FLCC> Ride Report - Brasstown Bald - U.F.O.- correction

Sat Mar 22 17:50:45 EDT 2008

Quick correction, Eric Smith rightly pointed out that 1700 feet in
three miles is not 20%, more like 10% overall, parts sure felt that
way though.

There was another bit of fanciful, fantastical, fabulous, frivolous,
flippant, far fetched, fiction in that write up, but I can't seem to
recall which bit it was... Maybe I had too much feta on the brain.

Thanks for reading,

-Charles

On 21/03/2008, Charles Hamilton <cph1 at cornell.edu> wrote:
> Very lucky to be in Helen, Georgia for the weekend.  High of 64 today,
>  bright sunny skies.  I left Thursday morning in a snowstorm, can't say
>  I'm too heartbroken about being far from home today.
>
>  Ride today was 5.5 hours,  and included three major climbs, elation at
>  making it to the top of what may be the steepest road I've ever
>  climbed, and the agony of the third climb taking over an hour when I
>  was completely bonked.
>
>  Being on vacation, I didn't leave until the temp outside had climbed a
>  bit.  I headed north out of Helen wearing a wool jersey, shorts and
>  arm warmers.  The road out of town runs next to the Chattahoochee
>  river for a while before starting the climb about 1500 feet up Unicoi
>  Gap, I'm feeling good and don't even have to resort to the new 28
>  tooth cog I had just put on the bike yesterday.  Descending down the
>  other side of the gap there's a group of 4 shaved leg road riders
>  followed by a pace car coming up the other side, the first riders I've
>  seen for a while, I'm wondering who they were as I turn left to begin
>  the gradual rise to the base of Brasstown Bald.
>
>  Another rider coming towards me waves from a distance and then looks
>  straight ahead, Phonak jersey, square jaw, expensive glasses, I swear
>  to myself that I just saw Floyd Landis riding in the other direction.
>  Shaking off my psychosis, I look back just as I start the gradual rise
>  about 1/4 mile away and notice the phantom Floyd just at the edge of
>  my vision, turning around at the corner to come back my way.  Well
>  Floyd or no Floyd, I'm feeling good so I get a good cadence going as I
>  move up the risers.
>
>  So a couple of turns before the base of the climb, sure enough, Mr.
>  Phonak is gaining on me fast.  I'm doing my best impression of
>  someone-at-the-rivet-trying-not-to-show-it, as he pulls up next to me,
>  hands on the top of his bars, not breathing heavy at all.  "Howdy" he
>  says and I turn realizing that it is actually Floyd, not my
>  imagination: jersey, helmet, jaw, grey bike with the logos removed,
>  the whole bit..  He asks how I'm doing, I stammer something, he nods
>  and rides away from me quickly, like, like... well he rides away from
>  me like a Tour de France winner riding away from a 35 year old cat 4.
>  I'm still pinching myself, wondering why I didn't say more and realize
>  that he likely didn't want to engage in the same old regular guy to
>  super-biker conversation that he must alway get.  I spin as best as I
>  can, but he's away from me well before turn to Brasstown comes into
>  view.
>
>  Ok, Floyd F. Landis just rode away from me and I'm looking up this
>  mountain saying, 20% grade?  They must be kidding, everyone says 20%,
>  but can it really be...  Well check out the ride profile from the Tour
>  de Georgia: (http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3969).  I
>  really never knew they made roads that steep.  Damn.  I think I
>  divorced Linnie and proposed to my meager 28 tooth cog halfway up.  If
>  I had access to a triple half way up that climb, I likely would have
>  traded my entire bike for it.  As I start up all I can think is
>  where's the sky?  It seems to be entirely filled with road, straight
>  up and away from my front tire.  Think the very steepest part of the
>  turn on Blakesley only straight and 3 miles long.   Three miles and
>  maybe 1700 feet total gain?  If it had been any steeper it would have
>  needed a fricken escalator.
>
>  So I'm doing track stands on my 39/28 slowly going up the switchbacks
>  as I approach the first mile marker at 12 minutes into the climb, a
>  speedy 5 miles an hour by the back of the envelope of my blood
>  deprived brain.  Ok, I think, maybe the second mile isn't as bad.  All
>  I want to do is not get off and push, maybe avoid doing the back and
>  forth weave would be nice too.  Around a corner I look up and the road
>  is straight up for about 200 meters.
>
>  I don't think my first car could have climbed that grade.  There's a
>  rider resting at the top wearing a bright yellow rain jacket, I grit
>  my teeth and roll slowly up.  Mid-way I try the weave with no luck,
>  the turns on each end of the weave are so steep I'm about to fall over
>  and I realize I won't be able to restart.  Straight up it is, I just
>  manage to catch the rainjacket guy who informs me the section we just
>  did was called the wall (does every ride have a wall?) and that it's
>  easier from here.  He also has a triple with a 36 on the back, I think
>  it was bigger than the front ring...  Mile three is not as incredible
>  steep and we make it to the top together.
>
>  >From here, it's back down and through a valley to a roadside grocery
>  and more water.  I run into the 4 person team with the car again.
>  They ride for some tavern in Athens, Georgia and are all younger
>  looking and skinnier looking than Joe Bailey, shaved legs, sidi shoes,
>  carbon bikes, chase car, the whole bit.  Leaving the skinny cats at
>  the store I roll back a ways to catch the start of climb #3 and the
>  road back to Helen.  My legs feel about 25 lbs heavier than normal and
>  every part of me is starting to hurt.  Ok, well how bad could this
>  climb be?
>
>  Well, check the road profile (which I didn't have at the time) and
>  you'll know what I didn't.  It's a cat1 climb, 1500 odd feet, ungodly
>  grade at the end.  I've never had a longer hour on a bike.  Every turn
>  I'm thinking, it must finish just around the corner...ok, maybe this
>  corner... but no, another long grade.  I manage not to walk it or
>  weave it, but damn was I slow.  I could have walked faster.  The guys
>  downtown on their huge three wheel bike contraptions could have gone
>  faster than me.  I was on the edge of cramping the whole time (why do
>  I do this to myself?  Why not take up knitting?) but managed not to
>  cramp just as I finally made the summit.
>
>  >From there it was quick descent and some insult to injury rollers on
>  the way back to Helen and a hot shower.  Now I'm sitting by the river
>  on the deck eating and drinking everything in sight.  No further Floyd
>  sightings, but there's always tomorrow...
>
>  -Charles
>
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