Back to Iowa this weekend

This weekend we took a break from racing and went up to see Petite Lutin and her hubbie's (AKA Anonymous) new Mt. Home paradise, and to get some good climbing miles in.

We were going to check out the Challenge course but decided to ride from the house instead. So we headed to Iowa by bike, Iowa Hill that is.


After a short little warm up riding into Colfax we were greeted with drop into a beautiful canyon (we should have brought a camera), crossed a river and went straight up the other side of the canyon wall. A 2.5 mile climb gaining 1500 - 1800' at 12% to even as much as 18% grades. Reported average is 15% and I found a website listing the climb. It says unless you have the legs and lungs of Lemond and Armstrong you will have to stop at least once.
Well, Joe and I are no Lemond or Armstrong, but we didn't have to stop, or use a triple. Heck, Joe cleaned it in a 25, painfully, but he did it. I cheated and slapped a 13 x 28 cogset on the bike. It still hurt.

After the climb we did some more climbing until our decent into Forest Hill and then on to Auburn for our climb along the I-80 frontage road back to Grass Valley.
75 miles and it had to be at least 5000' of climbing. All at a nice moderate pace, if you can climb and 18% grade at a moderate pace.

In looking for picture for this post I ran across this little tid bit of an event:
Iowa Hill TT

Interesting!