Rattlesnake Point

Right so I've mentioned this a couple of times. Before I continue any further, a disclaimer. No it does not compete with what the pros go through in say, the TdF. While the climb does have a steeper average grade, it's only a kilometre long whereas the Pyrenees are climbs at around 10% but for 20km. Training on this hill is ideal for me though because racing mountain bikes in Ontario means a lot of short, punchy climbs where you don't have to sustain your effort for that long. The longest climb in OCup racing that I can think of is the one at Kelso (which is also off the calender for the 2012 year). Once that climb is done, the rest of the course is relatively flat. The Green Monster at Albion is another steep one but it's over very quickly. 

As for the workout, I just climb it at a steady pace until I can't do it again. It's geared more towards improving leg strength than cardio fitness due to the incline. In some places the grade is so steep it becomes challenging just to keep the bike moving even in the lowest gear. 

Traffic is pretty common on the road but everyone I've encountered is very courteous, always waiting to make sure no traffic is coming before overtaking. Going the opposite direction, I'm actually much faster than cars but you'll never see me trying to overtake on the narrow road and blind corners.

3/4's of the way up is a pretty wicked switchback. One truck that passed me actually spun his tires as he attempted the corner, so he left me with a nice haze of burnt rubber to ride through as I was sucking wind as hard as I could. The outside of the switchback is about as steep as the rest of the hill - however if you take the inside line prepare to fall backwards, I've seen cars bottom out as they made their descent. 

My road bike right now is in such bad shape, the crank arm on the non-drive side has about 2 inches of play, the chain and cassette are worn and the tires are so used that they're squared off. I have the means to fix it but I haven't wanted to put the money into it because I have my new road bike coming (but apparently it's still on backorder...) 

I've been putting off trail riding because in the past I've always made the mistake of jumping the gun and hitting the trails too early and just making a mess of things. From what the forums are telling though is that the trails in the GTA are prime for riding so I'll be sure to hit them up this week. 

To do list for this week:

1) Finish rear suspension rebuild on my Hei-Hei

2) Fox racing shox tech clinic to attend

3) Put together tool list for order (like $350 dollars worth of new tools)

4) Get out for some plain ol' trail rides