Wickenburg to Prescott…a mile high climb

 


Before today’s ride, I checked all of the tour information that Paula from Crossroads sent us. And nowhere could I find any mention of king of the mountain points being handed out. So I decided today to ride uphill for a mile as slowly as I could.  And it felt great. 

Riding a steep uphill on construction gravel. No bueno.

There was construction right before Yarnell Pass, which meant there was no traffic! We had a 5-6-7 (??) mile climb in glorious weather with beautiful sunny views and no cars. (I’m not sure what constitutes “a climb”   As far as I could tell we were gaining elevation continuously from the moment we left the hotel, so shouldn’t that be a 26 mile climb?)

I did  something I never do, which was to stop several times on the climb to rest, drink water, look around take pictures and appreciate the joy of what I’m doing.

Oh look.  More 6% grade.

I’m not saying it was effortless. I mean, look at that road!!

(If Yarnell Hill rings a bell for some of you, it’s the scene of a horrific wildfire that killed 19 Firefighters… the Granite Mountain hotshots. There’s a memorial at the top.   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarnell_Hill_Fire)

We had a fast descent into peoples valley and then a painfully slow, false flat climb up to a fun country store. Where I took my sweet time, ate a massive bag of potato chips and an ice cream bar, and met an older gentleman who was biking up and down the hill with his dog in a trailer. 

Then I headed for the top with John P, who I really like riding with because he’s very chill on climbs.  And he didn’t mind stopping to take a photo of me.


The sign over my shoulder says elevation 6100.  A few minutes later, we were in Prescott, elevation 5300. It’s amazing how fast you can give back the altitude when you’re descending at 35 miles an hour.

My Uncle Al and cousin Traci live in Prescott (Pronounced press – kit)  and we had a nice meal together.  They tried to scare me with news of unsafe road conditions for our next several days…😬

I know a lot of of you who enjoyed my training montage  have been missing pictures of my feet so here you go  


These bad boys are ready for a couple of short rides and some rest after knocking out 430 miles and a heck of a lot of climbing in five days.  






Comments

  1. Jason A.May 10, 2024 at 10:03 AM

    Amazing job so far!! You got this. Enjoy the shorter days...

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 10, 2024 at 7:11 PM

    Yes, amazing job!! I’m glad you’re stopping to enjoy some scenery along the way, especially after enduring that grueling day earlier in the week. Nice you got to see Uncle Al and Tracey! gt

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 13, 2024 at 2:31 PM

    Great jersey today! And it's a climb if you say it's a climb.

    ReplyDelete

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