Results of the climb...

I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real) name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.

The average gradient is listed as 7% on their website. That means I was putting out well short of
1300 watts. Oh, well. At least I wasn't last... that honor went to my father after he had a
mechanical problem and had to fix it on the roadside...

-Sonarrat.

"Sonarrat" <[email protected]..> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real)
name...
> grrrrrrrrrrrr.
>
I feel for you

How did the 10 mile TT go? Or did you skip it in favour of the hillclimb?

Jeff

"Jeff Jones" <jeff@cyclingnews-punt-com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> "Sonarrat" <[email protected]..> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real) name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.
> >
> I feel for you

Perhaps I should adopt a Basque name so that it's at least understandable when it's misspelled.

> How did the 10 mile TT go? Or did you skip it in favour of the hillclimb?

I had to skip it. Dad balked at driving so far for such a short TT.

-Sonarrat.

Sonarrat wrote:
> I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real) name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.
>
> The average gradient is listed as 7% on their website. That means I was putting out well short of
> 1300 watts. Oh, well. At least I wasn't last... that honor went to my father after he had a
> mechanical problem and had to fix it on the roadside...
>
> -Sonarrat.

Considering that a 1 horsepower is (IIRC) about 746 watts, you could put out well short of
1300 w and still qualify as Superman.

Steve

>I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real)
name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.

>The average gradient is listed as 7% on their website. That means I
was putting
>out well short of 1300 watts. Oh, well. At least I wasn't last...
that honor
>went to my father after he had a mechanical problem and had to fix it
on the
>roadside...

Maybe closer to 130 watts. Even if you finished second last, (in front of your aul' lad with the
flat tyre) at least you finished - taking part is what really counts !

[email protected] (Rik O'Shea) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> >I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my (real)
> name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.
>
> >The average gradient is listed as 7% on their website. That means I
> was putting
> >out well short of 1300 watts. Oh, well. At least I wasn't last...
> that honor
> >went to my father after he had a mechanical problem and had to fix it
> on the
> >roadside...
>
> Maybe closer to 130 watts. Even if you finished second last,

Fourth to last, in fact, but everyone behind me was at least twice my age... as were many of the
people in front of me.

> (in front of your aul' lad with the flat tyre) at least you finished - taking part is what really
> counts !

The important thing is that this will help me win next year

-Sonarrat.

If you train you will improve. Forget age differentiation since it will always work in your favor
and not against it. At your age you will adapt much faster than older people.

"Sonarrat Citalis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] (Rik O'Shea) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > >I finished the ~7-mile climb in 56:38. And they misspelled my
(real)
> > name... grrrrrrrrrrrr.
> >
> > >The average gradient is listed as 7% on their website. That
means I
> > was putting
> > >out well short of 1300 watts. Oh, well. At least I wasn't
last...
> > that honor
> > >went to my father after he had a mechanical problem and had to
fix it
> > on the
> > >roadside...
> >
> > Maybe closer to 130 watts. Even if you finished second last,
>
> Fourth to last, in fact, but everyone behind me was at least twice
my
> age... as were many of the people in front of me.
>
> > (in front of your aul' lad with the flat tyre) at least you finished -
taking
> > part is what really counts !
>
> The important thing is that this will help me win next year
>
> -Sonarrat.

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
Citalis) wrote:

> The important thing is that this will help me win next year
>
> -Sonarrat.

The hill is close enough to your house, you should be able to get plenty of practice. There's
lots of good riding around there - you can go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel
that is Uvas canyon (heading northwest). That'll build character...

--
tanx, Howard

"We've reached a higher spiritual plane, that is so high I can't explain We tell jokes to make you
laugh, we play sports so we don't get fat..." The Dictators

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
> Citalis) wrote:
>
> > The important thing is that this will help me win next year
> >
> > -Sonarrat.
>
> The hill is close enough to your house, you should be able to get plenty of practice. There's lots
> of good riding around there - you can go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel that is
> Uvas canyon (heading northwest). That'll build character...

I've been out there twice, and I thought it was fun... I find it a lot harder to ride down Monterey
Highway, coming north from Gilroy towards Morgan Hill. Between the road texture and the nagging
headwind, I struggle to keep moving over 12 mph where I can usually keep ticking close to 20 mph. On
the other hand, if I want to cheat on my personal TT time, I can just take Monterey southbound...

-Sonarrat.

I would recommend you stay completely off of Old Monterey Highway. Whereas there's not much traffic
on it anymore, what traffic there is generally is flying low and paying no attention.

Howard is right that you could head up Willow Springs Road or similar.

"Sonarrat Citalis" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
> > Citalis) wrote:
> >
> > > The important thing is that this will help me win next year
> > >
> > > -Sonarrat.
> >
> > The hill is close enough to your house, you should be able to get plenty of practice. There's
> > lots of good riding around there - you
can
> > go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel that is Uvas canyon (heading northwest).
> > That'll build character...
>
> I've been out there twice, and I thought it was fun... I find it a
lot
> harder to ride down Monterey Highway, coming north from Gilroy
towards
> Morgan Hill. Between the road texture and the nagging headwind, I struggle to keep moving over 12
> mph where I can usually keep ticking close to 20 mph. On the other hand, if I want to cheat on my
personal
> TT time, I can just take Monterey southbound...
>
> -Sonarrat.

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
Citalis) wrote:

> Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...

> you can go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel that is Uvas
> > canyon (heading northwest). That'll build character...
>
> I've been out there twice, and I thought it was fun... I find it a lot harder to ride down
> Monterey Highway, coming north from Gilroy towards Morgan Hill. Between the road texture and the
> nagging headwind, I struggle to keep moving over 12 mph where I can usually keep ticking close to
> 20 mph. On the other hand, if I want to cheat on my personal TT time, I can just take Monterey
> southbound...
>
> -Sonarrat.

Anything southbound will be nicely wind-assisted (particularly in the late afternoon). I'd rather
have that on the way home, of course. Sycamore/Oak Glen/Uvas is a nice loop. I came from the
northern end of that. I avoided Monterey Hwy., partly because of the surface, but mostly because
it's boring. The shoulder is fairly wide and the traffic is pretty sketchy, but that never
bothered me too much. (However, I'll ride up to Lexington Res. out of Los Gatos on 17, so maybe
that says something about my tolerance level for car traffic...) Hale Ave. is probably a somewhat
better choice for a straight-ish, flat north-south road.

--
tanx, Howard

"We've reached a higher spiritual plane, that is so high I can't explain We tell jokes to make you
laugh, we play sports so we don't get fat..." The Dictators

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

"Howard Kveck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
> Citalis) wrote:
>
> > Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:<[email protected]>...
>
> > you can go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel that is Uvas
> > > canyon (heading northwest). That'll build character...
> >
> > I've been out there twice, and I thought it was fun... I find it a lot harder to ride down
> > Monterey Highway, coming north from Gilroy towards Morgan Hill. Between the road texture and the
> > nagging headwind, I struggle to keep moving over 12 mph where I can usually keep ticking close
> > to 20 mph. On the other hand, if I want to cheat on my personal TT time, I can just take
> > Monterey southbound...
> >
> > -Sonarrat.
>
> Anything southbound will be nicely wind-assisted (particularly in the late afternoon). I'd
> rather have that on the way home, of course. Sycamore/Oak Glen/Uvas is a nice loop. I came from
> the northern end of that.

Yes, I know that loop. I just don't like the maniacal drivers and 45-mph speed limit on the tight,
winding roads...

> I avoided Monterey Hwy., partly because of the surface, but mostly because it's boring. The
> shoulder is fairly wide and the traffic is pretty sketchy, but that never bothered me too much.

Personally, as long as I have a wide shoulder, I can even tolerate riding on 101 or 152, though the
exhaust smell has kept me from attempting either a second time.

> (However, I'll ride up to Lexington Res. out of Los Gatos on 17, so maybe that says something
> about my tolerance level for car
traffic...)
> Hale Ave. is probably a somewhat better choice for a straight-ish, flat north-south road.

Yes, that's the one that goes to the light-rail station . I've been meaning to try and get up early,
ride from where I live to the train station (30 miles?) and take the light-rail to college... the
only deterrent is the prospect of steep hills at the beginning and end of every day.

By the way, what do you think of Mt. Hamilton?

-Sonarrat.

In article <[email protected]>,
"Sonarrat" <[email protected]..> wrote:

> "Howard Kveck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Sycamore/Oak Glen/Uvas is a nice loop. I came from the northern end of that.
>
> Yes, I know that loop. I just don't like the maniacal drivers and 45-mph speed limit on the tight,
> winding roads...

That does start to be a limiting factor. Many, if not most, of the roads worth riding in the bay
area are a bit narrow and there will be some cars honking along. (Marked 45? Figure 55+, you
know? Skyline or 9, among others, get pretty hectic with guys on their mad mofo musclebikes
going WFO on sunny weekends.) I think the number of close calls per mile ridden out in places
like we're talking about is a tiny fraction of what it is on urban roads (at least for me). Cars
are going just as fast (and maniacally) in town as out in the sticks, but there's -far- more of
them in town.

> Personally, as long as I have a wide shoulder, I can even tolerate riding on 101 or 152, though
> the exhaust smell has kept me from attempting either a second time.

The ride over 152 into Watsonville is fun.

> > (However, I'll ride up to Lexington Res. out of Los Gatos on 17, so maybe that says something
> > about my tolerance level for car
> traffic...)
> > Hale Ave. is probably a somewhat better choice for a straight-ish, flat north-south road.
>
> Yes, that's the one that goes to the light-rail station . I've been meaning to try and get up
> early, ride from where I live to the train station (30 miles?) and take the light-rail to
> college... the only deterrent is the prospect of steep hills at the beginning and end of
> every day.

I understand that - a little bit of warm up is good before climbs. By the way, I used to see
Karen Kurreck motorpacing out on Hale fairly regularly. So if you have a friend with a
scooter....

> By the way, what do you think of Mt. Hamilton?
>
> -Sonarrat.

When the weather's nice and clear, it's a good climb (three, actually - there's two smallish
valleys on the way up). It's long, that's certain. Mike Jacoubowsky from Chain Reaction had a
page for it (and many other rides in the BA): http://www.chainreaction.com/mthamilton.htm My
blunt opinion on Mt. Hamilton is "a bit tedious". YMMV. For a long, gradual climb, I prefer 9 out
of Boulder Creek.

--
tanx, Howard

"We've reached a higher spiritual plane, that is so high I can't explain We tell jokes to make you
laugh, we play sports so we don't get fat..." The Dictators

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Howard Kveck wrote:
>My blunt opinion on Mt. Hamilton is "a bit tedious".

The frontside can be. The backside (and the long approach from Livermore) isn't.

In article <[email protected]>, "Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Howard Kveck wrote:
> >My blunt opinion on Mt. Hamilton is "a bit tedious".
>
> The frontside can be. The backside (and the long approach from Livermore) isn't.

I've never done that one. Four times I planned on doing the SJ to Livermore loop, but every time
I got to the top, I discovered that they'd just done a fresh chip seal on the road on the far
side. There'd be a layer of loose pea gravel about an inch and a half deep across the road.
Absolutely no fun in that. One thing I forgot to mention is that on the frontside, a huge
percentage of the litter consisted of beer containers and bullet casings.

--
tanx, Howard

"We've reached a higher spiritual plane, that is so high I can't explain We tell jokes to make you
laugh, we play sports so we don't get fat..." The Dictators

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Sonarrat Citalis wrote:
> Howard Kveck <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>
>>In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Sonarrat
>>Citalis) wrote:
>>
>>
>>>The important thing is that this will help me win next year
>>>
>>>-Sonarrat.
>>
>>The hill is close enough to your house, you should be able to get plenty of practice. There's lots
>>of good riding around there - you can go out in the afternoon and suffer in the windtunnel that is
>>Uvas canyon (heading northwest). That'll build character...
>
>
> I've been out there twice, and I thought it was fun... I find it a lot harder to ride down
> Monterey Highway, coming north from Gilroy towards Morgan Hill. Between the road texture and the
> nagging headwind, I struggle to keep moving over 12 mph where I can usually keep ticking close to
> 20 mph. On the other hand, if I want to cheat on my personal TT time, I can just take Monterey
> southbound...
>
> -Sonarrat.

Better yet. Drive down to Monterey on a Sat or Sun monrning, park across from Dennis the Menace
Park, warm up along the cycle path past Cannery Row and then rip around 17 mile drive and back over
the top of the mountain, if you feel it wasn't challenging enough.

Pros: Nice view. Roads in excellent condition. Can be as challenging as you want it.

Cons: Smell of bird **** can be strong. Occasional sand on road. Tourists.

Howard Kveck wrote:
> "Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Howard Kveck wrote:
>>> My blunt opinion on Mt. Hamilton is "a bit tedious".
>>
>> The frontside can be. The backside (and the long approach from Livermore) isn't.
>
> I've never done that one. Four times I planned on doing the SJ to Livermore loop, but every
> time I got to the top, I discovered that they'd just done a fresh chip seal on the road on the
> far side. There'd be a layer of loose pea gravel about an inch and a half deep across the road.
> Absolutely no fun in that.

The backside is really one of the better rides in the Bay Area. Very, very pleasant, particularly
when the wildflowers are in bloom. Too bad there's no bikeable path from Henry Coe over to San
Antonio Valley Rd.

In article <[email protected]>, "Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Howard Kveck wrote:
> > "Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> Howard Kveck wrote:
> >>> My blunt opinion on Mt. Hamilton is "a bit tedious".
> >>
> >> The frontside can be. The backside (and the long approach from Livermore) isn't.
> >
> > I've never done that one. Four times I planned on doing the SJ to Livermore loop, but every
> > time I got to the top, I discovered that they'd just done a fresh chip seal on the road on
> > the far side. There'd be a layer of loose pea gravel about an inch and a half deep across the
> > road. Absolutely no fun in that.
>
> The backside is really one of the better rides in the Bay Area. Very, very pleasant, particularly
> when the wildflowers are in bloom. Too bad there's no bikeable path from Henry Coe over to San
> Antonio Valley Rd.

I'll take this as a very high recommendation. Probably should have done it today, as the weather
was great, if a little warm. I used to know a guy who said that you could ride through H Coe, if
you didn't mind a lot of dirt trails. But I always thought he was as nutty as a fruitcake, so I
took that one with a huge grain of salt. Anyway, I'd be hitting it via the northwest (i.e. cross
over to Livermore). I just need to figure out the best way to get headed back north out of Alum
Rock. (Here's a way off topic one for you, Robert: I wonder if you'd seen this Sy Hersh article
in the New Yorker? It's a bit of an eye-opener, imo:
<http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031027fa_fact> I'd send it direct, but...)

--
tanx, Howard

"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes..." Repo Man

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Howard Kveck wrote:
> I used to know a guy who said that you could ride through H Coe, if you didn't mind a lot of dirt
> trails. But I always thought he was as nutty as a fruitcake, so I took that one with a huge grain
> of salt.

http://tinyurl.com/shw0

> (Here's a way off topic one for you, Robert: I wonder if you'd seen this Sy Hersh article in
> the New Yorker? It's a bit of an eye-opener,
> imo: <http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031027fa_fact>

Yes, I read it over the weekend. It's consistent with a long pattern of behavior that comes under
the heading "hubris." There is a decidedly anti-evidence, anti-analysis, anti-science,
anti-expertise bent to this administration. In some ways we are experiencing our own version of
China's Cultural Revolution, where ideology was thought to solve all problems.