I have been taking the GPS during rides the past few weeks in hopes of providing some insight on the amount of climbing I do during a given week. Additionally, a few big races in the next few months at high altitude (VT125 and Tab) pushed me into doing more climbing during the week (riding up Mt Lemmon once a week). Weekdays work the best since there are less cars (somewhere in the range of 30 cars passed me today, whereas on a given weekend, 30 cars pass you in about 10-20 minutes). I was also one of 5 roadies on Catalina Highway today.
The ride started out humid from Udall Park, before becoming hot, after it was cold and rainy, before finally becoming hot again at Prison Camp while returning to Tucson. I peaked out at Alder Picnic area before succumbing to a flat tire (I left the old tire on the bike when I bought a new set, it seemed like it still had some life in it) as some dark clouds moved in.
I changed it fairly quickly in hopes of continuing on to Summerhaven, although loud thunder made me make a quick U-turn back down the mountain. After passing Bear Wallow, the rain and hail began. I escaped under a tree for the first onslaught, then I rode down to the visitor center in the rain to escape the cold. Wet and a little cold, I waited about 20 minutes for the onslaught to slow to a sprinkle before shooting down the mountain, enjoying the waterfalls that cascaded onto the highway.
61.17 Miles
9107 feet of climbing
1 flat tire
4 hours 11 mins moving time
Next Tuesday's Mt Lemmon Ride: Udall Park-Palisades-Summerhaven-Palisades-Summerhaven-Udall Park... It should be in the neighborhood of 75 miles with 11-12k of climbing.
2 comments:
Sounds like good prep, I'll be an eager spectator.
I, on the other hand, ran 6 miles this evening, with a mighty 1.5k of climbing.
wow, that is nuts for 30 miles with no let up! i gotta do Lemmon some day, can't believe i wasnt into riding when i lived there.
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