Video & pics of steep climb from one of my most difficult rides ever

Did one of the most difficult rides I have ever done. It was only 41 miles, but it had 5,472 feet of climbing. I climbed Mosquito Road in Placerville from Broadway to Rock Creek Road, then took Rock Creek Road to Chili Bar, where I turned around. The climb back up Rock Creek Road seemed to go on forever, but finally it ended and I got to enjoy a fun descent down Mosquito to the river and back out of the canyon. Good steep fun! Yes, I mean the climbing.

I also ended up with my second A & S type of video. A silver Toyota Tacoma, CA license 8S64255, passed while I was climbing back up Mosquito Road to Placerville. Somebody in the truck yelled "Get off the road!" This is in spite of me being on the right side of the road, out of the way.

That same truck passed me at an unsafe speed on the climb up Mosquito to Rock Creek Road. That was also caught on camera on the sufferfest video. The yelling incident is a separate video.

This is the first time I have had a problem with a driver in the Sierra foothills. If you ride in the Placerville area, watch out for this jackass!

Luckily, the footage I got at the top of the climb back up Mosquito to Placerville made up for the BS. As I approached the top, two fawn ran across the road and jumped the fence. A car caught up to me at the stop sign. The two guys inside struck up a conversation when they saw the deer also. One of them asked me if I rode down to the river. When I told them that I did that and rode down Rock Creek to Chili Bar, they were impressed. You can see the deer going down the road in front of me on the video as I'm talking to the two guys.

I told them they made up for the motorist who told me to get off the road earlier, and thanked them.

Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/99662106

Here's the climb up Mosquito Road, both directions starting from the bridge over the American River, which I rode across. The speeding Toyota Tacoma is visible starting at 3:06.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA7UZtcGVKE

Here's the dumbass in the Tacoma yelling at me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqAng5CRsOM

Here's the fawn and the friendly dudes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EcYseNbTSk

Steep!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/...fc56b3fe17.jpg
Mosquito Road 15% grade sign by kittyz202, on Flickr

Here's a picture of the first 18% switchback I saw during my descent from Placerville. I measured it on the climb back up by riding into the steepest part of the switchback, which I normally don't do a lot of on long climbs, in order to conserve energy.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6016/...9a155de2b1.jpg
Mosquito Road 18% grade switchback by kittyz202, on Flickr

Around the corner from that switchback.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/...7b9da02fbf.jpg
'yield to uphill traffic' sign on Mosquito Road by kittyz202, on Flickr

Almost to the bottom.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6148/...a1834b9597.jpg
bottom of Mosquito Road climb by kittyz202, on Flickr

American River

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6021/...9f879d836a.jpg
American River at bottom of Mosquito Road climb 2 by kittyz202, on Flickr

Nice steep switchback near the bottom of the descent from Rock Creek Road.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/...6e346e4b90.jpg
Mosquito Road steep switchback by kittyz202, on Flickr

Wow!

You GO girl!! I tend to avoid inclines myself, out of pure laziness. Makes me want to go looking for a hill on my next ride.

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Originally Posted by buffybike

You GO girl!! I tend to avoid inclines myself, out of pure laziness. Makes me want to go looking for a hill on my next ride.

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Thanks! I really do live up to my username here. :D I love climbing more than any other type of riding, even descending (although the descent that followed the never-ending climb up Rock Creek Road sure was appreciated, as that climb was tiring due to its placement in the ride).

Jeez, that Tacoma idiot- you have their lic #, you should report them to the cops and give them the video as evidence- that jerk should be ticketed- clearly unsafe driving putting you in danger.

That is one tortuous climb-- I noted the irony of your gasps and groans alongside your youtube user name: 'cyclingfun'. :eek: :D

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Jeez, that Tacoma idiot- you have their lic #, you should report them to the cops and give them the video as evidence- that jerk should be ticketed- clearly unsafe driving putting you in danger.

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Guess what else I noticed on that Tacoma when I was editing the sufferfest video? A magnetic sign like what pool and landscaping guys have on their trucks. It had a phone number on it but I could only read the area code. Way to advertise your services-by driving like a selfish idiot. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Jeez, That is one tortuous climb-- I noted the irony of your gasps and groans alongside your youtube user name: 'cyclingfun'. :eek: :D

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LOL! I know! :D Kind of like my username here. I love to suffer! :D Actually, when I created that "cyclingfun" nickname on YouTube, I had just started the weight loss and climbing rides, and I didn't have the ovaries to put up a sufferfest video. I finally mustered the courage to do so in February of this year, which is when I joined TE. If you look at the name on the top of my YouTube channel, it's "freighttraininguphill", which is more appropriate for the kind of riding I prefer. :D

:)Great job, enjoyed the vid and pics.

Ha ha... the friendly guys in the truck, that was cracking me up... "um, ya, that was a b*tch lol..." ya, you got it right buddy.

I like climbing too, but I'm in the midwest, so don't have your kinds of climbs. It's still a great sense of accomplishment though when you get to the top.

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Originally Posted by Miranda

:)Great job, enjoyed the vid and pics.

Ha ha... the friendly guys in the truck, that was cracking me up... "um, ya, that was a b*tch lol..." ya, you got it right buddy.

I like climbing too, but I'm in the midwest, so don't have your kinds of climbs. It's still a great sense of accomplishment though when you get to the top.

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Thank you. :) Actually that was me saying "that was a b1tch" about the climb. It was a fun b1tch though! :D

Awesome! I just did a killer ride in the same area today (around Colfax). I'm new to climbing and the hills out there - and some of those descents - are, well, killer. 6500 feet of climbing!

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Originally Posted by MojoGrrl

Awesome! I just did a killer ride in the same area today (around Colfax). I'm new to climbing and the hills out there - and some of those descents - are, well, killer. 6500 feet of climbing!

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Colfax? Cool! Next weekend I'm going to climb Iowa Hill Road for the first time since 1997. I was going to wait until I lost another 10 pounds, but after this 5,472' of climbing ride I just did, I think I'm probably ready to climb it again.

I'll bet Iowa Hill was part of your ride, with that 6,500' of climbing. :D

that truck was WAY too close.

Luvs2Climb..........you are pure inspiration! Thanks for sharing your adventures.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

that truck was WAY too close.

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Yes it was. Made my heart leap just watching the video. :eek: I would take both vids in to the police. You never know - maybe they can give the guy a ticket and a course in road safety...

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Originally Posted by lawnchick22

Luvs2Climb..........you are pure inspiration! Thanks for sharing your adventures.

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Thank you. :) Now I've just got to pray that I don't get taken out by one of these road-hogging maniacs. Luckily I haven't heard of anything like that happening in the areas I climb in. This is the first problem I've had in all the months I've been climbing. Most motorists are very considerate up in the hills.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

that truck was WAY too close.

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Originally Posted by grey

Yes it was. Made my heart leap just watching the video. :eek: I would take both vids in to the police. You never know - maybe they can give the guy a ticket and a course in road safety...

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I thought I read somewhere that video evidence wasn't admissible in court. I've never had a situation like this before, so I don't know what to expect. I'm guessing I would have to drive back up to El Dorado County? Or could I take the videos to my local police station? I don't want to waste my time if they're not going to do anything. I've heard too many stories of cops not acting on cyclist complaints.

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Originally Posted by luv2climb

I'll bet Iowa Hill was part of your ride, with that 6,500' of climbing. :D

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We did not do Iowa Hill, but that's next... :)

You are crazy.....and bad a$$!:) I'm not much of a climber myself. And that Tacoma is a lovely example of a human, no?! Great job on your accomplishment!!

luv2climb I am in awe of your climbing abilities. You must be, hands down the best climber who posts here. Makes the hills around here look like bumps in the road. Beautiful sceanery too.

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Originally Posted by amb

You are crazy.....and bad a$$!:) I'm not much of a climber myself. And that Tacoma is a lovely example of a human, no?! Great job on your accomplishment!!

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Originally Posted by Bike Writer

luv2climb I am in awe of your climbing abilities. You must be, hands down the best climber who posts here. Makes the hills around here look like bumps in the road. Beautiful sceanery too.

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Aww, thanks! :) I don't consider myself much of a climber yet due to that last 20 pounds I'm working on getting rid of, but then again I always ride solo so I have no idea how my climbing compares to other women.

Any TE members in my area want to go for a ride? I'm sure some of you know of some nice hard climbs I haven't discovered yet, and vice versa. ;)

I agree with Mimi and others. Do send the link to police so they can follow up with the idiot. If nothing else, it will be on record as "previous incidents".

Have you thought of entering some "fun" rides where they are into climbing?? Some are timed just like TT's.

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Originally Posted by smilingcat

I agree with Mimi and others. Do send the link to police so they can follow up with the idiot. If nothing else, it will be on record as "previous incidents".

Have you thought of entering some "fun" rides where they are into climbing?? Some are timed just like TT's.

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The bolded part is what I would like to do. It would be much easier to send them the link than to have to drive back up there.

I'm not into the whole paying to ride a bike thing, so I don't do organized rides. I also don't like being told I can't listen to music at low volume in my right ear while riding. I was bored one night and I read the list of rules for the Death Ride, which is one of those killer climbing rides in the Sierras. They said no headphones of any type. I'm sorry, but I love listening to music while I'm climbing. If it's at low volume in the right ear only, I don't see what the problem is. I don't want to disturb others with my music, so I wouldn't want to use speakers if I rode with others.

California law states no headphones in both ears, One ear is legal.

I live in Florida and it's flat, that climb would have killed me!

On the other hand, what a beautiful road! Roads down here (South Florida) are ugly and boring. We seriously lack in the landscape department.

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Originally Posted by JuneHawk

I live in Florida and it's flat, that climb would have killed me!

On the other hand, what a beautiful road! Roads down here (South Florida) are ugly and boring. We seriously lack in the landscape department.

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I feel for cyclists living in Florida. The lack of hills, high humidity, hurricanes, and reports from cyclists on other forums that Florida is not that cycling-friendly would drive me nuts. Florida also makes it illegal to listen to music even in one ear.

I hope for your sake that it's not as bad as what I've read on other cycling forums. :)

Well, I just got off the phone with a CHP sergeant from the Placerville office. He said no laws were broken, but if I had called 911 right after it happened they may have been able to patrol the area and catch him driving recklessly. Of course, when it happened I didn't have the license plate number. I didn't get that until I got home and played the video on my computer multiple times before uploading it to YouTube.

This incident has caused me to start recording all my rides, not just the climbing rides. I've only been recording two days, but since I live in a major metropolitan area I've captured interesting footage both days.

Here's a homeless man singing to me as I ride past. I see him around the neighborhood all the time. He's always very friendly, and if I happen to have any empty drink bottles or cans with me I give them to him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0QsD8lgz4s

Here's a very paranoid pedestrian at a red light accusing me of doing something to him behind his back simply because I pushed the button to get a walk signal to cross the street (I was riding with a disabled friend who uses a wheelchair). He was armed with a stick, so I was watching his hands very closely, ready to take evasive action if necessary.

In hindsight, I think I probably shouldn't have told him he was being recorded, as it seemed to escalate the situation. Luckily me and my friend were able to escape unharmed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6zJ8hwsa4o

Hey luv2climb, I love steep ascents too, only I do them on my MTB most of the time. Looking at your data, I seem to have done some similar rides last week on my vacation, but don't own a camera to share. I'd love to go for a ride and find some climbs with you, but sadly I live nowhere near you :) Maybe if you come for a vacation someday - we sure have enough hills over here ;)

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Originally Posted by Susan

Hey luv2climb, I love steep ascents too, only I do them on my MTB most of the time. Looking at your data, I seem to have done some similar rides last week on my vacation, but don't own a camera to share. I'd love to go for a ride and find some climbs with you, but sadly I live nowhere near you :) Maybe if you come for a vacation someday - we sure have enough hills over here ;)

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Hi there! Always nice to hear of others who enjoy climbing. :)

OK, here's my first successful attempt at using DashWare GPS overlay software. I still had the raw files from last weekend's climb, so I made a slightly shorter version of the video with speed, heart rate, altitude, and percent grade readouts. I made a simple text readout for the HR, MPH, and altitude readouts. For the percent grade readout I used the default guage since it's not too imposing. I didn't want to distract people from the scenery too much. :) Another reason for the simple readout is that it is much easier to read at lower resolutions and smaller screen sizes than the fancy default guages, none of which had the combination of readouts I desired anyway.

Here's the updated video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86ooHBgr90Q

Wow you're my hero and I mean that! My hubby and I rented bikes in sonoma and road to napa, taking trinity road and dry creek road. This looks a lot like that. We live in mn and I was not prepared for that type of climb. I am also petrified of heights! You have to be one awesome cyclist in amazing shape to have done this I walked my bike at least 1.5 miles of the 3 mile climb)!

Hi luv2climb you are awesome! My dad lives in Auburn and I know right where this hill is. I live in Washington state but we come down to visit a lot. Have you ever done the Auburn Century?I looked at the route from this year and it looked amazing,I'm not a big climber yet but DH is. I was just thinking we might have to throw that ride into next years vacation. Any idea if any shops rent bikes around your area? Id rather not fly with my bike right now. Wow keep up the impressive climbs and thanx for posting videos.

luv2climb - you are inspirational! I can only hope one day to do one of the GA gap rides. You provide something to aim for! :D

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Originally Posted by lisathew8lifter

Wow you're my hero and I mean that! My hubby and I rented bikes in sonoma and road to napa, taking trinity road and dry creek road. This looks a lot like that. We live in mn and I was not prepared for that type of climb. I am also petrified of heights! You have to be one awesome cyclist in amazing shape to have done this I walked my bike at least 1.5 miles of the 3 mile climb)!

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Originally Posted by ShubieGA

luv2climb - you are inspirational! I can only hope one day to do one of the GA gap rides. You provide something to aim for! :D

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Thank you. :) We seem to have a lot of 3 mile climbs around here. The climbs I did today were 3 miles each too. The first one was super steep! Thread will be posted momentarily. ;)

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Originally Posted by jelee1311

Hi luv2climb you are awesome! My dad lives in Auburn and I know right where this hill is. I live in Washington state but we come down to visit a lot. Have you ever done the Auburn Century?I looked at the route from this year and it looked amazing,I'm not a big climber yet but DH is. I was just thinking we might have to throw that ride into next years vacation. Any idea if any shops rent bikes around your area? Id rather not fly with my bike right now. Wow keep up the impressive climbs and thanx for posting videos.

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I've never done an organized ride. I think the Auburn Century might be the one that has an optional time trial up Iowa Hill Road, which is the climb I did today. I may be wrong though.

I don't know if any shops here rent bikes. The one in Old Sacramento only rents heavy cruiser type bikes like Worksmans. I haven't seen any climb-ready bikes in there.

I know there are several shops in Lake Tahoe that rent bikes, as I've seen them when I've ridden my own bike down the main drag.