On Sep 4, 2007, at 9:04 PM, Randy Dugan wrote:
> Hi, I did the ride last year, and it was hot at the bottom and cold at
> the top. Of course, this year could be different, but if I were
> coming
> from out of state I'd pack a long-sleeve jersey and two bottles.
> Chuck's
> description of the climb sounds right, however, few of us can climb
> like Chuck.
> I did it in a 34-inch gear with two big bottles and was happy to
> have them.
> It was an epic day and one of my favorite rides ever, but it's hard,
> for real, so be prepared. All those houses in that photo Chuck
> linked to
> are going to be a distant memory by the halfway point. I don't want to
> discourage anyone, in fact, quite the opposite, it's an awesome ride!!
> Cheers,
> Randy Dugan
> Van Nuys, CA USA
I guess I tend to downplay the difficulty of rides generally. You tend to take for granted the San Gabriel mountains that rise out of the LA basin. When I tell people about some of the climbs here in my backyard they look at you like the Nipper the RCA Victor dog with their head cocked to the side... HUH, there are mountains in Los Angeles?
Rose Bowl to Mount Wilson is 750 ft to 5750 ft in 25 miles. A fifty mile ride up Angeles Crest takes you to Dawson Saddle at 7900 ft. And the ride up Mount Baldy is almost an exact match for l'Alp d'Huez in grade and distance (Mount Baldy grade is a little steeper; 4600 feet of climbing in 13 miles).
I'm actually not much of a climber since I on the heavy side but I am a strong, very steady climber (and 63!). And the Angeles Crest Mount Wilson ride is going to be a social ride (at least that's the way I plan on riding it). And I'm planning on riding the 25 mile Beantown loop later in the afternoon as well.
But like Randy said, two bottles, wool would be good hot or cold, arm warmers(?), a low bail-out gear, couple of tubes and patch kit, and there is NO sag wagon so ride conservatively and you'll be fine if you're in any shape at all. And like I said, you can turn around at any point with no shame at all.
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)