It's all about the climbs

When I reflect on a day of riding, the climb I did that day is what sticks out. If my route included no serious climbs of at least 1000 feet, it almost seems like it doesn't count, kind of like going to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert and having to leave before they play, "Free Bird". In addition to being the most challenging part of a ride, a climb is what brings you to great views and exhilarating descents.

The South Bay Peninsula area I ride each weekend has several famous climbs going up to Skyline boulevard, either from the bay side or from highway 1 on the ocean. The three I've done so far are Kings Mountain Road, Old La Honda, and Page Mill.

Old La Honda and Kings Mountain are both shaded steady climbs with nearly identical grade ascending from different parts of Woodside. On a steady climbs I can pretty much just keep a target heart rate (between 170 and 180) and see how long it takes me.

Old La Honda:



Kings Mountain:



Note that Kings Mountain is about a mile longer.

Compared to Kings and Old La Honda, Page Mill is a bit of a ball breaker. In addition to being mostly unshaded, it has much more severe grade in parts, and extends for 8 miles:



In contrast to the almost perfectly steady grade of Kings and OLH, Page Mill alternates between climbs and small flats / down hills. Some of the climbs are very steep, requiring me to dip into the granny gear, something I manage to avoid on Kings and OLH. The variation requires a little bit more concentration. The very steep parts wipe me out, so when I get a break on the flatter parts, I try to recover, but also attack a bit, since it is possible to get up a fair amount of speed and get a bit of a breeze to cool off. Attack to hard, however, and I risk not making it up the next incline.

I look forward to getting up the balls to go down to the ocean and back, which will open up a few more climbs to try out. Tunitas Creek is the most appealing at the moment.