One Day, One Hundred Degrees, Three "HC" Climbs

What does "HC" mean, anyway?

I was actually planning on doing four, but a flat tire halfway up Onion Valley necessitated a trip to the not-so-local bike shop (after a hair-raising flat-tire descent, of course).

This was actually for the best, though, because even though I was drinking as much water as I could stomach, I was still in the desert, in mid-August, and, well, it was hot. I had stopped sweating before starting Onion Valley. It was 100 degrees in the shade... but I don't know where 'the shade' was, I certainly couldn't see any for miles around.




















Tomorrow I ride on 5 mile road here in Detroit. Pretty much the same, all told.

Climbing Categories.

Plagiarized from the interwebz.


* Cat. 4: The Lowest category could be anything from a 2km-long hill with a gentle 5-percent grade, or a half-kilometer-long "wall" with a 12-percent average. (In 1997, there were 15 Cat. 4 climbs on the opening eight flat stages; and only four on the remaining 13 stages.)


ElJamoquio note: a Category 4 climb would be like Thorn Run Road in Pennsylvania, or Boyne "Mountain" in Michigan.



* Cat. 3: This is the first "serious" category, and could mean a 5km climb with 5-percent grade on good roads. (In 1997, there were six Cat. 3 climbs in the Tour; typical was the Cote de Chatillon on the stage to Morzine, which is 6km long with a height difference of 240 meters, 787 feet, on a wide smooth highway.)

* Cat. 2: Most racers in North America would consider this one the toughest climb they would be likely to encounter. The former Tour DuPont's Beech Mountain -- which is about 5km long with an average grade of 8-percent, topping out at 5000 feet about sea level -- would be a Cat. 2 at the Tour, even though it was a Cat. 1 at DuPont. (In the 1997 Tour de France there were 10 Cat. 2 climbs. Typical were the first two of stage 18: the Cote de Gueberschwir is 4.5km long, has a height difference of 400 meters, 1312 feet, and an 8.8-percent grade; the Grand Gallon is 24km long, with a height difference of 1000 meters, 3280 feet, but has a grade of only 4.1 percent.)

* Cat. 1: This is the classic mountain climb of the Tour, such as the Col d'Aubisque in the Pyrenees, with an elevation of about 1600 meters, 5250 feet, a length of about 15km, and a grade of about 6-percent. (In 1997, the Tour had eight Cat. 1 climbs. They varied from stage 9's Val Louron-Azet, which is 11.5km long, with a height difference of 770 meters, 2526 feet, on a narrow, rough back road; to stage 10's Port d'Envalira, which is 30km long, with a height difference of 1680 meters, 5500 feet, on a wide, smooth highway with easy grades.)

* Hors Cat. (or "above category"): These are the most difficult climbs at the Tour. They have a minimum height difference of 1000 meters, 3280 feet, and an average grade of 7-percent or more. (There were five Hors Cat. climbs in the 1997 Tour, including the Col du Tourmalet and L'Alpe d' Huez.)

Mt. Washington: Part Deux

I frequent a few different internet forums where people can chat about cycling.


On one of them, there's a thread going about Mt. Washington.


Some quotes:



"7.6 miles of uphill on a mixture of paved and dirt road with nearly a vertical mile of elevation gain. Some of the nastiest weather in the world at the summit where they once recorded a wind speed of 231 mph."

"Oh, don't exaggerate, that was just the wind gusts that day. The steady breeze wasn't over 160 mph. "

"I have a buddy who makes this his sole "A" race of the year. Got very serious about it and stripped everything off his bike, went with mountain bike cogs on the back (to a 32 sprocket I believe), the bike came down to 12 lbs, he bought those ultralight carbon Specialized shoes. He had a video of the race that he showed me. I can't believe how harsh it is. No way I'd travel 1/2 way across N. America for that sort of suffering; I could probably simulate that in my backyard by doing VO2 intervals on the trainer, midwinter in a t-shirt while someone strafed me with a fusillade from a salt gun.

Full props to anyone who does it! Madness!"


"Climbing Mt. Washington is THE hardest physical accomplishment I have ever done in my entire life. I’ve completed three marathons and several triathlons and well know the meaning of pain. Once you cross the entrance bridge you coast for about .1 miles until the hill starts.

This is when the reality of gravity just slaps you in the face.

You come upon the initial slope of about 15% where it undulates between 10-15% with micro (10ft) grades of 7%. At about 1.5 miles you are smacked down with a grade of 21% and, knowing you still have a little over 6 miles to go, you start to question you sanity. In between this and the 2.5 mile mark (17%) are grades between 10-15%. You continue on thinking you have lost you mind (and your wind) with grades mostly between 13-18%, with micro gaps of about 7%.

At the 6.25 mile mark you get hit with another 21% grade and you start thinking how far back the broom wagon is.

At this point though you are convinced you can finish by either riding, walking, or crawling. You reach the 7 mile mark knowing you have less than 1 mile to go and you start thinking you can smell the finish. At about 7.4 miles you even hit a slight (-3%) downhill, but unfortunately it only lasts about 30 ft. After that the grade goes back to 10% with kicks up to 19%. You make the final turn and hear everyone cheering you on and you go smack dab into a grade of 22% for the final .1 miles. You wonder what cruel gods could have done this to you as you inch up the final few meters. As you come to the finish the announcer calls out your name for all to hear and you know you are there. As you cross the finish line you know all your suffering, and in my case, drooling, is over. Volunteers catch you from falling as you cross the finish line and place a blanket around you... "


Good times.

Hines Park TT Race Report (unabridged version)

w

National Time Trial Championship

Was held this past weekend.


Average speed of the winner: 27.8 MPH.

ABANDON SHIP!!!!

Ruby should take lessons.

Those wacky Chinese

...and their crazy censorship.

Michigan Sunsets

Are gosh-darn pretty almost every day.

Ominous

"The most difficult road bike hill climb in the U.S. and perhaps the world, this road is only open to bikes during the annual hill climb race usually held in August. No concession to gradient was made as it starts out steep and never lets up all the way to the top. Begin at a tollbooth where there is a brief shallow section and then the fun begins. A ramp of 12% grade smacks you in the face to let you know what is in store the rest of the way up the mountain. The grade eases slightly after 0.6 mile but then soon kicks up with rolling ramps of 12-15%. The trees soon begin to thin with some great views although it is difficult to appreciate them as you grind higher.

Approximately 4 miles into the climb you round a bend and for the first time you see what is ahead of you (and it is not a pretty sight): sustained grades of 12-16% along a spectacular ridgeline. After a very steep turn to the left the grade eases as you climb into a tundra. Rolling, slowly increasing grades lead you past the 6,000 ft elevation mark and at mile 7.4 a parking lot appears on the left. Just beyond the lot the steepest part of the climb (22%) greets you, but the end is in sight.

Mt. Washington is about the same length but considerably steeper than the famous Mortirolo in Italy and Angrilu in Spain, generally considered to be the hardest hill climbs used in European cycling tours. Mt. Washington also has generally tougher weather to deal with compared to other top climbs.

If you ever get the chance to ride this hill, congratulate yourself on completing what may be the most difficult road bike climb on Earth."

--John Summerson, The Complete Guide to Climbing

Road Racing vs. Mtn Bike Racing.

This past weekend I did my first Mountain Bike Race.

Mountain Bikers have about eighty million classifications. I ended up 2nd in the Beginner classification, 30-39 years old, out of about 30 people. Of course, that result means nothing.

As a time trial, we started at thirty second intervals. What does mean something, to me at least, is that I passed 27 people on the course. I live for passing people.

I ended up with the 75th best time overall, out of 380. I got a silver large silver-looking medal, with the actual race name on it, presented to me on a podium.

For my state time trial championship I was handed a ziploc bag with a tiny, non-descript trinket inside. Of course, being a road race, I got money, too.

Two philosophies.

Perspective

My doctor said that I'm lucky to be alive and breathing. I told him that my house plants are alive and breathing. I'm only happy when I'm on two wheels and going 60 MPH.

--Dave Cullinan, recovering from open-heart surgery and a heart attack at age 24

Those Crazy Germans.

Suitcase of Sausage.



Crazy Germans.

Am I employed?

I apologize for the confusion of last week - several people thought the layoffs were last Thursday. Many of you called me, wondering if I was one of the 104 (or was that 140?... I'm slightly deaf) people in my building that will be let go.

My explanation was sub-par. It was too quick; it needed to be an in-depth analysis. I need 24/7 coverage of what should be a rather mundane event.

So, in the tradition of overhyped snowstorms, gasoline prices, and general pseudo-news everywhere, I give you:

Employment Watch 2008.

Join me, on Monday July 27th, as I post every... well, so often...

Am I employed?


UPDATE: 8:25 AM. Still Employed.


UPDATE: 9:49 AM. Meeting with the Chief Engineer at 10:00 AM.

UPDATE: 11:06 AM. Shook hands with some people for the last time. They're gone. I'm still here.

Someone knocked on my door...

...and offered to buy my house today.

Meet the Flintstones.

It works on so many levels.

FYI -

FYI -

This is my 101st post.



Also FYI -

The day of reckoning for Ford employees in my building was supposed to be next Thursday, not this Thursday. But that rumor's even out of date, because now it's on Monday.

It's a sad state of affairs, because my biggest objection to the entire process is that it's so disrupting to actually get any work done. I'd rather it just be over with, fired or not. I'm really not worried either way; right now I think I'd prefer to go.

Legions of Minions

Currently I like to describe my followers and supporters as my 'legions of minions'. But I have to confess that, currently, my 'legions of minions' consist entirely of three houseplants; in fact, one of them is mentally deranged and on the verge of herbicide.

So if any of you want to sign up to be a minion, that would be great. Being human - as I assume most of you are - I'm sure you'll quickly rise through the ranks. Eventually you might even have a few aloe plants working for you.

Don't bring a gun

to a lobster knife fight.

Surprise!

Today at work, they're bucking the trend and firing people on a Wednesday. Big-wigs only today; paeons get fired next Thursday. My manager and another close co-worker have already been escorted out.

I'm not worried. Right now a several-month vacation sounds fun.