Hurricane Ridge Ride Report
I finally got to the top of Hurricane Ridge! From sea level to over 5100 feet in 19 miles (total trip up and down, 40 miles). This is a personal best for me, for climbing. :)
The first 5 miles or so up to the park entry gate runs between about 5-11%, with some long stretches of 8-9%. After that, there are 2-4 miles up to the tunnels that flatten out...mostly 3%. After the tunnels it kicks back up, and the final 3 miles or so go back up to 8-10%. But, there are no super steep pitches.
There are three tunnels, and although a lot of cyclists I know don't want to carry lights up the mountain, I feel more secure with both a headlight and tail lights. You can walk on the sidewalk if you want, but I don't like to. It is quite creepy in the middle of the tunnels, I think. Dank and dark.
Right before the tunnels, I got a lot of nausea. I'm not sure if I ate breakfast too close to the ride, or if I ate a couple of Clif Shot Bloks too fast. But, I battled yucky nausea, stopping often, for the next hour or so. There are no restroom facilities until the very top. So, I scrambled down some scree on the one place where I could get off the road safely, and went behind a tree! After that, the ride went great, although I was a little dehydrated.
Near the top, looking down the alpine meadow, I saw a mama bear and baby minding their own business.
About 2 miles from the top, on a 10% grade, a guy came flying up behind me on his Trek...I had seen him coming down earlier. He did 2 repeats of the whole 5100 foot climb! :eek: He slowed down to have a conversation with me, but the conversation shot my heartrate up so high that I had to tell him I couldn't talk anymore! He politely answered something and zoomed away from me up the mountain like I was standing still. Gads. I never saw his face, but the view I got was nice!
It was cold at the top...lots of snow around, and a lot of traffic. Lots of sand on the road, and sheer drop offs, so I bundled up with all my extra clothes and took it very easy coming down.
Anyhow, if you've read this far, thanks for listening! It was a real victory for me. Aside from the nausea, I really didn't have any trouble with the ride, except that I am very slow, and I can work on that! :D
(I posted a couple pics of the area...not from yesterday, but they show the area...on the May 12 Ride thread.)
