Where Are the Hills?

Just realized that my Sunday bike ride had nearly the identical amount of elevation gain as the entire 204 mile Seattle-to-Portland course I'll be riding later this summer. By no means do I wish for it to double the "Blood, Sweat, and Gears" course I did in North Carolina a few years ago (11,000 feet of gain in 107 miles) but I am concerned that there might not be enough hills in STP. Sure, going uphill is a lot harder than riding on flat ground, but it does provide a nice change of pace, a chance to stretch and adjust your position. Not to mention, downhills are usually good for racking up some easy miles. STP barely averages over 100 ft of elevation per mile. It's barely worth mentioning.

1 comment:

Doug Walsh said...

Yeah, it's definitely going to be hard to stay comfortable in the saddle and, as you said, keep the body from cramping every which way. Even without the hills, it will still be difficult. Looks like I may be doing it with a guy my wife works with and some of his friends. They hope to average 20mph the whole way based on previous STP's, so hopefully I can stay in the pace line with them. So long as I don't end up out there alone for hours at a time.

Good luck with the dentist and thanks for writing.

PS: I haven't forgotten about testing the wiki ride descriptions you emailed me, just trying to find the time to get to it.