Holy shit. Thank god Adam has had me on a kickass training program throughout these winter months, otherwise I'm not sure I'd be able to do the route we did today. We left the beach hut in Oxnard around 10:30 and headed South. Temps were hovering just above 10 but the wind was howling so we were a bit more bundled up. We made our way onto the PCH, cruising along at about 35km/h with a steady tailwind. The views along this part of the highway are amazing so I made sure to snap a few pics. Once we reached Deer Creek Rd we turned off the highway to start our ascent.
There's no transition from the highway to the road, literally the moment you come off the highway you're facing the sky. Adam hadn't ridden this road yet so we both curious to see what it had in store. It had taken an hour for us to reach the base of the climb, and it wouldn't be for another 1:45 that we'd stop climbing. There was a brief downhill in there somewhere but hardly enough for the legs to realise they were getting a break. I had a moment where I almost went off road because the brakes on my new bicycle haven't broken in yet - squeezing the lever tighter as I approached a narrow bend at 60km/h did absolutely nothing. I was on the opposite side shoulder by the time I could get the bike to turn in. I got a laugh from Adam as he zipped by me in a lean worthy of a Moto GP rider.
The average gradient up Deer Creek Rd was around 13% and it peaked a couple of times at 22%. If you don't know what these numbers mean don't worry. It just means that going up them is ridiculous and shouldn't be ridden by anyone totally sane. Deer Creek ends halfway up another climb called Yerba Buena and it was on this road that I felt like a rock star. Going from a 13% average gradient to a 7-8% average gradient is a lesson in always looking on the bright side.
"Oh man this climb is hard"
"Yeah, but it ain't 22% fucking percent"
The best part about both of these climbs though was the complete lack of traffic. We didn't see a single person on either of the climbs. We rode up the mountain two abreast the whole way.
Upon reaching the top, the temperature had fallen to 7 degrees. Our plan was to come down Mulholland Rd so we zipped up so we wouldn't get cold on the descent and pushed off. The road was very smooth on the way down where we averaged about 60km/h. Several of the switchbacks were banked enough that we could actually feel some positive G's as we made our way around. Again, there were very few cars so were we're able to use up the entire lane. Finally and unfortunately, the descent ended right at the PCH.
From the base of Mulholland we would have had around an hour ride back to the shack. We would have if we didn't have every bit of wind from the Pacific blowing back in our faces. Even Adam going as hard as he could into the wind we could barely manage 24km/h. I was no help at this point as my legs had decided that they had done enough work for the day. It was almost all I could just to hang off his wheel.
So we make it back and I'm spent. Eating is too much energy for now so I put it off a little bit and just sit in the kitchen giving everyone the 1000yd stare. Finally I start to catch up and begin my feasting. But wait! Another trip to the grocery store is in order! I've been every single day I've been here and that trend looks to continue. Everyone eats like there's no tomorrow and once we've done that, we eat some more. I remember winter training camp with the Nordic ski team and the food we put away. On a per person basis, we at least rival it
Adam and Emily are huge health nuts, you won't find a single processed food item anywhere. They live off fruits and vegetables and I haven't yet seen them eat something that didn't look absolutely delicious. Their healthy eating habits stopped me from purchasing the mini egg Easter candy in the store that I so desperately crave. I think the best way to start having a healthy diet is to surround yourself with like minded people because all of a sudden, buying the usual sweets makes you feel guilty...
Finally, I uploaded my Garmin data to the system - 4:20 riding today for 103km. Best of all was the 1300m+ we spent climbing. Allowed me to burn about 2400 calories in the process. More of the same tomorrow, just on a different mountain
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