Today, I did something that makes me feel, for the first time, like a "real cyclist." I rode up Highgrade! Highgrade is a very popular training route for cyclists here in the Denver area. You start in Deer Creek Canyon and ride up, up, up for about 10 miles at an average of a 6-8% grade. The steepest and hardest part is Highgrade Road. Now, steep is absolutely relative here, as this ride is not even close to as steep as Old Stage, the big hill I rode last weekend in the Boulder Peak Tri. What it lacks in steepness, it makes up for in length, though. It's a loooong uphill!
I started off from the lower parking lot of South Valley Park. I chatted with a nice couple who were getting ready to go, too, and when they found out it was my first time riding Highgrade, they were nice enough to ask me to ride with them, at least for awhile. They were planning a loop (and actually doing it backwards), and I was only doing an out and back, but we rode together to the turnoff. It was really nice chatting with them, they had a lot of great advice for me. Thanks a bunch, Jen and Michael! There were a TON of cyclists out today. It was a beautiful day for a ride, a little cooler than it has been. The ride up was just SO beautiful. This is why we live in Colorado. This place is so freaking gorgeous I can't stand it sometimes. Before I knew it I was on Highgrade. I caught up with a couple of guys in front of me right before the steep section and latched onto them until it leveled off a bit and they pulled off to rest. It was nice to have someone's wheel in front of me to follow, if only for a short while.
At the top of Highgrade is an old school house where the locals have set up a Cyclist Rest Stop. It's great! They have a port-o-potty, picnic tables and benches, and a bunch of coolers with gatorade and water, with a slot to stick donations in. I decided to stop and rest for a few minutes and let my legs recover. They were a little shaky after the long climb, but I was so relieved and proud to know that I did it!
Rest Stop
Made it to the top!
Once my legs were recovered a little, it was time to head back down. I thought about attempting a loop, but I didn't have a map, and it looked a little tricky, with lots of possible turns where I could get lost. So, I figured I'd done enough for my first attempt, and just turned around and went back the way I came. But first, a few pictures!
View from the top of the way I *didn't* go :-)
Looking the other way from the top (the way I came up)
Wow, the way down was a little scary! That steep part on the way up turned out to be hairpin curves on the way down. Eek! My brakes got a good workout, as I tried to make sure I didn't go flying off the side of the mountain. Oh, but WHAT A VIEW! Absolutely breathtaking!
Hairpin curves
Check out this view!
Looking back up...yup, I rode up that!
After the hairpin curve section, the road straightened out, so I just let my bike go and enjoyed the ride down. It took me an hour and a half to get up the hill, and half an hour to get down! Total mileage, just under 22 miles. I probably could have kept going a little longer, but my legs are definitely feeling it a little bit right now, so I think it was just about right for a start. What a confidence booster this ride was. I was pretty scared starting out this morning. In fact, I sat on the couch for awhile trying to come up with a good reason not to go. Couldn't come up with one, so I packed up the car! :-) It's weird, I still kind of feel like a wannabe when it comes to this whole running, biking, and swimming thing, like somebody will notice that I don't actually belong there. Whenever I do something like this, it makes me feel just a little bit less like a pretender!