Oh my gosh! I guess it's true when they say increasing intensity increases your speed. Since I have this climbing goal, I thought I'd wander around in the statistical stew and this is what I saw.

Jan 1 to Mar 3 of each year
2005 – 359 miles / 10,085 ft.
2006 – 654 miles / 6,412 ft.
2007 – 795 miles / 20,997 ft

Well, I put 2 and 2 together and realized how much the climbing is responsible for my avg speed for the Santa Rosa 200k. I really had no expectation of riding fast but I had to keep up with the bungee cord (maillotpois).

I know I increased the miles, but the change in miles between 2006 and 2007 is pretty negligible. However, the climbing isn't. Nothing for some of you folks, but HUGE for me. Okey-dokey. Bring on them thar mountains.