Alc 2009

[uk elephant]

It always sounds scarier in feet. And it's not all in one go, you do get some very nice flat and downhill places to rest up before the next bit of climbing.

That being said, I am nowhere near ready yet. Didn't make it up the hill to work this morning. My lungs refused. That chest cold I had at Christmas is back with a vengeance. But I'll get over it again and get stronger again. At least out here I'll get lots of hill training without having to go up and down the same hill all the time.

[melissam]

Trek,

My Garmin ran out of juice before Quadbuster, so I shut it off for the rest of the day. The bummer was that I couldn't watch my heart rate when climbing Quadbuster, and I didn't pace myself very well on the climb. Oh well, made it up the hill without losing my breakfast, but it was close.

Anyway, I'm not sure where I came up with the elevation gain # for Day 3. 2500 feet sounds like a lot before we get to Quadbuster, but it doesn't sound like it's enough for the whole day.

Oh, and you're right about the crosswinds -- there were plenty of times when we were all leaning into the wind just to ride a straight line. But it was fun! And when that tailwind kicked in, it was AWESOME!

Everyone,

I agree with UKE -- it's hard to judge how hard a ride is by looking at its numbers on paper, unless you have similar numbers for your daily rides. Even then, there's still a lot of variables -- are they steady climbs or rolling hills? How steep are the grades? Etc.

I'm having the same sort of heart attack moments when I look at the Death Ride stats -- what the heck have I gotten myself into? The good news is that I'm training with maillotpois' TnT group, which has had amazing success in getting people ready to complete all 5 passes of the Death Ride. All I have to do is trust the process and do the training. Piece of cake!

As far as the ALC goes, it can be a very enjoyable ride if the weather cooperates and if you're trained for it. Can't control the weather, but you have plenty of time to get ready for an awesome ALC8!

Keep up the great work!

- Melissa