Muse back!
September 03, 2007 / Monday
Mt. Hamilton Insanity
For as long as I've known Aaron (and longer, I'm sure, but that's not for me to say), he's been riding his bike up Mt. Hamilton Road. I've always chalked it up to a mix of insanity and masochism and left it at that. Who would want to spend hours riding up a big hill? Sounds painful.
He's asked me several times to ride it, and each time I've flatly refused. That is, until this weekend. His left arm is in a cast, you see, and this makes braking difficult. So, he devised a plan: I'd ride up with him (climbing a hill doesn't require braking), ride back down by myself, and go pick him up in my car.
Not getting to ride has been driving him insane (more insane than whatever it is that's been driving him to ride up that road), so I decided to brave the hill so he'd get to ride. I also figured that having to ride one-armed might slow him down to a somewhat manageable pace, but I was wrong on that count, so never mind.
We didn't ride up the whole way. Actually, we didn't even reach Grant Ranch, but it was enough continuous uphill to give me a taste of what I needed to reach the top. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. Heck, it wasn't bad at all, once I got warmed up.
We got a late start thanks to a bit of mistiming on my part, so when we reached the turnaround point at 7:30 the sun was setting, and fast. I took off for the car, racing the sun as it dipped below the horizon. I caught up to a truck on my way down, and he kindly pulled over and waved me along. When I reached the bottom, I had a half mile climb to get back to the car in the Alum Rock Park lot. I kept the bike in top gear, stood up, and mashed my way up the hill. I was surprised that I had the energy to do that, but I guess I was trying hard not to get caught riding in the dark. I hate the dark. I have crappy night vision.
Loaded the car, drove up the hill, and picked up Aaron. As it turns out, he was able to ride downhill without too much trouble. All he really needs is a sag wagon to give him new wheels when his tires go flat.
As for me, I want to ride up that road again, farther the next time, and the next, until I reach the top. I'm not sure what exactly I thought was insane about the whole thing. Either I was wrong, or I've gone insane too.
12.9 miles, 1381 feet of climbing, and no knee pain. Woohoo.
September 3, 2007 11:29 PM | Road