Tierra Bella Century?

[jobob]

ACTC has a pretty large database of Bay Area climbs (aka 'Billy Goats')

http://www.actc.org/billygoats/bgoats.php

The climb up Old La Honda from Portola Rd to Skyline Blvd is given a difficulty rating of 5 (ascends 1475 ft in 3.9 miles), while the Canada Loop, which includes the climb up to Gilroy Hot Springs, is given a difficulty rating of 4 (ascends 1020 ft in 17 miles).

It's all rather subjective, but hopefully encouraging.

[Ed to add: Take those ratings with a grain of salt. Sierra Road is also given a 5 in this database, which makes it in theory only as tough as OLH. Not !!! ]

[Veronica]

Was it Old La Honda that I rode with you Jo? Whatever it was, it was NOT as hard as Sierra.

V.

[jobob]

That's right V - on both counts.

[snapdragen]

jo - don't you think that if she can ride OLH, Gilroy Hot Springs should be a piece 'o cake?

///snap who hasn't ridden either.......

[jobob]

Hiya stranger! How you doing?

That was precisely why I said a few posts up that I didn't think she'd have any problem with it.

I just thought I'd throw in a bit more data to support my theory (tho that kind of backfired).

[melissam]

It's all rather subjective, but hopefully encouraging.

[Ed to add: Take those ratings with a grain of salt. Sierra Road is also given a 5 in this database, which makes it in theory only as tough as OLH. Not !!! ]

Jobob,

Thanks for the link to the climbing database, as well as your edit. Geez, I'm planning to climb OLH tomorrow for the first time ever. When I saw it was rated the same as Sierra, I started to have second thoughts.

-- Mel

[jobob]

No worries Mel, it's not remotely same.

Have fun, it's supposed to be lovely out tomorrow!

[melissam]

No worries Mel, it's not remotely same.

Have fun, it's supposed to be lovely out tomorrow!

Oh good, it'll be a piece of cake then!

I'd ask you where you're riding tomorrow, but that would be a total hijack of the thread, so I'm not gonna do it.

[jobob]

I'd ask you where you're riding tomorrow, but that would be a total hijack of the thread, so I'm not gonna do it.

Here - more or less. (probably just the upper 2/3)
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path...ay-200K-ver-99

[maillotpois]

No worries Mel, it's not remotely same.

FWIW, I completely agree.

[melissam]

FWIW, I completely agree.

Oh good, another vote of confidence!

I dunno, I'm looking at the climb stats of OLH and comparing them with some of the other climbs I know and love, and ... well, I'm starting to hyperventilate a bit when thinking about my big debut tomorrow.

OTOH, what do I have to worry about? I have a triple with a mountain cassette for crying out loud!

Yep, OLH will be a piece of cake. (How often do I have to tell myself that until it becomes true?)

-- Melissa (I think I can, I think I can...)

[melissam]

No worries Mel, it's not remotely same.

Have fun, it's supposed to be lovely out tomorrow!

[Hijack ON]
I had a blast -- Old La Honda is gorgeous! My only regret is that I waited so long to ride it. I ended up doing the whole thing in my middle chain ring; I'd heard somewhere that it got really steep at the end, so I wanted to have the little chain ring in reserve in case I was suffering at the end.

Jobob, hope you a great time on your ride. You had a pretty long ride picked out!
[Hijack OFF]

Speaking of Tierra Bella, I'm considering doing the double metric. One of my riding buddies has a ticket for the double metric but will be out of town that weekend. Does anyone know what the double metric route is like?

-- Melissa

[jobob]

Does anyone know what the double metric route is like?

[wizeazz ON]

Uh, long?

[/wizeazz OFF]


Here be the route descriptions:

http://www.tierrabella.org/route.html

[jobob]

BTW, glad you enjoyed Old La Honda, Mel!

[snapdragen]

Now I'm really jealous. Mel used to be a bike potato like me. Now she's all ALC'd up and spinning up hills.