Annual Simplified Climbing Lunacy Challenge chatzone

[Willd]

Only one marked hill today, one after the marked one was steeper, but not very long

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've decided to join in this year, but at a reduced target of 1,200m. I failed last year at 1,500m and to be honest it meant I did quite a few rides that were. how shall I put it?, "of limited pleasantness" only to fall at the last fence. But 1,200m is still enough to prevent me from bottling out completely and to give me a bit of an incentive to include some hills in my rides. And who knows, I might find myself in a position to increase it towards the end of the year.

It's a balance between setting a realistic incentive to counter my natural laziness, and actually wimping out.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I'm in two minds whether to allow myself to include turbo rides as I did a couple of years ago. I "rode up" a simulation of the Tourmalet at the weekend. 1400m (guess where my special cycling trip is this year )

On balance I think lowering my target from last year (1500 to 1200m) is sufficient wimpiness for one year so I'll stay road-only.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I'm in two minds whether to allow myself to include turbo rides as I did a couple of years ago. I "rode up" a simulation of the Tourmalet at the weekend. 1400m (guess where my special cycling trip is this year )

On balance I think lowering my target from last year (1500 to 1200m) is sufficient wimpiness for one year so I'll stay road-only.

The Tourmalet is a great climb. I would recommend doing it from the West and including the Aubisque beforehand, that makes it a proper day. Just looking back over my ride there and it is officially 18.82km, 7.6% with 1395m of elevation. I rode up it with a freak weather front, at the bottom it was 28 celsius, by the time I reached the top it was 1 degree with about 1 metre of visibility in thick fog. I then had to descend 8km to the hotel unable to see a thing in front of me!

 

[Dogtrousers]

The Tourmalet is a great climb. I would recommend doing it from the West and including the Aubisque beforehand, that makes it a proper day. Just looking back over my ride there and it is officially 18.82km, 7.6% with 1395m of elevation. I rode up it with a freak weather front, at the bottom it was 28 celsius, by the time I reached the top it was 1 degree with about 1 metre of visibility in thick fog. I then had to descend 8km to the hotel unable to see a thing in front of me!

Will be going from the West, with some friends, following Octave on his lorry up the climb from Luz St Saveur. Montée du Géant. Two fit people, two less fit people. Possibly also some e-bikers. I am one of the less-fit people.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Will be going from the West, with some friends, following Octave on his lorry up the climb from Luz St Saveur. Montée du Géant. Two fit people, two less fit people. Possibly also some e-bikers. I am one of the less-fit people.

Sounds good, you will all have a great time I am sure. The first 5km is pretty much false flat and then the real climb starts with about 13km to go, it is a pretty even gradient from there though so fairly easy to settle into a tempo.

 

[FrothNinja]

Two qualifying rides in 8 days. The one last week continued the increase in height in subsequent rides but it dropped back a chunk today.
Interestingly (only to those amused by stats) distance wise, todays ride in and out of Preston was almost exactly the same length as ride 4 but quite a difference in height. Different route (more dipping down to valley bottoms, fner fner) but today's had 198 m / 650 ft more ascent.
Pushed over 2 metres side ways on a fast descent a couple of times due to cross winds - I blame the pannier.
Deliciously warm when sheltered from the wind.

 

[ColinJ]

Pushed over 2 metres side ways on a fast descent a couple of times due to cross winds - I blame the pannier.

That happened to me once on an 80+ km/h descent off Holme Moss towards Woodhead even without a pannier on the bike. Any further over and I would have been perilously close to hitting the wall on the other side of the road!

 

[FrothNinja]

That happened to me once on an 80+ km/h descent off Holme Moss towards Woodhead even without a pannier on the bike. Any further over and I would have been perilously close to hitting the wall on the other side of the road!

I got uncomfortably close to the centre line on a fast flowing road