Seattle is a much hillier town than most people realize. Hills of 15% grades and 2-4 km in length are a dime-a-dozen, and there are several, such as the Lighthouse and Dravus, that are considerably more. Lighthouse is around 22% while Dravus’ grades make me test my track-stand abilities (I have none).
Our normal route, the Seattle Tre Chime, takes us up the Lighthouse, and it never failes to tire me out. It’s about 1.5km long, with the last 700m in the 18%-22% range; difficult enough that you really have no choice but to ride it hard, which is why, on my more masochistic days, I use it for intervals (my record is three, Jim’s is 5).
Yesterday, Michelle and I rode what we call the “Double” (pronounced doo-bluh) which is the Tre Chime with a Northern Loop hitched on for a day of 2.5km vertical sufferage. It happened to be a particularly windy day in town and it was a dead-on coming up the Lighthouse. How do you make the Lighthouse harder than it already is? You add a gale-force headwind to it. I normally average between 13-15 kmph on the climb; yesterday’s painful average was about 8 kmph. Not fun.
Michelle, with her mind as razor-sharp as it always is, recognized the ideal recovery plan: pick up a bottle of rum on the way home. And she was clever enough to snap a photo of me riding home with a bottle of booze in my jersey, old-skool-style.
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Ahem ... rule 8? (And, er, rule 17?)
@Geof
Thar borrle will cancel uot al qwestons of ruuuullze.
@Rob
Ah, but the bottle doesn't make you do these things; it just lets you...
@Geof
Shit. Some of these old posts are very troubling. Talk about skeletons in the closet!
Rule 8 is in compliance via the mix-n-match clause explained in the footnote, but you've got me on Rules 16 and 17. Like I hope you've done with your mirror, they have been expunged.
@frank
That's a very smart looking Dutch tri-color you're wearing. Very nice choice for when it's time to goride.
@Geof
I am starting to think that Rule 8 needs to be updated. White tape and a black saddle is pretty Pro
@RedRanger
Citing three on Rule 8 covers it:
3 It is possible for experts to mix these matching guidelines successfully without breaking The Rules. This is a very risky undertaking and can yield unpredictable results. Proceed carefully and, if in doubt, run your configuration by the Keepers for approval.
@frank
I'm good! I hadn't reread the rule but didn't see how you were violating it based on the picture. Ill say this, I cant stand non black tires. When I got the new rig First thing I did that night was change out the stock white tires for my black continentals.
@RedRanger
Gumwalls. That is all.
@Nate
maybe on a commuter but never on a race bike.