Muse back!
November 03, 2007 / Saturday
Page Mill Is Pain
Well, the original plan was to ride 50 miles today. I moved other plans around so we could start early enough to ride those 50 miles before the sun disappeared, but we ended up starting an hour late. Phooey. I'd really been looking forward to finally completing a half century, so for most of the ride out on Foothill I rode like meh.
When we reached the Alpine intersection, Aaron asked which way to go. Originally, I'd planned to ride the Sand Hill/Portola/Alpine loop both ways, but without the lure of 50 miles, that same old loop had little appeal. We eventually decided to head up Page Mill instead. I figured if I couldn't go for distance, I could at least try a new route. We headed back down Foothill and hung a right on Page Mill.
I've long heard that Page Mill is "steep", but I didn't understand what that meant until today. Apparently, "steep" means PAIN. Page Mill, PAIN. This was the first hill with sections I've had to climb standing because of the steepness. I found myself thinking, "This hurts. Why am I doing it? I could turn around right now..." followed by, "You're not allowed to quit, so just suck it up and ride. Besides, it's good for you. Steep hills means better hockey!" This exchange repeated in my head until about five miles into the climb, when I decided it'd be stupid to waste all the work I'd put in thus far.
As if climbing a steep hill wasn't enough, the temperature dropped quickly as the sun started to go down. My arms developed goosebumps, my hands felt stiff, and I grew grumpy. I also started to worry about running out of light. When we finally made it to Skyline, I didn't even celebrate. I stopped to have a brief chat with Aaron and simply turned around to go home.
From that point on, the only thought in my head was, "I just want to get home." What would normally be a fast and fun downhill ride felt like hours of chilly air torture. Things were no better back on Foothill; riding fast meant more wind, and more wind meant more cold. I realized as we rolled into Los Altos that I couldn't make it back before it got completely dark. Aaron had brought a blinky light, so I turned off onto Main St. and waited while he continued on home to get the car.
I tooled around downtown Los Altos slowly on my bike to keep moving, but called it quits on the official ride when I pulled off Foothill. Final numbers: 36.8 miles with 2720 feet of climbing. Most of that climbing was done on an 8 mile stretch of Page Mill. Now that I'm home and fed and finally warm, I can look back at the ride and say, hey, not bad! And my knees don't hurt!
I called home while I waited for Aaron to come rescue me and got to talk to my dad. It was great to hear his voice, and our conversation really helped take the edge off my grumpiness. Hooray for dad. :)
Not sure if I'll be riding up Page Mill again anytime soon. Looks like it'd be fun on my motorcycle, though!
November 3, 2007 07:56 PM | Road
Comments
I drove up Page Mill a few weeks ago and everyone one bikes looked like they were in dying. Congrats on finishing without knee pain. And if you ever need me to pick you up, give me a call.
This might not be for you, but Aaron might like the low-key climb: http://lowkey.djconnel.com/2007/ And it's really that.... low key except for the few at the front of the pack.
Posted by: -april at November 3, 2007 10:51 PM
LOL, I'm sure I looked like I was dying. That would explain the stares!
Posted by: Viv at November 3, 2007 10:55 PM