Quote Originally Posted by Veronica View Post
Now that I'm home and can look at my data...

over 56.1 miles the route climbs 1580 feet, so pretty flat.

There were two climbs that I made note of - the first comes at about 24 miles and it's a two mile hill at about a 2% grade. You will have been gradually climbing in that 16 miles and will probably have a headwind as you're traveling north up the valley.

The second is Chalk Hill. It's about 6% for .7 miles. It's 42 miles into the ride. It's preceded by a few shorter climbs.

When you get to the bottom of Chalk Hill and turn left on the route, be prepared for a pretty short but steep uphill.

The Barb's Race website has a great description of the course, so if you are going up early, I'd highly recommend driving the course.

Veronica
Thanks so much. That's totally helpful. The climbing doesn't sound too bad at all. And this from a person who completely avoided hills whenever possible for the first half of last year. Yet this weekend I'm doing Heartbreak Hundred with upwards of 7,500 to 8,000 feet! What am I THINKING?!

I'm thinking I am forcing myself to get better at climbing. The more I climb, the better I get.

Thanks for all your info. I do hope to drive the course before hand.