It’s always a challenge, trying to capture elevation in a picture. I didn’t succeed, here. It’s much steeper than it appears.
Another day, another ride, another new challenge. A couple days ago, the Yoxford Cycling Club rolled down to Devil’s Backbone, a hidden little gem of a climb just outside of John Bryan State Park. It’s a half-mile, 6% overall grade that spikes to 10% right in the middle, and we were there to do repeats.
This was my third straight day on the bike, and even though I didn’t feel that I had ridden hard the previous two days, the power in my legs was still lacking. How lacking, I didn’t know until we turned to go up the hill for the first time. I didn’t have to stop, but neither was I impressing myself with my pace. I was reduced to sitting and grinding away on the granny gear before I was half way to the top, lungs heaving and legs burning.
But I did get to the top, and beating the climb on the first try felt good. I caught my breath, swung back around and headed down for another.
On most climbs, the effort to get to the top is rewarded by the exhilaration of a descent. But Devil’s Backbone was resurfaced this year with chipseal, so the remaining loose gravel means you have to drag your brakes and tiptoe down, unless you want to take a chance on a face full of guardrail.
I got more of a running start on my second attempt, but it didn’t net me much of a gain. I felt that if I could just get over the steeper hump in the middle with enough momentum, I could power through to the top, but I’m just not there yet, in terms of fitness. It’s not too far off that I’ll be able to do it, but it wasn’t going to happen today.
On my third climb, my legs let me know that they were done, and that I’d be well served by heading back. I took a slightly longer route on my return leg to tack on a few extra miles, and then called it a day. Going in with fresher legs, I can definitely see 5+ repeats in my near future.