Climbing to Sedona, Switching Back to Flagstaff

 Today was lots of climbing and lots of natural beauty.  I have not been through Sedona or to Flagstaff and was absolutely awed by the mountains leading into Sedona.

Extraordinary rock formations on the way to Sedona


The town itself was cute. We stopped at a café that had amazing views and some pigs.


Pink pigs.  Because...?


Then we continued on up the canyon. It was a steady climb at 3% grade for I think 15 miles. We had lots of warnings from people to be careful about the traffic but the drivers were patient and civil and not at all dangerous. It’s been a very pleasant surprise to go over mountain passes the last three days and not have to worry about drivers being dangerous jerks. 

Because of that I was able to ride at a steady pace, but also look around and see the blue sky and trees, and gorgeous mountains and happy people enjoying the outdoors.

Blue skies make climbing easier

The last part of the climb was a 2 1/2 mile switchback that went on and on and on. While we were riding up, we saw what I assume were professional cyclists bombing down to the bottom of the hill and then turning around and racing back up again. I guess this is a training ground for serious cyclists who want climbs and elevation.

When we got to the top, there were spectacular views of the gorges below, and the switchback we climbed up.


 Here’s a little video showing what we climbed up.


One of the fun things about riding with this group is that we have variable fitness levels. There are some quite excellent cyclists in great condition. And there are some people who are riding only parts of the stages. But everyone is happy and supportive and kind to each other. It’s really cool.

We are one week in. We’ve ridden 530 miles and climbed 23,000 feet.  I’ve enjoyed three shorter days (that is only riding for 4 to 5 hours rather than 6 to 7+). And my body is feeling a lot stronger than earlier in the week. Looking forward to what a day of rest will do for me.

—-

That's a lot of "up" in not many miles of "over"



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 11, 2024 at 9:47 PM

    Just beautiful! Loved the switchbacks video. Glad you’re feeling stronger 👍🏻 gt

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 12, 2024 at 3:48 AM

    Sedona is one of my favorite places to travel. I’m glad you get to enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Abby HummelsMay 12, 2024 at 11:41 AM

    Aww. This sounds awesome. Humans being happy, supportive and kind to each other is how it should be. So glad you’re getting to experience this. Love you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BobMay 12, 2024 at 1:21 PM

    Thoroughly enjoying following your blog! Thanks so much for posting. Glad your training is paying off and that you are able to experience a big bucket list item with such joy. Keep it up!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 13, 2024 at 2:33 PM

    Up!

    ReplyDelete

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