first major climb

[ColinJ]

Great pics there,and my hat is off to anyone who scooshes that eye watering bend !!!

Here's a photo taken on an even less successful attempt ... I jumped off my bike halfway up the steep ramp before my legs gave way under me!

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

Even a photo of it has made me tired @ColinJ

 

[ColinJ]

Even a photo of it has made me tired @ColinJ

TBH, I think I might have been able to do it if I had fully committed to it, but if you examine the photo carefully you might be able to see that I had Look pedals on the bike and therefore had big plastic cleats on the soles of my shoes. I was worried that if I had to do an emergency dismount nearer the top, my feet would slide from under me. This worry turned out to be realistic because I slipped and nearly fell when walking back down the hill to take that photo!

I have now got mountain bike type SPD pedals on all of my bikes so my shoes have recessed cleats for safer emergency bailouts!

 

[MarquisMatsugae]

TBH, I think I might have been able to do it if I had fully committed to it, but if you examine the photo carefully you might be able to see that I had Look pedals on the bike and therefore had big plastic cleats on the soles of my shoes. I was worried that if I had to do an emergency dismount nearer the top, my feet would slide from under me. This worry turned out to be realistic because I slipped and nearly fell when walking back down the hill to take that photo!

I have now got mountain bike type SPD pedals on all of my bikes so my shoes have recessed cleats for safer emergency bailouts!

I see that actually,and yes the SPD option is much better.The only option IMO.
Especially on long climbs like that,you just don't know when you have to get off the horse,so to speak.

 

[swansonj]

Slightly late to this thread but can I nonetheless just say that I proposed to my wife on the top of Carlton Bank....