Week 27

Date
July 9, 2017

Distance
103 miles

Strava Link
Week 27

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Video

Ride Report 

I drove to Phoenix this weekend, so I stopped along the way in Big Pine to do some climbing. There are a ton of great climbs in the Bishop/Big Pine area and I've never done any of them. That's pretty stupid considering how close I live. I drive through at least once a year during the winter or early spring on my way to Death Valley and I always say to myself that I should come back during the summer. I've never actually done it.

I focused on 3 climbs that are very close together: Glacier Lodge (9.6 miles at 7%), White Mountain (19.4 miles at 6%), and Waucoba Canyon (13 miles at 5%). In total it was 103 miles and 14,000 feet. I'm pretty sure that's the most climbing I've ever done in 100 miles without doing repeats. I also rode at 10,000 feet high for a short while, which I don't think I've ever done before.

Glacier Lodge wasn't as difficult as I expected. It's long and steep, but I was still fresh and there weren't any ridiculously steep sections. It reminded me of the east side of Monitor Pass because it starts off relaxed, has a long and steep section in the middle, then finishes off with a flatter section. The road surface is pretty good and I didn't see much traffic up there at all. What more could you ask for? I highly recommend this one. There are some campgrounds near the top that looked like a nice place to stay, especially considering that it got over 100 degrees down in the valley today.

White Mountain is really 2 climbs in one. You start out on 168, which is 10.5 miles at 6%. Again, the roads were smooth and there wasn't much traffic. It's not a steady climb at all. The road is always changing from steep to not so steep, with a few short downhills thrown in for fun. That's good because it keeps your mind focused on the task at hand and the miles go by quickly. It's bad because it's hard to find a rhythm.

There's a little downhill, then you turn on to White Mountain Rd and begin the second portion of the climb. That part is 9.3 miles at 6%. It's even more of a roller coaster and the last 3.5 miles are the steepest. I found it very difficult. A lot of things were working against me at that point. As mentioned, I'd already been climbing for 16 miles or so and couldn't really find a rhythm. On top of that, you start riding over 9,000 feet, which is something I don't do that often. Was I feeling the altitude, fatigue, or both? It's hard to say for sure. What I can say is that the scenery was fantastic on this portion of the climb. Again, there's hardly any traffic out there. The road was in good shape, but the descent was pretty tricky on that 3.5-mile steep section near the top. There were a lot of tight corners, the roads were narrow, and there was some gravel on a few of the turns. You know me, though. I'm a wimpy descender even on the best roads.

Waucoba Canyon was the last climb. It was "only" 13 miles at 5%. It was also a fairly steady climb, so it was a good one to finish with. I had 3 issues, though. 1. I was tired. 2. There was a headwind. 3. It rained a little bit near the top. No serious problems, but it made for a long, slow grind. There was hardly any traffic on this road. Notice a theme? This climb had the worst road surface of the 3 (cracks), but I wouldn't call it bad. This was a fun climb and the scenery was pretty good. Anywhere else in the country and it would probably seem like a great climb. However, compared to the other 2 climbs (and the many more reasonably close) it felt a little less exciting than it should have. Or was I just tired and in a bad mood by then?

I need to head back to the area again to do some of the other big climbs.We'll see how it goes. I have a lot going on this summer. I'm trying to get my house ready to sell, plus I still want to ride across NV and get an Everesting done before the summer is over.