Dancing along at 47 rpm

Time to resume training and some of the focus is to have fun. This week marked our annual meeting in north Georgia at Brasstown Valley Resort. Last year I was injured when I came to stay so I wanted to capitalize on the great riding opportunity this time. I left work early on Wednesday and prepared to ride the back three gaps--Jacks, Unicoi and Hogpen.

I was like a little kid on the ride up here. I was giddy. I haven't ridden up here in over a year and I missed it. The gaps are hands down one of the best places to ride in the entire nation. 40 miles will work you over like no other. The reward for climbing to the top is the fast and swift descent down the other side of the mountain.

I parked at the intersection of 19 & 180 and I started east toward Brasstown Bald. In the past, I have always ridden my road bike up here because of the easier gears. I was too stubborn to bring it this time so I opted for the tri bike...and non climbing gears. All I had was a 53/39 and a 12-25. Hmm...guess it will have to work for me.

Jacks is just a long warm up. It was 5-6 miles out to Brasstown Bald. The climb is steady and rises about 5-600 feet over the course of the trip. There is only one brief spot where it spikes. As I am getting warmed up, I am finding myself out of the saddle and in my 39-25 a bit more that I want to be. This could make Hogpen challenging. Brasstown comes and goes and I tuck into aero position for the nice long descent for about 4 miles.

Unicoi provides a slightly different challenge. It is more short and steep as you climb through a number of switch backs. The climb is about 6-700 feet over the course of 3 miles. None of the climbs are too challenging...just enough to make you burn and hurt as you power your way through them. The best part of Unicoi is the LONG descent....over 1500' spread among 7 miles.

The downside to take the tri bike up there is that I couldn't fully enjoy the descents. The bike just doesn't handle like a road bike in the turns. Of course, all I can think about is all the crashes from the previous days Tour where pro riders lost control of their TT bikes. The bikes just are responsive like that. So I ride the brakes most of the time trying to keep the speed around 35.

Finally, I make the turn onto 75. I am nearing the base of Hogpen. And I know what goes down...has to go back up. The Hogpen climb is legendary...not just locally but nationally. It is part of the Tour de Georgia course and has been known to break the best of riders. People come from all around the nation to give it their best...if they can. The total climb is 2000' over about 10 miles. The main section is 7 miles of climbing of about 1500'. Relentless.

This was only the fourth time I have ever attempted it. I typically stick to the front three gaps...just enough climbing to make you really work without destroying you. I still recall the first time I tried it. I remember pull off on the side of the road twice because I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I remember wondering if I could catch a ride to the top. Last year I had a much better climb. I was a stronger cyclist and determined not to let it break me. I still remember getting to the top and pulling over for a few minutes to catch my breath.

I started at the base determined. The first few miles were enough to make me question my sanity. You climb a few hundred feet and then go back down. Then you climb about 600' and go back down. It just teases you like this. Each time you return to the base of the hill. And then it begins.

I started my clock to time how long it would take me to reach Hogpen's peak. 7.3 miles in about 48 minutes. That translates to about 9 mph...which actually shocks me. I am finding a rythem of standing and climbing for 15 seconds and then back into the saddle for about 5 seconds. My cadence is hovering about 60 rpm. About every 10 minutes it will flatten out for about 100 feet. When my cadence hit 70 it felt like I was taking off. I used every opportunity to catch my breath.

The hardest part of ride occurs on a two mile stretch near the top. The two miles takes me 19 minutes. My cadence is in the low 40s. Let me just say that when you reach a point where you can only hold 40 rpm...it feels like you are about to roll backwards.

The worst part of Hogpen is how it teases your near the top. There are 3-4 places where you can pull off and look into the valley created by the mountains. This typically signifies the peak. Not on Hogpen. You reach a turnoff only to see the road continue to climb until you see the sign for the Appalachian Trail. Finally. It is over.

The descent is breathtaking. A few years back, I hit 54 mph going down the other side. Today, I only peaked at 42. That was fast enough with carbon fiber shaking under me. It was fun to tuck into aero on the long stretch and get some real speed.

I made it back to my car covering 39.9 miles in 2h 37m averaging 15.2 mph. I was more than pleased with that ride. I got off the bike and my legs were complete jello. Now I just need to hope I didn't trash the body along the way.