Climbing The Wall
Well, today it looked like Spanky and I bit off a bit more than we could chew:
1)riding with Team All Terra (notoriously fast guys)
2)riding from Maarat to Wawa Dam (uncharted territory for me)
3)riding up The Wall (2.8kms of paved road, that points straight up!)
While riding in Maarat with Team All Terra isn't that new to me, I knew sooner or later I'd have to take the singlespeed up the famous Wall - and today was the day. We parked in Chow King and pedaled our way towards Timberland. The start of the wall is a nice little dip, that lets you build up your speed before hitting a steep switchback - the first of 5 or so sharp turns that head up the mountain.
So there I was with quite a bit of momentum heading towards the first elbow. I made the turn alright, but I had to stand up and hammer to maintain my speed. Not good. I was hoping to conserve my legs by sitting and spinning early in the climb. Yeah right.
The next bend was another left-hand turn, and notoriously steep. I was going at a good clip and my legs and lungs felt good, so I decided to carve through it. Again I felt my momentum drop - a feeling somehow magnified by Spanky's 29-inch wheels. I decided to duck into a little roadside cul-de-sac to build up some momentum.
It got steeper after that and after another elbow I decide to stop for a breather. I'm joined by Vic, who's ridden up the wall once before, King, and Edmund (All Terrans graciously babysitting us hehe). I bite into an apple and soon after we're pedaling up. I've resorted to making U-turns and circling round to maintain my momentum. It kinda works, in a two-steps forward, one-step back kinda way. At least it's progress!
After the fourth elbow I feel like my heart's going to explode. Vic decides to take a leak (perfect timing!) so I put a foot down and catch my breath. The rest of Team All Terra have come back down to check on us and after a short bit we're off again.
One last bend and one last push before reaching the top at Ka Tobias' store. I feel like I'm dancing on the pedals as I stand up and hammer the final 100 or so meters. I'm kinda spent, but happy to have made it up - with just three stops!
Did I feel like getting off the bike and walking it? I have to admit, the thought never crossed my mind during the climb - maybe because even considering it would be a sign of mental weakness, and would have did me in.
1)riding with Team All Terra (notoriously fast guys)
2)riding from Maarat to Wawa Dam (uncharted territory for me)
3)riding up The Wall (2.8kms of paved road, that points straight up!)
While riding in Maarat with Team All Terra isn't that new to me, I knew sooner or later I'd have to take the singlespeed up the famous Wall - and today was the day. We parked in Chow King and pedaled our way towards Timberland. The start of the wall is a nice little dip, that lets you build up your speed before hitting a steep switchback - the first of 5 or so sharp turns that head up the mountain.
So there I was with quite a bit of momentum heading towards the first elbow. I made the turn alright, but I had to stand up and hammer to maintain my speed. Not good. I was hoping to conserve my legs by sitting and spinning early in the climb. Yeah right.
The next bend was another left-hand turn, and notoriously steep. I was going at a good clip and my legs and lungs felt good, so I decided to carve through it. Again I felt my momentum drop - a feeling somehow magnified by Spanky's 29-inch wheels. I decided to duck into a little roadside cul-de-sac to build up some momentum.
It got steeper after that and after another elbow I decide to stop for a breather. I'm joined by Vic, who's ridden up the wall once before, King, and Edmund (All Terrans graciously babysitting us hehe). I bite into an apple and soon after we're pedaling up. I've resorted to making U-turns and circling round to maintain my momentum. It kinda works, in a two-steps forward, one-step back kinda way. At least it's progress!
After the fourth elbow I feel like my heart's going to explode. Vic decides to take a leak (perfect timing!) so I put a foot down and catch my breath. The rest of Team All Terra have come back down to check on us and after a short bit we're off again.
One last bend and one last push before reaching the top at Ka Tobias' store. I feel like I'm dancing on the pedals as I stand up and hammer the final 100 or so meters. I'm kinda spent, but happy to have made it up - with just three stops!
Did I feel like getting off the bike and walking it? I have to admit, the thought never crossed my mind during the climb - maybe because even considering it would be a sign of mental weakness, and would have did me in.
posted by 32by18 at 9:16 PM
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