June 7 – 12 days to go. Lookout! It’s a mountain.

I decided to add some longer, steeper hills to my training rides so I headed to Lookout Mountain just west of Golden, Colorado.  It’s 18 miles (29 km) from my front door to the foot of the hill and then five miles (8.5 km) of 8, 9 and 10% grades and an altitude gain of about 2,500 feet (760 meters).  (You can barely see the road at the bottom of the photo on the left). You’re rewarded at the top by some lovely vistas and a visit to Buffalo Bill’s grave — which is not all that interesting, frankly.  I cruised along at about 18 miles per hour on the way to the hill and then dropped all the way to 7 mph on the way up.  A little faster than walking but not much.  On the way up, two riders passed me and — much to my surprise — I passed three other riders.  As I passed each rider, I considered shouting, “How does it feel to be passed by an old man with multiple sclerosis?” but I decided to bite my tongue just this once. On the way back down, I enjoyed the breeze but there are so many hairpin turns that I couldn’t really open it up.  I topped out at about 35 mph (56 kph).  Fun ride – I may just do it again tomorrow.