Video and pics of my toughest climb yet

[luv2climb]

I was going to wait until I lost another 20 pounds before doing this climb, but I said what the hell and did it today instead. This is Snows Road in Camino, CA. According to this site, it is rated the toughest climb in El Dorado County, with grades up to 20%. I measured lots of grades in the teens and twenties, but I don't trust those high readings because the Garmin likes to go crazy at low speeds on steep climbs.

I started at Carson Road, which is the beginning of Snows Road. It ends at Newtown Road. I forgot to start the timer on my Garmin at first and didn't hear the "movement detected" beep because I was too busy looking at the cyclists you see coming up to Carson in the beginning of the video. Near the top of the first short climb that goes under Highway 50 I looked down and saw the message telling me to start the timer, so I did. That's okay, I made up for my goof on the way back when I overshot the 11% grade sign I wanted to take a picture of and had to go back up the same climb.

The climbs to Newtown Road weren't as hard as I thought they would be when I looked at the grade from the seat of a car last year. Coming back from Newtown to Carson was another story though. I finally had to shift to my lowest gear so I could spin on the steepest parts. I did all the climbing in the saddle, thanks to my ultra-low gearing.

After I reached Carson I made a right and took a nice relaxing climb to Pollock Pines. That climb was painless until the muscle on the right side of my lower back started cramping. Climbing out of the saddle for a few seconds didn't help. What did help was the smile and wave from a descending female cyclist. I returned the favor and the pain magically disappeared. It's amazing what positive interactions with other people can do for you!

Garmin Connect data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93251973

Here's some pictures.

11% grade sign at the top of the climb from Newtown Road to Carson Road:


Snows Road 11% grade sign by kittyz202, on Flickr

Before turning around at Newtown Road:


Specialized Sirrus at Snows Road & Newtown Road by kittyz202, on Flickr

Funny sign at the top of one of the climbs on the way back from Newtown Road:



After finishing the climb at Carson Road:


Specialized Sirrus at Snows Road & Carson Road by kittyz202, on Flickr

View of snow-capped Sierras from the Shell gas station parking lot in Pollock Pines:


view of Sierras from Pollock Pines Shell by kittyz202, on Flickr

I think they forgot a sport:



I didn't want to ruin my fun descent, so I went back up this climb to get this picture:


Specialized Sirrus at Camino elevation sign by kittyz202, on Flickr

Video (lots of suffering here, so be forewarned.):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhq9SmyAaVQ

[smilingcat]

my goodness! a nastalgic toe clipped pedals...

I think you need to change your name from luv2climb to mountain goat.

Pretty places to ride.

[luv2climb]

my goodness! a nastalgic toe clipped pedals...

I think you need to change your name from luv2climb to mountain goat.

Pretty places to ride.

LOL! Thanks! I have clips and straps on all my bikes. I find it much cheaper and more convenient, plus I can wear regular shoes that are easy to walk in if necessary.

Speaking of walking, I'm glad I didn't end up doing the "walk of shame" like I was afraid might happen, given my weight.

[Bike Chick]

You have some beautiful country to cycle in. You must have legs of steel. Those are some tough climbs. Thanks for sharing. I love it when others share photos of their rides. It's so nice to see what it's like to ride in other parts of the world.

[luv2climb]

You have some beautiful country to cycle in. You must have legs of steel. Those are some tough climbs. Thanks for sharing. I love it when others share photos of their rides. It's so nice to see what it's like to ride in other parts of the world.

Thank you. I enjoy looking at other people's pictures too. In fact here's a thread I started in the road cycling section of BikeForums a few months ago (before I found out about TE) that's all pictures that give the viewer a good idea of the steepness of the road. There's pictures from the whole world in that thread. I also enjoy the thread over there where people post pictures of their bike with mountain backgrounds. I tried to take a picture of my bike with the snow-capped Sierras in the background, but it threw off the white balance or something and you could hardly see the peaks, so I only kept the one I took without my bike in the picture.

[tprevost]

Well done! My SO cracks up, he always knows when I'm watching one of your videos... Re recognizes your breathing

[yellow]

My old ridin' grounds... I sure miss it. Thanks for the story & memories!

[luv2climb]

Well done! My SO cracks up, he always knows when I'm watching one of your videos... Re recognizes your breathing

ROFL! Cool that he has a sense of humor! I crack myself up editing these videos after a ride, especially while I'm still under the influence of endorphins.

My old ridin' grounds... I sure miss it. Thanks for the story & memories!

You're welcome. Did you ever get to do this climb?

[loopybunny]

Very cool! Congrats!

(I'm still working on learning to climb so I'm totally envious that you're out there doing it!)

[luv2climb]

Very cool! Congrats!

(I'm still working on learning to climb so I'm totally envious that you're out there doing it!)

Thanks! Climbing is addictive once you get into it.

[yellow]

Did you ever get to do this climb?

I usually did it at least once or twice a year. I lived right off of Carson Road (near Boeger) so I had lots of access to great riding. My standard after work loop was Carson-Hassler-North Canyon-Larsen-Carson. I also really liked riding out Pleasant Valley toward Fairplay and of course Slug Gulch, and out to Pollock, winding through the country roads. You really do have many wonderful places to ride. You are very lucky!!

[Tri Girl]

WOW! Judging by the heavy breathing- that is one TOUGH climb!!! I was hoping you'd filmed the descent on the way down, tho.

Congrats!!! We don't have anything resembling hills like that around here- but it sure looks fun!

[luv2climb]

I usually did it at least once or twice a year. I lived right off of Carson Road (near Boeger) so I had lots of access to great riding. My standard after work loop was Carson-Hassler-North Canyon-Larsen-Carson. I also really liked riding out Pleasant Valley toward Fairplay and of course Slug Gulch, and out to Pollock, winding through the country roads. You really do have many wonderful places to ride. You are very lucky!!

Slug Gulch is another one I'm going to tackle. I've heard it's a tough one. I haven't read anything about the other roads you mentioned, although I rode Carson from Snows Road up to Pollock Pines where it turns into a dirt road at the top.

WOW! Judging by the heavy breathing- that is one TOUGH climb!!! I was hoping you'd filmed the descent on the way down, tho.

Congrats!!! We don't have anything resembling hills like that around here- but it sure looks fun!

Thanks! Yup, it was a good sufferfest!

I did film the descent, but my camera has a "rolling shutter" which is typical of cheaper cameras. It causes a wavy picture, so I got rid of that footage. I seem to get more views and responses to climb videos because they're recorded at slower speeds that don't cause as much of the waviness in the picture.

Speaking of heavy breathing, I went to Nevada City yesterday to watch and record the Nevada City Classic criterium. For those who aren't familiar with the area, it's a hilly course. Of course I brought a bike along with me so I could do some climbing. Since I wanted to be able to carry my extra cameras, stuff I bought, and swag, I took my heavy, low-end Trek 7000 WSD hybrid with rack, rack trunk, lights, and kickstand.

Since I had a couple hours before the first race started I decided to do some climbing. I ended up on Red Dog Road, which is a long climb with grades up to 17%. It was a sufferfest! Total climbing was about 2,100', including the 720' I did trying to map out the course and find a good spectating spot.

After watching the Masters men and Women's Pro 1,2,3 races, I was motivated to do some more climbing, so I did another 1,200' up Nevada Street and Willow Valley Road. Willow Valley Road is also a long climb, with grades up to 15%. It turned into a sufferfest too. Here's the video from that ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJH2aBrxiWI

Here's the Garmin Connect data. Note the low average speed, partly due to time spent riding around the course trying to map it out and find the best spot to sit: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93643130

Here's the bike I rode:


Trek 7000 WSD at top of Red Dog Road climb by kittyz202, on Flickr