Quote Originally Posted by laura* View Post
He writes: The big climb was over 1000 feet in 3.5 miles, 7.2% average grade--a tough climb.

Hmmm, I calculate 5.4%. ( 1000 feet / (3.5 miles * 5280 feet/mile)) ~= 0.054

Anyway,
A few years ago I had the time for a long bike ride 2, 3, or 4 times a week. I'd often do an out-and-back / loop that was either 32 or 40 miles. The "top" of the ride was climbing 600 feet in almost 2 miles at a nice constant 6% grade. On those rides, that climb was like the cherry on top of a cake. I actually looked forward to it as the "easy" part of the ride. (Getting to the base of the climb was the torturous part.)

I was riding an old mountain bike. By the end of the summer, the 24 tooth chainring looked like it was chewed by a dog. The largest cassette cogs had plenty of wear too.

I loved the climbing! And I too am an Athena. Strangely, I lost inches but not any pounds.
Yeah, I'm not so sure ridewithgps.com is accurate. He even admitted it in his post. In fact I know it isn't accurate because I moused over the elevation profile and many of the grade readings were wildly inaccurate.

I'm losing inches and pounds. I will have to replace pants and shorts by summer if I reach my weight loss goal. You probably gained some muscle, which explains why you didn't lose pounds. Muscle is heavier than fat. I found that out myself when I was around 120 pounds and I tried to float on my back in a swimming pool. My legs always sank first.