A good chunk of the Family Bikes shop ride crew went to Frederick yesterday to ride some hills, using a cue sheet that Darren Biggs and some of the DCMTB folks had developed. I've ridden hills up in that area, and I tend to prefer the long, smooth ascents, the roads that you might know from the Civil War Century. These boys, however, cobbled together a route that includes some of the nastiest, steepest pitches I've ever ridden. It was literally the hardest ride I've ever done.
The Powertap tells the tale. 4:20 of riding time, 61 miles. Average power: 214. Normalized Power: 289. Intensity Factor: .89. TSS: 324. The TSS tells you all you need to know, really. I tried to ride within myself on the climbs and keep it just below threshold, so there are a number of 20 and 30 minute periods at 310 watts. The average power would have been much higher, of course, had I not coasted on downhills as much as possible to preserve some energy for the climbs. I've ridden longer and slower, and I've ridden much shorter and more intense rides. But I haven't gone that long, at that level of effort ever before. Although I'm nowhere near race fitness I set personal bests yesterday in 90 minute critical power, and my entire power curve past 2 hours was personal best CP. Shoot, I took the bailout and the easy way back to Frederick on Rt. 40a after mile 50, and even that resulted in a 15 minute climb at 97% of threshold. *That* seemed easy though, because it had miles and miles of 7% standard highway graded road, rather than the 15 and 20% grades we'd been riding on. I spent a couple hours, literally, cruising up hills, sweating hard, panting, staring at my front tire with my head down, going 5 MPH. Amazing hard ride.
[Update: The route package:
OMG to Shepherdstown w/Coxy 82 miles
OMG to Shepherdstown wo/Coxy 78 miles
OMG no Shepherdstown w/Coxy 67 miles
OMG no Shepherdstown bail out 62 miles]
My hat's off to DB and his crew. It was a brutal route, one that I will try to integrate into my early season training next year.
3 comments:
I'm assuming since you're telling us this, that you're going to share said cue sheet so the rest of the degenerates who enjoy this sort of thing can go partake...
All you need to know is this: Coxey Brown, Middlepoint, Fisher's Hollow. Maybe throw in a few warm up climbs on Harp Hill, Highland School and Chruch Hill Rds. Everything else is gravy.
Jim I am about to post my own account of my ride up there a couple of weeks ago. I have elevation charts for the climbs. This ride has caused me to buy a 11-28 cassette. So up Coxy I can ride a 36-28. I still always have my come to jesus moment on that climb,"Oh lord please let get up this climb without walking..." Is should be up tonight on my blog.
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