The mileage on the route sheet was almost 76 miles today.
Though the route was fantastic, the highlight of the ride was saved to the end. The series of peaks called the Seven Devils along a ridge was a blast to ride.
I've ridden similar crest routes in Italy and France and the Seven Devils ranked right up with those rides only more beautiful. Lush evergreen trees on either sideoccasionally a break in the trees would reveal a overview of the ocean.
The Seven Devils started after the last rest stop. A short climb to and intersection, turn left, then boommm, a steep climb with twisty turns. You had to jam into the lowest gear just to keep going. From there it was one peddle stroke at a time. Slowly, oh so slowly the road started to bend over and the climb went from 12-13% grade to 8-9% grade. Finally a peak in the road and a downward glide. One Devil down and 6 more to go.
I must really be kinda of sick, but this was fun. Slow going with sweat falling from my face, but the the challenge combined with the views made this the most fun part of the trip. Knowing that this was only going to last ten or fifteen miles made it more bearable as well.
Mike Munk, Day 4
Friday, September 11, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment