A Hill Too Far.....

What To Do?

Monday again. After the usual early busy start and a busy afternoon there was very little time left to do anything. I felt we should attempt something a little more challenging today rather than the usual soft start to the exercise week. I decided to try Green Mountain.

We drove along C-470 to the new exit at Alameda Avenue, turned towards the West and after passing the Dinosaur Ridge exhibit center, we drove onto Rooney Road. The car park for William Frederick Hayden Park as it is better known is a nice, paved area between Rooney Road and C-470. To access the park on the East side of 470 there is a handy bridge.

After putting the wheels on Sam's buggy and getting him set up for the ride, I hooked the trailer onto the back of the mountain bike and we set off. The bridge is a neat solution of how to access the park. We made it over the bridge without issue and then we were faced with a choice of trails. I looked at the width of twoof them and rejected them Sam's buggy would not work well on such narrow trails. I opted for the left hand trail. It was wide and gravelled. So easy. Right. The trail hooked back on itself and began to climb rapidly. Very rapidly.

After about five minutes I was panting like a dog. I stepped off the bike and looked at Sam. He was smiling and enjoying the ride. Back on the pedals and I was already down through the gears. We rounded a corner and then I realized I had been enjoying the easy part. The hill took off seemingly vertically. The rough trail was offering less and less traction until the back wheel broke away. I dived on the brakes and stopped. Sam was still smiling. I was exhausted. I had climbed about 500 feet from the highway bridge. I looked at the trail ahead and I realized that this was probably not possible with the trailer on the bike. I made a decision that we should cut out losses. I turned the bike around and we shot down the hill. I was really glad I have dual disc brakes on the Diamondback.

We made it back down to the bridge and I turned to the North. We followed the paved trail to it's end. To shrieks of delight from behind me going through the tunnel was a treat. Even better was riding back through it and finding another tunnel down by Alameda. He loves tunnels. The ride was disappointing because of the inability to get up the hill with the trailer.
The stats are pretty poor this time with the exception of the Cal's burned. 5.52 miles in 40:07. The average pace was a disappointing 11.52/mile. Like I said, the Cals were ok through, a reflection of the steepness of the hill 831.