Riding characteristics on mountain roads are dramatically different from flatland riding. Grinding up long ascents and then screaming/coasting down the descents. Flat road cycling requires constant, uninterrupted pedalling. Places different demands on the body/legs. (With mountain descents you get a `break' and the body literally rests while you (mostly) coast and build bike handling skills with speed and switchbacks ... and road surface).
The first 20 miles of the HoA had me `threading the needle' on Kingman Highway (AZ 93). White fog line to my left, next to that deep rumble strips, and then next to that a foot to a foot and a half of road surface. Not much. To the right of the road surface a dropoff into dirt, gravel and, in some cases, a steep descent into bushes and desert. Every now and then there would simply be nothing but rumble strips ... Given the option of riding to the left of the white line ... with speeding trucks, tankers, rows of cars doing 80 mph ... I just got off and walked. Walked probably half a mile. Better than being road kill.
Finally the course turned off `Road Kill Highway' into absolutely beautiful AZ 97. AZ 97 has no name. It is an 11 mile road that is used almost exclusively by big ore-laden trucks from the open pit mining complex. Not really meant for regular traffic. Short, steep, spikey, inclines and declines (11-13%), sharp right and left turns when cresting a hill, no shoulders ... but fairly good road surface. Grinding ascents and screaming descents. I love that road. Situated in some of the most remote and beautiful area of the AZ high desert.
Then a right (east) turn onto 40 miles of washboard AZ 15. This is the road from the mine that the mining trucks don't typically use. Cars, pickup trucks .. the vehicles that mineworkers use to get to and from towns with stores.
I had forgotten just how `rough' that road surface was. Two lanes. No shoulder. But lots of steep ascents and descents, twists and turns that tends to keep traffic going slower. (They have to be careful not to go flying off the road into the canyons below).
Made for slow going on the bike. If there were any parts of the bike that were not tightened down they would certainly have been shaken loose! I had to keep my head from resting on the headrest because the rattling would have impaired my orientation while riding.
Along the way I had, of course, the obligatory flat tire. And then, a series of jarring bouncing while climbing a hill rocked the chain off the big ring in back so that it became jammed between the spokes and the rear cassette. That took about 15 minutes to get freed up again. And then, while descending a half-mile hill the rough road surface managed to shake up the bike so bad one of my rearview mirrors just popped off the bike. This required me to carefully slow and stop, get off the bike, and walk slowly back up the hill in search of the mirror. I found it, reattached and secured the mirror and continued on.
And then there was that 8.5 mile relentless - no relief - climb from the Santa Maria river (dry, of course). Seven to 13% grade the entire way. Try that some time! My lowest gear ratio is 42/36 ... which works for me ... but for 8.5 miles solid?!! No cramping but I knew that if I were to stop at any point along the climb it would have been hell to get going again. Just grind, grind and grind. Does it hurt? "Hurt? Yeah. So what. That's why god made death. To stop the pain. So, dammit, grind or die." Simple decision. Just grind. Leave the `die' thing to mother nature.
Finally crested the climb. Stopped to empty a bottle of my own concoction of maltodextrin and protein powder. Emptied another bottle of electrolyte mix. Rolled down the sleeves on my jersey for the cold descent ( I was wet with sweat). About four miles down the road a staffed rest stop with food and water. Wasn't hungry so just filled the bottles again and took off.
More washboard. More climbing, though less steep and less long. At that point I had about 4500 feet of clmbing on my legs and lungs. Though I had ridden 60 miles, 30 of those miles were flats or descents. So the 4500 feet of climbing was done in 30 miles ... waaaay beyond TdF category. 150 ft per mile.
Finished up another 22 miles of washboard rollers to reach the last rest stop. By that time it was 4pm, the sun was casting long shadows and the HoA ride organizers looked pretty knackered. The remaining 25 miles would have been on flat road with about 15 miles of that descending Yarnell Grade back to Congress. There is no interest on my part in just coasting down to the finish line so I accepted a lift from a sag vehicle.
I got what I came for at the Heart of Arizona. Swarthy and relentless spikey climbs, shakedown assessment of the bike's mechanics and road worthiness. And, yes, reassurance of my climbing muscles and power.
Twenty miles of life-risking highway traversing. Short, spikey hills. Mechanicals. Flats. Long, relentless steep mountain ascent. And 50+ miles of washboard road.
Amidst some of the most amazing geological landscape on the planet.
Lucky. Just plain lucky. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/7027100
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