The first 55 miles went extremely fast, as I got in with a strong group of riders and we pacelined at 18-20mph. That was fun! Then came the start of climbing and the group quickly broke up. Everyone has to ride their own pace on big climbs, unlike the flats where you can get away with redlining it for long stretches. On the hills, if you exceed your limit, you don't last long before blowing up.
And oh, what a climb it was! About 40 miles worth, with a few downhill sections to get a break, and our lunch stop about halfway up. It's hard to climb continuously for mile after mile when you've trained on 1/2 to 1 mile-long hills back in Wisconsin. Even though you get the same workout it's not the same as going at it for 3-4 hours in a row. And of course being in the mountains means being vulnerable to fast changes in weather. About 7 miles before the summit the skies opened up and, mostly riding alone at this point I slogged my way up the grade. Riding in the rain isn't always that bad, but today it kept getting colder and windier the higher I climbed. One of the crew gave me a trash bag to wear under my jacket for the descent, because that's when you can really feel the cold (it dropped to the high 40's and the wind kicked up a lot). Normally I love descending - that's what makes suffering through the climbs worth it. But today it was all about getting off the mountain to a warmer place.
All of us made it and were glad to get indoors to warm up. A very tough but successful day in the saddle.
Beyond the bike particulars, the landscape views were just stunning. A few shots from the day:
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| Diablo Lake |
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| Rainy Pass - aptly named today |
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| Lunch on PAC Tour is always a welcome stop |
40 miles of a climb is very tough. Impressive you ride it all and in the rain.
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