Stats (according to Strava):
Distance: 17.42 mi (28 km)
Elevation: 945 ft (289 m)
Moving time: 1:21
Max speed: 40.2 mph (65 km/h)
Bike: 2005 Trek 1000, 700Cx25 tires
Wildlife sighting of the ride: Turkeys, buzzards, rabbit,
and a ground squirrel
After a shorter-than-usual break due to the holiday weekend,
it was back at the hill this morning.
Today was significantly warmer than Monday, so it was time
for full summer kit (short-sleeve road jersey, and cycling
sandals rather than my heavier shoes). The wind was
surprisingly light on the outbound leg, and we made
excellent time. On the way out we saw a group of buzzards in
the yard of a ranch, then saw a turkey crossing Del Valle Rd
just as we started the climb (the rabbit and ground squirrel
sighting occurred immediately after this).
I started the climb stronger than Monday, and didn't drop to
lowest gear until sometime after the 0.1 mile marker (yes,
in my condition this is an achievement). At this point the
heat really became oppressive, and I went through far more
water than normal working through the tough part of the
climb, up past the 0.8 mile mark. From the 1.0 mile mark,
though, I was actually able to add gear on again, until the
final push to the top. I haven't been able to do that in
ages, so I took that as a win.
The descent was our fastest yet, at 2:45, and was more
pleasant that normal due to absolutely no traffic on the way
down.
I ended up with 17 "medals" in Strava today, with a number
of PRs along the way. I'm finally getting myself back into
proper condition for these climbs.
