2010 Rides At Altitude

Altitude Comparison	Mountain Lakes Challenge (6/19/2010)	Cascade Lakes Century (7/25/2010)	Mt. Shasta Century (8/1/2010)	Crater Lake Century (8/21/2010)	Cascade Lakes Super (9/1/2010)
Lowest Altitude	1,860 ft	3,600 ft	3,030 ft	4,150 ft	2,700 ft
Average Altitude (over the entire ride)	4,160 ft	4,800 ft	4,350 ft	5,770 ft	4,330 ft
Highest Altitude	5,400 ft	6,400 ft	7,800 ft	7,900 ft	6,400 ft
Ride Distance	95 miles	97 miles	100 miles	102 miles	140 miles
Climbing	8,073 ft	5,424 ft	10,585 ft	6,668 ft	7,574 ft

Which ride was the hardest? Believe it or not it is hard to say. Our fitness level increased through the season, and each of these rides was hard for its own reasons.

I would have to say the Shasta ride was hardest for me. The last climb (4500 feet of continuous elevation gain) was just brutal. It was at the end of a long ride that already had lots of climbing. That climb started out warm, and my body struggles with the heat. And of course the hardest part of any long climb is when nearing the end of the climb and your body is crying out for a break, but this one just kept going up into thin air, reaching almost 8,000 feet altitude. Nasty. The one positive in the equation was the cooler air when approaching the top. I wouldn't have made it up without that.

The Crater Lake ride was probably next hardest for me, and that fact was somewhat unanticipated because I thought it would be easier since I felt so prepared for it. It also had the hardest 50-mile stretch of anything we've done this year. Once you start climbing up to the rim the altitude is a factor, and the climbing seems like it never ends. You only get minor rests before another climb begins, all at altitude. The Shasta ride was broken up nicely with all three big climbs followed by a big descent, allowing complete recovery before climbing again.

Amy says Crater Lake was harder for her than the Shasta ride. Makes sense. She loves long steady climbs. She can get into a rhythm and just crank it out.

The Mountain Lakes Challenge out of Ashland was right up there too though, no pun intended. Particularly since it is earlier in the season, when I was still improving my fitness level.

Okay just forget it, they were all hard! I'm remembering having to get off my bike on both Cascade Lake rides. In both cases the heat was the problem. Still, they weren't exactly easy rides. Although the latest ride, which is also the longest by a considerable margin, was certainly the easiest in terms of how strong I finished. My fitness level is definitely peaking at the right time.

It would sure be nice to be competitive in the Ring of Fire next weekend. We'll see. Either way I should annihilate my result from last year.