This has been a big year for Sue as a road cyclist. She used to prefer to ride her mountain bike on the back roads, listening to a book on CD to pass the time. But, of course, listening to a book slows one down, and it is inherently too distracting to be a safe activity for road cyclists. As she has moved toward road biking, she has set aside the earbuds and discovered the joys of time trialing. Her record speed for our 31.2 mile ride has increased from 13.8 MPH, to 14.8, and finally to 15.1! As her need for speed has grown, she has abandoned her wind-catching skorts, now wearing full roadie regalia earned by our David's Trail charity ride. She has managed to grind her way up Cemetery Hill without stopping to catch her breath. (We just measured that the gradients of Cemetery Hill. In its steepest section it rises at a 16% slope and is about 10% overall!) Sue has learned that it does no harm to keep pushing after one starts to get out of breath. And she has started standing on her peddles for longer and longer sections of the local climbs. In fact, she has entered the Big Leagues--or at least the big leagues of Mountain Home--by joining me on a few of the rides with the local enthusiasts.
Last month Sue and I put out an email call for other Mountain Home cyclists to join us on a ride on October 21st from the Highway 341 bridge, over the top of Matney Mountain, to the top of Push Mountain, and back--about 27 miles in all. Sadly none of the gang had the guts to join us, but we went anyway. It was perfect October biking weather--calm, sunny, and cool. The leaves were at the peak of their autumn colors, so that there was always something visually appealing in the woods of the Ozark National Forest. For both of us the two-mile climb to the top of Matney Mountain felt surprisingly easy. Matney starts out steep, then settles into an almost flat section near the halfway point, and finally kicks up to its steepest gradient just before the top. Fortunately, we both know the mountain well and can easily calibrate our efforts in reaching the top.
The road at the top of Matney Mountain winds up and down along a ridge for several miles, providing several spectacular views of the national forest stretched out far below. Then there is a short descent before Push Mountain Road meanders through several scenic valleys to reach the base of Push Mountain. While Matney Mountain is clearly visible as a distinct mountain--or "knob" in the local dialect--Push Mountain hides its presence. But once you are on its slopes, you know it! It climbs steadily, unrelentingly, through at least a dozen sharp switch-backs during the entire two-mile ascent. That makes the climb a leg-sapping grind for its full length. While one's efforts are not rewarded by any scenic vistas at the top, the terrifying descent does provide a pretty good adrenaline rush. I'm no descender so I tend to hit my brakes hard, grit my teeth, and squeeze my knees against my top tube in an attempt to avoid a crash-inducing shimmy.
I was pleased to reach the top of Push Mountain once again without collapsing in cardiac arrest, but for Sue it was a real triumph! In past excursions she had left me to battle the mountain alone while she peddled loops on the flatland below until I got down safely again. This year she made the climb herself--no whimpering, no stops to catch her breath--in fact she didn't even look especially tired!
No comments:
Post a Comment