Before and after weight loss climb (videos & pics)

[luv2climb]

I had a fun-filled Sunday on Donner Summit. I went up there to shoot video of the riders in the Donner Summit Time Trial. This year there were a couple tandems, which I didn't see last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRtN2mcPYHk

After watching the racers suffer, I had to do some suffering of my own (of course!). I descended and climbed back up. I was hoping to be able to do this 3 mile climb in 30 minutes or less, and I did it in approximately 29:50, in spite of the stubborn 20 pounds that just won't come off. According to this site, "A commendable goal for the 3-mile climb is under 30 minutes". Of course, if you look at the results of this year's time trial, the slowest person climbed it in 28:16. But I'm not racing and I still have weight to lose, so I'm not gonna complain about my ride. Especially since I didn't feel very strong on the first part of the climb.

Unfortunately my ContourHD helmet camera died permanently this time. It couldn't be turned off, requiring a battery pull. When I put the battery back in it wouldn't turn on, in spite of following the advice in Contour's FAQ and doing a reset. I felt like throwing the damn thing off a cliff, but hopefully their support can get me a working camera.

Since I believe in being prepared for crap like that, I brought other cameras with me. That means it's back to the handlebar-mounted digital camera for the two climb videos. This means louder breathing, so be forewarned!

Donner Pass Road climb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUrtap22pAY

After going over the other side of the mountain and climbing back up the west side for the second time, my friend filmed my descent to Donner Lake with a camcorder mounted on the moonroof of his Honda Ridgeline. Since the audio was 100% wind noise, I added music but left just enough of the raw audio for effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdbwxY3y-Sk

I continued down Donner Pass Road to Northwoods Blvd for the final steep, painful climb of the day. It's short, but it's a good one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bMgNHyvMQI

Here's the video from last year's climb up Donner Pass Road. I weighed approximately 40 pounds more when I did this climb (approximately 185 lbs). It took over 7 minutes longer to climb this back then too. This video is on the channel of my good friend mrRhwalden, who went up with me this year too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxVv2HR7XgA

Garmin Connect data from this year's climb: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110211931

Garmin Connect data from last year's climb: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45882017

I climbed up the rocks near the summit to get this pic.


Panorama shots made from several photos stitched together in friend's camera





3 riders climbing up


After finishing the climb up Donner Pass Road


Top of Northwoods Blvd in Truckee


Somebody had a little fun with the rocks on the west side of Donner Pass Road near the summit.

[bellissima]

What an awesome looking climb!

[luv2climb]

It is my favorite climb. I love the scenery. It's a climber's paradise, as I see lots of cyclists, rock climbers, and hikers climbing things up there every time I go.

[MichelleOH]

So pretty! Congrats in beating your goal time. I love the rock people.

[bellissima]

Keep up the climbing

[lawnchick22]

Beautiful pics...thanks for sharing.

[Mako]

Congratulations on your time! I can't watch the videos from work but the picutres are lovely

Sat here looking out of the window on a cold dreary day, thinking of ways to wuss out of a bike ride later.... Sooooo very jealous!!!!

[tytbody]

The rock statues are great.

[luv2climb]

Thanks everyone!

When I first saw the rock people I didn't want to stop climbing so I continued on to the summit, turned around, descended, and took the picture. I try to avoid stopping in the middle of a climb unless I absolutely have to or it's a once-in-a-lifetime shot. I would LOVE to see a bobcat or mountain lion! You can bet I'd be hitting those brakes in a flash if I saw one of those!

I really wish my Contour helmet camera hadn't died, as I really wanted to show you the views you get while climbing. Not to mention the superior picture quality and quiet, rattle-free audio. Helmet-mounted cameras don't suffer from road noise when you ride over rough roads.

Here's a compilation of all the short video clips my friend took of me while I was climbing both sides of Donner Pass Road. Some clips were recorded from a window-mounted camera as he drove by me. The rest he took while standing on the side of the road, like a spectator in a race!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpNX96_oVfI

[Sardine]

Interesting post and nice pix as usual L2C. And like everyone else, I love those stone people (going to use the cool thing now - - been waiting for a chance). But now that I've seen you in the video, I'll admit that I'm a bit confused as to why you should lose 20lbs. It's clearly your judgement and I respect that completely, but it doesn't look like it to me and you're already doing these climbs that scare the c*&p out of me... Anyway, I look forward to pixs of your future climbs. Sorry about your camera by the way. You're right about the quality.

[luv2climb]

Interesting post and nice pix as usual L2C. And like everyone else, I love those stone people (going to use the cool thing now - - been waiting for a chance). But now that I've seen you in the video, I'll admit that I'm a bit confused as to why you should lose 20lbs. It's clearly your judgement and I respect that completely, but it doesn't look like it to me and you're already doing these climbs that scare the c*&p out of me... Anyway, I look forward to pixs of your future climbs. Sorry about your camera by the way. You're right about the quality.

Thanks! I hide my blubber well. I have three rolls of fat on my stomach that need to go bye-bye. When I was in peak condition in 1992 I weighed 117 lbs. Then I did a few months of mtb racing in 1993 and gained 5 pounds of muscle. If I can get down to the mid to low 120s I'll be happy.

My defective Contour arrived at the company in Seattle about an hour ago, so hopefully I'll have my new one by next weekend. I have another good steep sufferfest climb in mind for next weekend.

[tytbody]

oh, I felt that climb. I saw you running out of steam also. I felt for ya. You did great. Pictures are so cool. If I ever get to 117, I must be in bed on deaths row. That is way to small for me and I'm 5'2.. I've not seen that weight since high school.

[luv2climb]

oh, I felt that climb. I saw you running out of steam also. I felt for ya. You did great. Pictures are so cool. If I ever get to 117, I must be in bed on deaths row. That is way to small for me and I'm 5'2.. I've not seen that weight since high school.

Thank you. Yeah, I tried pushing a bigger gear near the end, but didn't have the strength to keep that up so I had to downshift.

I'm 5' 4", so somewhere in the 120s is the healthiest weight for me. I don't need to weigh 117, especially since I've probably gained quite a bit of muscle since those days.

[tytbody]

Luv.. did you gain those muscles from riding or did you also do resistance training?

[luv2climb]

Luv.. did you gain those muscles from riding or did you also do resistance training?

Riding. I get bored with other forms of exercise like weightlifting or sit-ups. I like being outside, so I do the fun forms of exercise. When I was a kid in the good old days before video games and other forms of entertainment that cause people to lock themselves up indoors, I used to play basketball, baseball, soccer, hide-and-seek, bike chase, foot chase, and other outdoor activities with the neighborhood kids. I didn't have an ounce of fat on me until I reached puberty.