I didn't take an ambulance ride. I didn't even get hurt. But I ain't got the nerve I use to and my brakes don't seem to stop my carcass as easily as when I was 17 (or I never used the brakes when I was 17).
I did an out and back ride last night. Got to the bottom of Breezy Heights hill (windy at the top, not a breeze to climb). This hill is also known as Happy Jack, Rt 218 hill, and Daybrook Hill. It has three roads that climb it from different sides. I travel it every day to work. The side I was coming from was the steepest. It is about 3/4 of a mile long from my side, over a mile from the other two. I made a plan to only ride five minutes up and see how far I got, without stopping and keeping my heart rate in Zone 2 (70% of Max). I did the first two, not sure about the third. It was burning. I went just over 4/10 of a mile. I checked a topo map, this was a about 220ft vertical in that distance. The total hill is about 375ft vertical (a nasty 100 yd wall at the end, maybe I will do next time). I wanted to check my Heart rate, but I had to make the turn in the road, my feet were clipped in, so I just swung around and started back down.
5 minutes up, 50 seconds down. Now that 50 seconds says I was going only about 25 to 30 MPH, but I didn't have the nerve to look at my watch until I had done an extra 10th of mile at the bottom. I took my heart rate at this point, it was over 130 (not sure from fear or exertion). The unnerving part was I was apply some rear brake and an occasional front brake, I never felt like I could have stopped the bike if I needed to and I didn't remember the roughness of the road in my car, and the shocks in my car aren't that great.
The thought was "You dumby, your the father of three, and the husband of a stay at home wife". Also tomorrow is your Wedding Anniversary, was a clear thought once I was safely on the flat again. I believe I do this a couple times I will be more comfortable, I am also looking at the brakes to assure they are as tight as they need to be. The hill definitely reminds me of something like Jake's Rock Overlook hill.
Speaking of hills. I was bored or excited about the Mooseman, so I went on to their website. They have a forum about the Mooseman there. I linked this thread about the discussion of "Devil's Hill" at about mile marker 5. Sounds like a good time and Matt your 39X26 combo on the new bike looks like a check list item. At least we will only do it once.
http://timbermantri.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2014
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Regarding elevation. Not sure if you remember that our google maps has the option to look at that. Here is the mooseman bike/run. Just turn the elevation on (control box on left)
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=696028
I'll definitely be trying out the course this summer. Hopefully a few times.
I was glad you said most people had doubles and that 38 is considered a climbing gear.
Because when I was at the bike shop this weekend. They did a full set of body measurements. Which then the computer shot out my bike fit for the position I wanted to ride in. I didn't see the measurements until I got home. The computer said I should be on a 52cm frame. I'm on a 54cm with basically no stand over clearance.
So of course after seeing this. I google my bike in the 52cm frame and it's available in Newark DE as a Triple.
As I'm sure everyone knows. I over think this stuff and make myself crazy. It's what I do best.
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