sort of in the back of my mind. the way back. behind some expired milk and a mostly empty bottle of hot sauce.

[Starfish]

You're not slow, you're tenacious.

My new rallying cry.

Actually, this winter, I need a new mantra...I need to program myself for speed if I'm going to do the Super Century in Shasta next year!

Jo, we need a battle cry!

[Starfish]

OK, I know you all know this from experience, but this is my first experience like this.

Well, you all know this year has been all about long, slow, steady, climbing training for me. And I skipped doing a certain short, flat route I did a lot a couple years ago.

But, a couple times now in the past 2 weeks I have done this ride...almost all flat with just one very short steep hill. It has some high-pedestrian path links, and a couple traffic lights, as well as one slow bumpy section through a paper mill to get out to the spit.

Two years ago I used to average maybe 12 to 13 mph for this little 12-14 mile flat ride. I'm a slowpoke.

In the last two weeks, I averaged 14 mph once and 15 mph once, just relaxed and for fun. Also, the spit is always windy. I noticed riding into the headwind there last year I typically went about 9 mph. This year, same headwind, I was going about 12.

Guess climbing works! ;)

I'm pretty excited to lose some weight and workout for speed and strength this winter and see where I am next year.

[jobob]

Excellent. :cool:

[RolliePollie]

Starfish - I think I'm already noticing this phenomena as well! When I first started riding, I was mostly doing the flat bike trail in Sacramento. I stayed in my middle ring and the one noticeable hill was not very fun. But when I was down there riding a couple of weekends ago, I stayed in my big ring the entire ride and I hardly noticed the "hill". My average wasn't very fast though...I was riding with a friend and we were too busy talking to pay much attention to speed. But I know I could go a heck of a lot faster on that trail than I could've a few months ago.

BTW, I'm at 422 miles and approx. 25,600' of climbing for the month so far. This is a lot for little old me!

[Starfish]

BTW, I'm at 422 miles and approx. 25,600' of climbing for the month so far. This is a lot for little old me!

That's awesome!

Since Shasta, I think I have climbed all of 300 feet. :p

I am quite curious sometime to take my bike when I go to Seattle, and do the extremely flat 58 mile trail over there that I used to do. Curious to see how my extended flat riding time has increased in the past couple years. Nowhere to test that here!

[jobob]

I hope to hit 200,000 ft by the end of the month, which would mean 40,000 ft of climbing this month. Probably a big stretch, but we'll see what happens.

Well, I only (only, hee hee) did 35,000 feet this month, which is still the most I've done in any month so I'm pretty pleased. :cool:

And I'm about to break 4400 miles, which was my goal for the entire year. Booyah.

I've decided not to try for a double century this year. My climbing speed still leaves a lot to be desired, and I need to get in a few more hilly century-plus and double metrics, to build my confidence more than anything.

So I'm going to restart my quest for a RUSA R12 on Sept. 15. The R12 involves riding a RUSA (Randonneurs USA)-sanctioned brevet or permanent of 200K or more each month for 12 consecutive months. Fredwina's been doing that (see http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16726), and I'm trying to sucker, er, lure others into too. :D

[maillotpois]

I have no goal. Get through Tam with my friend and then maybe take some time off, or at least with fewer miles.

I made my goal!! :rolleyes: :D

16,551 for the month. I thought it was my lowest climbing month of the year, but it turns out I had fewer than 10,000 in February, so I did not set a new record! :cool:

Total for the year is 229,186, almost 3300 miles. Jo could stop riding right now and I wouldn't catch her before the end of the year!! How cool is that?? Truly! :)

It was a quiet month. I needed that. Wacky year, though. I think you can see my overuse injury coming on right about March - April.... :rolleyes: , bearing in mind that July - December of 2006 was zero miles or feet.

Jan - 317 miles, 17,040 feet
Feb - 173 miles, 9,645 feet
March - 580 miles, 31,889 feet
April - 673 miles, 48,609 feet
May - 569 miles, 33,650 feet
June - 420 miles, 39,691 feet
July - 346 miles, 32,111 feet
Aug - 208 miles, 16,551 feet

[Trekhawk]

Did not make my goal this month I only got in just over 19000 and was aiming at 22000. Oh well maybe next month.:o

[Starfish]

MP & Jo, you mileages and climbing are truly amazing to me. Really impressive, month in and month out.

I have really taken a month of rest and easy workouts...maybe just 3 easy workouts a week, no ride longer than 16 miles...just kind of letting down and getting some maintenance workouts in this month since Shasta.

Tuesday morning, a new training phase begins!!

[RolliePollie]

My August just ended with a very hot and unusually HUMID ride! I am very sweaty. I got a new rear tire yesterday and I swear, it feels like a new bike. It's wonderful!

So, August for me = 511.3 miles and approximately 30,050' of climbing.

I really wanted to break 500 miles for the month. Otherwise there is no way I would've been out there just now riding in this hot and sticky weather. Ugh!