Another very tough climb (video & pics)

[luv2climb]

I found another nice hard climb I hadn't ridden before-the Oxbow Corkscrew Wall near Foresthill in Placer County, CA. It's 4.6 miles long with plenty of grades in the teens and a max grade of 23%. I rode down Mosquito Ridge Road from Foresthill to get to the climb.

As I approached the big water tank at the halfway point of the climb, I heard a very close gunshot. You can hear it very well in the ride video. I also heard many distant gunshots as I continued to climb. You can hear those in the video too.

Once I got to the really steep part near the top, I had a swarm of insects hovering around my face as I climbed. I almost inhaled one of them.

The descent sucked worse than last week's Iowa Hill Road descent because this one was longer and full of potholes and rocks. Needless to say, I stopped several times on the way down to let my rims cool. The rear rim was hot to the touch.

Coming back up Mosquito Ridge Road with the sun beating down on me was pure misery! It's not steep, but it's 10 miles of climbing after you've already climbed about 3,000'. It didn't help that I made a wrong turn from Blacksmith Flat (LOL!) Road and had to climb back up 8%-11% grades with black flies biting me. I even caught one biting me through my glove! They remind me of the deer flies in the midwest. They hurt, they don't itch like a mosquito biting you.

I started running low on water even though I brought two large bottles, so I had to ration my water on the last part of the climb up Mosquito Ridge Road. I ran out of water right near the top of the climb, so I refilled my bottle from a hose at a business complex at the top, chilled out for a few minutes, and descended back to Whorton's Market where I was parked.

Total climbing was 5,781' in only 39.12 miles.

Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103204092

Here's the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH50nWaGg4s

Bicycle friendly sign at the top of the Mosquito Ridge Road descent:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/5995947835_19d845c694.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947835/)
slow down sign near top of Mosquito Ridge Road (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947835/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

One of the two bridges before the climb begins (forgot which one):
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/5995947955_893e8f13d4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947955/)
view from one of the bridges on the way to the Oxbow Corkscrew Wall climb (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947955/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Ralston Powerhouse hydroelectric power plant. This is right before the climb begins.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6136/5996504210_36735eb1b7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996504210/)
Ralston Powerhouse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996504210/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

One of several nice steep switchbacks I had the opportunity to take pictures of while waiting for my rims to cool on the descent:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/5995947109_10606b6e77.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947109/)
Oxbow Corkscrew Wall steep switchback 7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947109/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Water tank at halfway point of the descent. This is where I heard the close gunshot while climbing.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6029/5995948451_a1f75f91f2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995948451/)
water tank at halfway point of Oxbow Corkscrew Wall descent (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995948451/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

View pic taken on the descent:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5996501884_0af3871d89.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996501884/)
view from Oxbow Corkscrew Wall climb (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996501884/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

After finishing all the climbing. Love the name of that last town on the sign!
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6027/5995947603_f07bc1aca0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947603/)
Mosquito Ridge Road and Foresthill Road (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995947603/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

Couple of view pics from the parking lot of Whorton's Market in Foresthill:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6004/5995946327_fbe5fa380e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995946327/)
view from Whorton's Market parking lot 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5995946327/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/5996501666_b488b7faaf.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996501666/)
view from Whorton's Market parking lot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/29998767@N07/5996501666/) by kittyz202 (http://www.flickr.com/people/29998767@N07/), on Flickr

[GingerbreadGirl]

Amazing.

Your bike is beautiful, btw.

[luv2climb]

Thank you. :) It's a 2011 Specialized Dolce Triple. I put mtb gearing on it shortly after I bought it last summer, and those low gears got lots of use yesterday. Luckily I only had to use the very lowest gear on the steep section that got up to 23%.

[Velocivixen]

Wow. I'm amazed. So I regularly read your posts and I have questions. So how old or young are you? Why hills? Do you do this for "fun"? Personal challenge? Do you cycle competitively or on a team? I ask because I can't imagine that a typical cyclist would do this. Quite inspiring. I drove to a nature park nearby and there is a sign which says "14% grade" in the distance of less than a mile! Heck, the car struggles to get up it and I can't imagine riding my bike up it!

[Veronica]

I can't imagine that a typical cyclist would do this. Quite inspiring. I drove to a nature park nearby and there is a sign which says "14% grade" in the distance of less than a mile! Heck, the car struggles to get up it and I can't imagine riding my bike up it!

I think it's a Northern California thing. :D We have lots of mountains nearby, we climb them. Last weekend I rode up Mt Tam, 5500 feet of climbing and descent in 37 miles. Mt Diablo climbs 3500 feet in 12 miles and ends with a 17% grade for a quarter mile. Tons of cyclists are up there every weekend.

luv2climb lives near the Sierra foothills - lots of climbing.

Veronica

[indysteel]

Heck, as a flatlander, I'd love to be able to ride that kind of terrain on a regular basis. In my neck of the woods, we have to go out of our way for rides with a significant amount of climbing, which means that when we do climb, it often kind of sucks because we're not trained for it. Plus, we have very few sustained climbs. What hills we have are short with 15-22% grades. Based on the years where I really made a point to climb as regularly as possible, I know that it does get easier with practice. Not easy; just easier.

[Catrin]

...What hills we have are short with 15-22% grades. Based on the years where I really made a point to climb as regularly as possible, I know that it does get easier with practice. Not easy; just easier.

Thanks for this Indy - the other day I was riding with a couple of people and one of them told me that "soon and very soon you won't even notice that you are climbing a hill" - all I can say is he has to be a LOT stronger than I!

[luv2climb]

Wow. I'm amazed. So I regularly read your posts and I have questions. So how old or young are you? Why hills? Do you do this for "fun"? Personal challenge? Do you cycle competitively or on a team? I ask because I can't imagine that a typical cyclist would do this. Quite inspiring. I drove to a nature park nearby and there is a sign which says "14% grade" in the distance of less than a mile! Heck, the car struggles to get up it and I can't imagine riding my bike up it!
I'm 44 years old. I love the challenge of climbing long steep hills and mountains. I don't race, but in 1993 when I was normal weight I did a little mtb racing for a few months. I did pretty well, thanks to the climbing. But when it was time to upgrade I immediately found out how much I sucked compared to the other women.


I think it's a Northern California thing. :D We have lots of mountains nearby, we climb them. Last weekend I rode up Mt Tam, 5500 feet of climbing and descent in 37 miles. Mt Diablo climbs 3500 feet in 12 miles and ends with a 17% grade for a quarter mile. Tons of cyclists are up there every weekend.

Veronica
You hit the nail on the head!

I'll have to climb Mt. Diablo one of these days, especially since I read that it ends with a 22% grade.

[indysteel]

Thanks for this Indy - the other day I was riding with a couple of people and one of them told me that "soon and very soon you won't even notice that you are climbing a hill" - all I can say is he has to be a LOT stronger than I!

When I first started riding, I made the mistake (well, it felt like a mistake) of going to some CIBA rides down south and in doing the Hilly Hundred before I was really ready. I couldn't climb at all, and it was really discouraging. In time, however, my fitness improved and I kept at it. I also started riding with some people who taught me a thing or two about climbing. I did my first J.A.W.S. with one of them, and while I had to stop and start a number of times on a few of the worst hills, I did finish in one piece. The following year, I averaged almost 18 mph for that ride and was beating my mentor to the top of every hill (I don't think he was very happy about it). Now, our hilliest climbs are still easier than what LTR does on a regular basis, but I felt pretty pleased with my progress by local standards.

But in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that I haven't been working on it the last couple of years, and my climbing fitness has deteriorated quite a bit. I'd like to pick it back up, but it's challenging. As it is, we're already driving to mountain bike. To add even more drive-to-rides to our schedule likely isn't going to happen all that often. If we even had one hill near our house, I'd work on hill repeats, but my end of Johnson County is flat as a pancake. :(

[Catrin]

All good points Indy! In retrospect, last year I was already injured when I started seeking out hills to climb them (August). THIS year my riding schedule has been quite different - more days a week - but fewer "drive-the-bike-to-ride" rides.

That is ok, I am having a blast on both on and off road, my weekly mileage is close to what it was this time last year...so I am going to take what I can get. All of this is for personal pleasure along with health and fitness - I suspect as I spend more time on the mountain bike this year that my road climbing skills can only benefit. Once I internalize the mtb skills better there will be time to start focusing a bit on hill climbing before the snow flies.... I want to find and feed my hill climbing beast, but with more wisdom this time.

All of that being said, I am in awe of the OP climbing skills, stories and videos!

[luv2climb]

All good points Indy! In retrospect, last year I was already injured when I started seeking out hills to climb them (August). THIS year my riding schedule has been quite different - more days a week - but fewer "drive-the-bike-to-ride" rides.

That is ok, I am having a blast on both on and off road, my weekly mileage is close to what it was this time last year...so I am going to take what I can get. All of this is for personal pleasure along with health and fitness - I suspect as I spend more time on the mountain bike this year that my road climbing skills can only benefit. Once I internalize the mtb skills better there will be time to start focusing a bit on hill climbing before the snow flies.... I want to find and feed my hill climbing beast, but with more wisdom this time.

All of that being said, I am in awe of the OP climbing skills, stories and videos!
Sounds like your rides are somewhat similar to mine. The only ride I do that requires me to drive to the start of the ride is a climbing ride, so those are done once a week. The rest of the week I ride down here in the valley where I live. I only drive if it's absolutely necessary, so I probably ride quite a few miles during the week. I don't have a computer on any of my bikes and I only use the Garmin for climbing rides, so I don't keep track of mileage.

Mountain biking will definitely help your road climbing. I used to mtb all the time in the early 90s when I actually had a properly fitting mtb. Lots of good steep stuff on mtb trails! :D

Believe it or not, even though you can clearly hear me suffering in my videos, I love it! :D I'm one of those twisted types who enjoys suffering, so my climbs are done for fun in addition to the challenge of conquering yet another long steep climb.

[GingerbreadGirl]

So awesome. When I mountain bikes I could never climb. I was really fearless on descents though. Used to go to those ski resorts in the summer that allowed you to go up in the lift with the bike and ride down the mountain. i can't picture climbing it though. I am a wuss.

[GingerbreadGirl]

Also I love to see your photos so keep posting them. We should have a ride photo thread.

[luv2climb]

So awesome. When I mountain bikes I could never climb. I was really fearless on descents though. Used to go to those ski resorts in the summer that allowed you to go up in the lift with the bike and ride down the mountain. i can't picture climbing it though. I am a wuss.
I remember climbing one of the dirt roads at Squaw Valley back in 1994. When I was done I told someone who worked there that I climbed it. He told he they discourage climbing. I'm glad I climbed it before I talked to him! :p

Another cool thing happened yesterday on the way back to Foresthill. I was descending and a climbing cyclist yelled my name. I yelled back "Who is that?". He was the guy who ran a small mtb club in the early 90s. I went on a few rides with them back then. Of course they left me in their dust, but they were pretty laid-back, not stuck up like some serious cyclists.

He was headed out towards French Meadows, which is 20 miles further than the turnaround point of my ride. He told me he almost got killed by a speeding car before he saw me. Stupid of people to be speeding in the mountains like that! :mad:

He had four chainrings on his mtb. His small ring was a 20. That's some climbing gears!


Also I love to see your photos so keep posting them. We should have a ride photo thread.
Thank you. :) That would be a great idea!

[Sardine]

luv2climb, I'm totally impressed and inspired. Thanks.

[indysteel]

Sounds like your rides are somewhat similar to mine. The only ride I do that requires me to drive to the start of the ride is a climbing ride, so those are done once a week. The rest of the week I ride down here in the valley where I live. I only drive if it's absolutely necessary, so I probably ride quite a few miles during the week. I don't have a computer on any of my bikes and I only use the Garmin for climbing rides, so I don't keep track of mileage.

Mountain biking will definitely help your road climbing. I used to mtb all the time in the early 90s when I actually had a properly fitting mtb. Lots of good steep stuff on mtb trails! :D

Believe it or not, even though you can clearly hear me suffering in my videos, I love it! :D I'm one of those twisted types who enjoys suffering, so my climbs are done for fun in addition to the challenge of conquering yet another long steep climb.

You're so lucky to have the Sierras at your disposal for this. While we have some hills in Southern Indiana, few are terribly scenic and certainly they aren't as scenic as your neck of the woods.

Catrin, are you taking your road bike with you on your camping trip? There's certainly some good hills in the park. Maybe too good. I got my heart rate up to 220 on one of them once. That's as high as I've seen it. It's the hill just before you get to the Lodge parking lot.

[luv2climb]

luv2climb, I'm totally impressed and inspired. Thanks.
Thank you. :)


I got my heart rate up to 220 on one of them once. That's as high as I've seen it.
I got mine up to 212 last summer. This year I reached 206 on my first sufferfest video that I posted back in February. In the early 90s my max was 215.

Sometimes people on BikeForums freak out over my high heart rate readings in my climbing ride posts, and I always have to reassure them that my heart is healthy.

[indysteel]

Thank you. :)


I got mine up to 212 last summer. This year I reached 206 on my first sufferfest video that I posted back in February. In the early 90s my max was 215.

Sometimes people on BikeForums freak out over my high heart rate readings in my climbing ride posts, and I always have to reassure them that my heart is healthy.

I have a high max HR. It's been a while since I regularly wore an HR monitor, but when I did, I would spend most of a spin workout in the 180s to low 190s as my Zone 3. I don't usually blow up until the high 190s.

[Sardine]

About mountains, how do you build up to climbing them? Do you just keep riding steeper and longer hills or is there some other training involved? How long did it take before you managed your first summit? Thanks.

[luv2climb]

About mountains, how do you build up to climbing them? Do you just keep riding steeper and longer hills or is there some other training involved? How long did it take before you managed your first summit? Thanks.
You got it right. ;) I just started riding steeper and longer climbs. I also dropped a bunch of weight. Now it's stalled out again with 20 more pounds to go.

The first mountain I climbed last year was after dropping from 214 to 185 pounds. I climbed the Tahoe side of Kingsbury Grade, which is only 3.5 miles long. No problem with that climb. The next day I climbed the Reno side of Mt. Rose, which is 13.7 miles long. That was the most miserable experience I've ever had on a bike, thanks to being 60 pounds over ideal weight, riding a 32 lb mtb because I didn't have a road bike, and not eating enough during the ride.

[GingerbreadGirl]

I don't know how you do it.

Today I chose a "hillier" trail (still really flat, believe me) to work on my fitness and shifting (only my second ever ride on a road bike). I've only been cycling three weeks and am pathetically out of shape. Was on bed rest this fall and then put on meds that packed 35 lbs on me in about 4 months. I'm a train wreck.

Managed to do the inclines (can't call them proper hills) but was so tired and zapped afterwards. I hope someday I'm in half as good shape as you.

Encouraging to hear you lost weight though :)

[luv2climb]

I don't know how you do it.

Today I chose a "hillier" trail (still really flat, believe me) to work on my fitness and shifting (only my second ever ride on a road bike). I've only been cycling three weeks and am pathetically out of shape. Was on bed rest this fall and then put on meds that packed 35 lbs on me in about 4 months. I'm a train wreck.

Managed to do the inclines (can't call them proper hills) but was so tired and zapped afterwards. I hope someday I'm in half as good shape as you.

Encouraging to hear you lost weight though :)
You've already taken the first step to getting stronger. Keep up the good work and it will get easier. I know about the old saying "it never gets easier, you just get faster", but when you are losing weight as well as gaining fitness, it does get easier. :)

[GingerbreadGirl]

Thanks, I get discouraged when I read about everyone's 30+ mi rides. Right now 5 miles is work for me. Three weeks ago, 2 miles was tough. Last year I was *jogging* 5 miles at this time... I'm so out of condition. I love to see posts like yours to remind me things are possible. Not for me necessarily, but you know... for some people lol.

[luv2climb]

Thanks, I get discouraged when I read about everyone's 30+ mi rides. Right now 5 miles is work for me. Three weeks ago, 2 miles was tough. Last year I was *jogging* 5 miles at this time... I'm so out of condition. I love to see posts like yours to remind me things are possible. Not for me necessarily, but you know... for some people lol.
I know how you feel. I don't even bother reading the Garmin stats and ride reports from the "super-roadies" over in the road cycling section of BikeForums. They are all much faster than me and I know it. I've been posting a few of my videos in their ride video thread, but they almost never get feedback. I don't care though. I post them with the knowledge that not every reader of that forum is a lycra-clad superhero with a 20 mph average speed on a hilly ride. Hopefully some of the slower riders will see the videos and not be quite as discouraged after reading some of the other stuff in there. ;)

[GingerbreadGirl]

I'd say you totally inspire a lot of women here!

[luv2climb]

I'd say you totally inspire a lot of women here!
Thank you. :)

[Velocivixen]

Well, I must say that I think you are all inspiring in your own way! At least you're out there doing something. I live in the NW and we have hills around. Some shorter ones in town. Some that I wouldn't ride because no shoulder or bike lane with heavy traffic. Also I don't like and am fearful going fast down hills. Anyway you all ROCK! Keep it up.

Luvs2climb, you will get that weight off. As I was losing, I found it challenging to figure how much to eat in order to fuel my exercise without eating too much. It's a balance for sure.

[Velocivixen]

@luvs2climb, what camera do you use? I notice that the information like mph, grade, etc. Superimposed on the video. Howndoesnit do that? I would totally geek out on something likemthat. My DH has GoPro camera but it doesn't have any info. on it.
Thanks.

[luv2climb]

Well, I must say that I think you are all inspiring in your own way! At least you're out there doing something. I live in the NW and we have hills around. Some shorter ones in town. Some that I wouldn't ride because no shoulder or bike lane with heavy traffic. Also I don't like and am fearful going fast down hills. Anyway you all ROCK! Keep it up.

Luvs2climb, you will get that weight off. As I was losing, I found it challenging to figure how much to eat in order to fuel my exercise without eating too much. It's a balance for sure.
Not only are the women here inspiring, they are supportive and friendly. I don't feel out of place here like I do on some other forums. The ones where I feel I don't belong are probably the same ones that would be intimidating to someone who is just getting into cycling.

You're right about the weight. I probably require fewer calories than I did when I was 214 pounds. I refuse to go hungry though, so I just ride more. :D


@luvs2climb, what camera do you use? I notice that the information like mph, grade, etc. Superimposed on the video. Howndoesnit do that? I would totally geek out on something likemthat. My DH has GoPro camera but it doesn't have any info. on it.
Thanks.
I use a Kodak Playsport Zx3 on a Pedco UltraClamp universal mount. Unfortunately I may have overtightened the camera on the mount one too many times because now the tripod hole is cracked and I have to use a small bungee cord to keep the camera from moving around too much on the mount. I hope I can get a little more life out of it. It works great otherwise.

I use software called DashWare (http://www.dashware.net/) to overlay the data onto the video. It's pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. I just export the TCX file from the Garmin activity page for the ride I want the data from. Then I import that into DashWare along with the raw video file. I made the simple text gauges for heart rate, speed, distance, and altitude. I used the default gauge for percent grade.

The tricky part is synchronizing the data to the video. So far it hasn't been too hard since I've been able to easily find the beginnings of the long climbs I want the data from.

After DashWare renders the video in the highest quality setting I use Windows Movie Maker 2011 to do the final editing.

[Mako]

Hi,

Just wanted to say i love seeing the pictures and vids from your rides.
I'm sooooo jealous, cycling in California looks amazing!

The elevation chart on your Garmin scares me :eek:

I hope I'll be able to climb like that one day. I've been trying to practice 'hills', I'm getting a little better but I can't imagine myself ever getting up a mountain.

[luv2climb]

Hi,

Just wanted to say i love seeing the pictures and vids from your rides.
I'm sooooo jealous, cycling in California looks amazing!

The elevation chart on your Garmin scares me :eek:

I hope I'll be able to climb like that one day. I've been trying to practice 'hills', I'm getting a little better but I can't imagine myself ever getting up a mountain.
Thank you. :) I don't know where in the UK you live, but there are some good steep climbs there. Here's (http://www.biking2work.co.uk/blog/?page_id=2499) the list. There's even a book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs-Cyclists/dp/0711231206).

Hardknott Pass is one of the steepest mountains, with grades over 30%. Here's a video by one of my subscribers of him climbing it in this year's Fred Whitton Challenge. It's raw footage like all my videos, so you get the full experience of the effort it takes to climb this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzNfufUHh9Q

Keep at it, and before you know it you'll be climbing those mountains. :)

[Mako]

Hey thanks for links!

My brother has that book - it sits on his coffee table and mocks me :(
I'll have to take a closer look at it the next time I'm round and try and pick out a climb to aim for.

That list is really useful, I'm in the midlands so I can check out the ones that are closest to me by car first.

Hardknott Pass looks like a killer :eek: You can really get a sense of how tough it is by the blokes upfront struggling out of the saddle, and not to mention all the people pushing their bikes up :D

I still think California looks prettier than England tho!

[Sardine]

I don't care though. I post them with the knowledge that not every reader of that forum is a lycra-clad superhero with a 20 mph average speed on a hilly ride. Hopefully some of the slower riders will see the videos and not be quite as discouraged after reading some of the other stuff in there. ;)

Depends on your idea of a superhero :) I recognise their achievement but it doesn't necessarily inspire me. Just reading your post has made me think about the possibilities again. I've done a lot of hiking in the Lake District (where Hardknot Pass mentioned earlier is) and always thought it would be a great place to cycle but beyond me. I'm not saying I'll manage it even someday (and I certainly wouldn't start with Hardknot) but you've planted a seed. I'm thinking I need to start doing hill reps...

By the way, this discussion also made me go and look at some of the other climbing discussions and I came across the one you did on a Speed D7. OMG! They're fine for city hills with 34 inches at the low end but for that ride?!? How strong are you? Not exactly like doing it on one of these: http://www.airnimal.eu/News/Home.php Actually, that's the other thing that impresses me – you're climbing on non-super expensive bikes, though you may well have those was well.

[Sardine]

So awesome. When I mountain bikes I could never climb. I was really fearless on descents though. Used to go to those ski resorts in the summer that allowed you to go up in the lift with the bike and ride down the mountain. i can't picture climbing it though. I am a wuss.

GingerbreadGirl, this is the image I have of you now – Fearless. It's only a matter of time before you build the fitness back.

[luv2climb]

Hey thanks for links!

My brother has that book - it sits on his coffee table and mocks me :(
I'll have to take a closer look at it the next time I'm round and try and pick out a climb to aim for.

That list is really useful, I'm in the midlands so I can check out the ones that are closest to me by car first.
You're welcome. Have fun with that list. I know I would if I lived there! :D


Hardknott Pass looks like a killer :eek: You can really get a sense of how tough it is by the blokes upfront struggling out of the saddle, and not to mention all the people pushing their bikes up :D
Also, his gasping for air on the steepest parts. I've taken a bit of heat on male-dominated cycling forums for my "uncontrolled breathing" on steep climbs, and I always have to remind these skinny people that they are blessed with the increased lung capacity, strength, and faster metabolism that men get without additional training. Us women have to work and breathe harder to get up these climbs.

The guy in the video is in much better shape than I am, so if he has to gasp for air, imagine what I would have to do to make it up that climb!

Of course, those doing the criticizing don't have the balls to post a raw sufferfest video, so the more they whine about heavy breathing, the more I seek out hard climbs to post video of. :p:D Some people are waaay too uptight!

[luv2climb]

Depends on your idea of a superhero :) I recognise their achievement but it doesn't necessarily inspire me. Just reading your post has made me think about the possibilities again. I've done a lot of hiking in the Lake District (where Hardknot Pass mentioned earlier is) and always thought it would be a great place to cycle but beyond me. I'm not saying I'll manage it even someday (and I certainly wouldn't start with Hardknot) but you've planted a seed. I'm thinking I need to start doing hill reps...

By the way, this discussion also made me go and look at some of the other climbing discussions and I came across the one you did on a Speed D7. OMG! They're fine for city hills with 34 inches at the low end but for that ride?!? How strong are you? Not exactly like doing it on one of these: http://www.airnimal.eu/News/Home.php Actually, that's the other thing that impresses me – you're climbing on non-super expensive bikes, though you may well have those was well.
I was being a bit sarcastic with the superhero comment. I get a bit turned off by all the inflated egos. A little humility would go a long way towards attracting more people to our sport.

Those climbing rides on the D7 were definitely harder than they would have been on my road bike. All my bikes are lower-end models. The most expensive bike I have is my road bike, a 2011 Specialized Dolce Triple that I paid $849 for before tax, accessories, and the mtb gearing. That was brand-new at the LBS too.

As soon as my recumbent is sold I'm getting a Bike Friday Pocket Companion, which has a triple. I'll change the 30t small chainring to a 24, which will give me a 16-inch low gear. That will be the lowest gearing of all my bikes. Perfect for the steepest hills I can find. :D

[Sardine]

[QUOTE=luv2climb;592356]I was being a bit sarcastic with the superhero comment.

Got that. Ditto. ;)

[Mako]

Also, his gasping for air on the steepest parts. I've taken a bit of heat on male-dominated cycling forums for my "uncontrolled breathing" on steep climbs,

That seems a bit petty really :( At least there are people here that appreciate your pictures and videos :)

I've read a few other forums and I've noticed the tone on some of them to be a little 'nitpicky' :confused:

[luv2climb]

That seems a bit petty really :( At least there are people here that appreciate your pictures and videos :)

I've read a few other forums and I've noticed the tone on some of them to be a little 'nitpicky' :confused:
I agree. I have the feeling many of these people on other forums have never struggled with weight loss either. Hauling 20 extra pounds of useless blubber up every hill just makes the climb harder than it should be.

The nitpickiness of some boards is why I mostly lurk on them. If I do post anything I have to walk on eggshells and watch what I say to avoid problems. That's why I like posting here, where the level of intelligence seems quite a bit higher and people aren't all holier-than-thou.

[TxDoc]

Great pictures and ride report.
The video is cool, but the constant labored breathing is awfully annoying - it would not take much effort to edit the video and replace all that huffing and puffing with some good music... ;)
There was some people on BF a while back that posted non-dubbed videos with a lot of panting, seriously it was ridiculous, those sounded more like adult movies than cycling reports. Thankfully, most of the posters learned the lesson and now use nice songs as a soundtrack to their ride/race reports...

[luv2climb]

Great pictures and ride report.
The video is cool, but the constant labored breathing is awfully annoying - it would not take much effort to edit the video and replace all that huffing and puffing with some good music... ;)
There was some people on BF a while back that posted non-dubbed videos with a lot of panting, seriously it was ridiculous, those sounded more like adult movies than cycling reports. Thankfully, most of the posters learned the lesson and now use nice songs as a soundtrack to their ride/race reports...
Thank you for proving my point about the other forums on this one too. Are you one of the posters from those other forums who happened to read my posts in this thread?

I can't stand videos that have all the ride audio replaced with music (that is usually not even what I would listen to in the first place). I like to show what it was really like to climb these hills and how much work it was. If people would quit associating breathing with sex all the time, maybe they wouldn't be so damn uptight. Society needs to stop obsessing over sex. It gets old.

I really wish the pettiness hadn't driven these other posters you speak of to neuter their videos with annoying music. I'l much rather hear the effort of climbing than music. I want to hear the intensity of the race and the climb, not a stupid soundtrack.

[TxDoc]

Are you one of the posters from those other forums who happened to read my posts in this thread?
Don't think so. I am definitely well know for being an a** both on here and on BF :rolleyes: but all I can remember was trying some videos and getting bored out of my mind after 30 seconds, thus moving on to another thread. It was a while back, can't say if those were yours or someone else's.


I really wish the pettiness hadn't driven these other posters you speak of to neuter their videos with annoying music.
I doubt they changed it due to pettiness, most likely they did because it was just ridiculously boring. Maybe even the Tour could get boring if all we heard was the racers panting for 6-7 hours in a row :)


I want to hear the intensity of the race and the climb, not a stupid soundtrack.
The only thing that would give the viewer any info on intensity would be a power reading. Uncontrolled breathing just tells that it was a big effort for that particular rider on that particular day on that particular climb. Doesn't say much about the climb per se. Which is exactly why most people (myself included) find it boring or just say HTFU - there's not much else to say.
If you notice, a lot more constructive comments get posted when the videos show usable data or the rider also shares graphs and tables from the ride. When there's something to work on, we all do try to help - that's what the online community is for.

But hey, it's your video: if you like to hear the panting keep posting it - I will keep liking the pictures and finding the video annoying and move on. The beauty of the internet is that we can all agree to disagree.
Cheers :)

[luv2climb]

Don't think so. I am definitely well know for being an a** both on here and on BF :rolleyes: but all I can remember was trying some videos and getting bored out of my mind after 30 seconds, thus moving on to another thread. It was a while back, can't say if those were yours or someone else's.
I have a feeling they were mine. I have never seen a sufferfest video from a female rider posted on BF. If you have a link to share, I would love to see it. I would also like to see the videos from other posters who you claim posted "huffing and puffing", and later put music over their videos.



I doubt they changed it due to pettiness, most likely they did because it was just ridiculously boring. Maybe even the Tour could get boring if all we heard was the racers panting for 6-7 hours in a row :)
Well, I've never seen a Tour video that was 6 or 7 hours long, with or without panting.

Not everyone feels the way you do. I have had conversations with other BF members who also appreciate raw footage. Raw footage gives the viewer the full experience of the pain of a hill climb.



The only thing that would give the viewer any info on intensity would be a power reading. Uncontrolled breathing just tells that it was a big effort for that particular rider on that particular day on that particular climb. Doesn't say much about the climb per se. Which is exactly why most people (myself included) find it boring or just say HTFU - there's not much else to say.
That elitist attitude is exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned taking heat on other forums about my "uncontrolled breathing". Climbs are hard for everyone, not just overweight females like me. The climbs I've posted videos of are all known for being very difficult for EVERYONE, not just me.

I am so sick of hearing that stupid "HTFU" crap that I can't wait until the day I'm strong enough to pass one of these lycra-clad superheroes on my hybrid. On a climb, no less.


If you notice, a lot more constructive comments get posted when the videos show usable data or the rider also shares graphs and tables from the ride. When there's something to work on, we all do try to help - that's what the online community is for.

But hey, it's your video: if you like to hear the panting keep posting it - I will keep liking the pictures and finding the video annoying and move on. The beauty of the internet is that we can all agree to disagree.
Cheers :)
If you notice, I did post "usable data" on the video in my OP, in the form of data overlay using DashWare. I also posted a link to the Garmin Connect page. But, like so many roadies out there, you immediately focused on the negative and ignored the positive.

Like I said earlier in this thread, people need to lighten the fk up and not be so arrogant. Beginning cyclists are turned off by this behavior. I'm not a beginner and I'm turned off by it too.

[Veronica]

Like I said earlier in this thread, people need to lighten the fk up and not be so arrogant. Beginning cyclists are turned off by this behavior. I'm not a beginner and I'm turned off by it too.

Maybe you need to follow you own advice. All TxDoc did was offer an opinion on how she thought your video could be better. You're free to disagree. I didn't find her opinion particularly arrogant or elitist.

Huffing and puffing really doesn't give a true measure of how hard a particular climb is. Heck, I huff and puff on the flat when my allergies are acting up! It says how hard you, the person in the video, are working.

And why exactly are you so angry at the "lycra clad superheroes?" Do you think that just because they are gifted athletically they don't have to work at it? And how do you know they didn't lost 100 pounds three years ago and they are just as thrilled with their progress as you are with yours?

Veronica

[luv2climb]

By the way, you can always do what I do on those videos with music. Mute the audio. The mute button is a powerful tool that keeps me from going nuts listening to godawful music that isn't my taste.

I've been posting my videos here for months and you're the first one to complain, so I have a feeling the other people who don't care for the heavy breathing just kept their fingers off the keyboard except to hit mute. ;)

[luv2climb]

Maybe you need to follow you own advice. All TxDoc did was offer an opinion on how she thought your video could be better. You're free to disagree. I didn't find her opinion particularly arrogant or elitist.

Huffing and puffing really doesn't give a true measure of how hard a particular climb is. Heck, I huff and puff on the flat when my allergies are acting up! It says how hard you, the person in the video, are working.

And why exactly are you so angry at the "lycra clad superheroes?" Do you think that just because they are gifted athletically they don't have to work at it? And how do you know they didn't lost 100 pounds three years ago and they are just as thrilled with their progress as you are with yours?

Veronica
Calling it "uncontrolled breathing" and using that tired old "HTFU" cliche is elitist.

I'm tired of the arrogance of some roadies. That's why I use the phrase "lycra-clad superheroes".

[luv2climb]

Another thing you have to remember about putting music in videos is the copyright issue. I have seen plenty of videos posted by other people that had the audio completely disabled because Warner Music Group (WMG) or EMI didn't want their music used in the video without permission.

I have two videos with copyrighted music on them. They were sped up in Windows Movie Maker, which mutes the audio when you speed up the video. They are both recumbent rides on flat ground. The first one has "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters on it. That video is blocked in many countries due to copyright. Luckily the US isn't one of them.

The second one has a remix of "Hello Again" by The Cars. That video is not blocked anywhere, since WMG seems to have lightened up a bit about copyright.

Contrary to what TxDoc says, it is a PITA to find the right song to fit the mood of the video and to fit the video to the length of the song so the song isn't cut off. That's another reason I'm glad I don't have to put music on every video I make.

Here's the first video with "I'm So Excited": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-MuzISJagE

Here's the second one with "Hello Again": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsQNesMdvqs

[bellissima]

Wow luv2climb that is a steep climb. I like how you used DashWare to add the grade and speed. Keep up the climbing, and is just going to get better ;)

[luv2climb]

Wow luv2climb that is a steep climb. I like how you used DashWare to add the grade and speed. Keep up the climbing, and is just going to get better ;)
Thank you. :) DashWare is a fun tool. Of course now people really know how much I suck at climbing! :D The speeds displayed dropped below 3 mph quite a bit. Of course some of that could be because I'm relying solely on GPS tracking for the data, not a speed/cadence sensor. Also, I've heard that trees affect the satellite signal. I've noticed that when riding through forested areas like the steepest part of this climb. The speed and grade readings go up and down like crazy.