Wednesday Mt. Figueroa

[jonathan markowitz]

Today is the day of the big climb. Mt. Figueroa, the fig as it is called around here. There has been a ton of hype and a ton of worrying. 1 person I talked to said they did not sleep last night but worried about the ride the whole night.

I was worried also. I talked to everyone trying to come up with a decent strategy. Finally I talked to Joe and Bob, two of the more senior coaches and they had the best advice. Don’t worry about time or anyone else. Find your rhythm and stay with it. That was going to be my plan.

In anticipation of this climb, 4100 feet in 11 miles, I put on a new rear cassette. It was a 28/12. Meaning the large ring in the rear gear thingy, the cassette, had 28 teeth and would give me enough leverage to power up the hill. I also trained as hard as I could by not skipping any of the practices and following my coach’s instructions. I was ready: I only had to believe it.

Morning came and I ate a good early breakfast. I dressed, loaded all my energy drinks and gels and went to the start. We left in groups. My group left first with Robbie. It was a pleasant cool ride to the start. Robbie taught descenting skills along the way and gave pointers. Somewhere on the ride we missed a turn, no big deal, we just rode on.

After about 12miles we got to the start of the climb. We waited for all the other riders, received our final instructions, and the gun sounded. The ride is in 4 parts the initial ascent which was a gradual 4% grade, the down hill section which led to the wicked part 3, the 3 part which was 5-6% grades sprinkled with 8-12% grades, and the final section which was easier grades 5% and some killer climbs tossed in just to keep you honest. The average grade for the whole ride was 7%.

I started up the hill. We quickly splintered into our various skill levels and the ride was on. My goal was to be inside 1 hour 30mn. The initial climb was easier than I expected. We had simulated 4% at VQ. I finished the section checked it off my mental list and moved on to the down hill portion.

The downhill was mostly fun. The only problem was the mud, water, and loose gravel most of the way. It was kind of like off roading. There were also cars going in both directions, sag and mechanics vehicles going up, tourists coming down. The section gave me a chance to catch my breath, rest and prepare for the wicked section 3 climb.

Before I knew it I was climbing. 4%, 12%, 4%, 8%. I started puffing, finding my rhythm and grinding up. My average cadence was 55 and my watts were about 190. On the steeper sections I stood up, until the back wheel began to slip, which forced me to sit. It was puff, puff, grind, grind, rest for a few seconds on the switch backs. Then do the whole thing again. Bam, 30mn were gone and the section was over and I was on the final climb.

I kind of missed the 3rd section. I was concentrating, keeping my body still, and pedaling. There was suffering, but the goal was getting up the hill so I just ignored it. I learned that the unknown is far scarier than the known. No duh as my kids would say.

I was on the final section. It was a lesser grade until the last 500m. That was a tremendously steep section. It was a killer. That I remember, and that was suffering.

I finished the ride in 1:27. A good time for me. So you have a reference. The A riders finished in about an hour. The last rider finished in about 1:45. My average speed was 6.7 mph. The tour riders would do the ride at about 12-18mph. Hey I am psyched. I think I had a great time. I had a fun ride. I am not ready to do it again immediately but I will climb again.

Today was a great day. I have a real sense of accomplishment. Today I felt like a true cyclist and that is all that matters.

[richard markowitz]

That is a great story. It is to bad we do not have hills like that close. It sounds like we should be going to Madison this summer to get some serious hill training.