Day 7 #30daysofbiking

I didn't blog about day 6, but I did ride.  It was fairly uneventful ... just another commute day.

Today is day 7, and I don't have any event to plan for until end of June.  I decided to just get my legs a workout, so a loop I haven't done in a while is Big Basin loop.

I threw in Redwood Gulch, which is hard ... about 16% for a good 1-2 miles.  This one does get your heart pumping, but today, since I knew this would be a long ride, I did the climb seated.  Only a handfew will attempt this climb, but this is a bit of a short cut ... it ends up a little higher altitude on Hwy 9 than if you went on Mt. Eden, and onto Pierce.

I usually stop for a breather at Hwy 9, but I just decided to continue on without stopping.

It turned out to be a great day, and I didn't even need my jacket.  That would remain in my jersey pocket for the whole ride ... oh well.

I got up to Skyline via Hwy 9 without having anyone pass me up.  That's pretty remarkable.  After a water refill at the fire station, I'm ready to continue.  I felt pretty good with the rest of the climb up Skyline, before it started descending.  This part of Skyline is nice, as the road is freshly paved, and the descent is fast (roughly 30-35 mph), but not uncontrollable.  Once you get past Black Mountain, the road starts getting choppy, but at least it's downhill.  I always hate going the other way, especially if it's at the end of the ride.

The route is pretty much downhill from here until we get to Boulder Creek.  From here, it's a climb there Big Basin.  Today, I decided to go through China Grade, which is a shorter route, but steeper ... sounds like a theme here.  This was a struggle, since I already had about 42 miles logged already on this ride, and then I throw in some 16% grades.  I have to admit, this took a lot out of me, and there is still the climb from Hwy 236/Hwy 9 up to Skyline, which is a 6 mile grind.

By the time I got to Skyline, I was tired.  I was going to head north to Page Mill, and take that down, but I was fatigued, and just decided to take to most direct route home ... and that was heading straight down Hwy 9 through Saratoga.  I needed something to pick me up for the rest of the ride home, so onto Starbucks it is.  Boy, that felt good.

I got in 70 miles, and 6675 feet climbing.  It had been a while since I had done Big Basin (and I used to do that on a regular basis), and I had forgotten how painful the ride is.  I definitely think Redwood Gulch and China Grade on the same ride had something to do with the fatigue ... or maybe it is just the mileage and climbing that does me in.  Whatever the case, good ride today ... and great weather for it too.