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| Going Down? |
I love climbing hills. That doesn’t mean I am the fastest at it, but it is what I look forward to when I ride. I love the challenge. I feel that each time I go out I have a need to prove that I can still take the hill without barfing or resorting to zig-zagging my way up. A good local hill to prove you still “have it” is the hill going up Beatty Drive (Folsom/El Dorado Hills, CA).
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| Doesn't look too bad at the start... |
Start Location?
Intersection of Alexandra Dr. (off of Sophia Pkwy) and Beatty Dr.
End Location?
Beatty Dr. and Powers Dr.
Distance?
My brain was too oxygen starved to remember to look at the odometer. According to Google Earth, it is about 0.78 miles up.
Why This Hill?
If you want to build climbing power, this is the hill to do it on. I wouldn’t suggest it for beginners unless you are running a triple chain ring.
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| Not the most visually stunning while climbing yet I am starting to feel nauseous |
Deer and Turkey
How do you climb it?
Pace yourself up the first three quarters of the climb. As you work your way up the road will level off and go slightly downhill as you pass a water storage tank. Use this to slow down and get a quick recovery before the final climb. If I am doing a shorter ride, I will sprint up the final climb because I am not worrying about redlining the engine. If I am doing a longer ride or repeats, I will use a stronger pace on this last section but not max out.
Dangers?
This hill is an extremely fast descent. Be careful as you make your way down the hill towards a left hand curve. There are two dangers here:
1. The way you cut into the wind changes. If the wind is blowing hard you will find your bike a bit unstable.
2. You might find deer and turkey. They always seem to come out when you are having the most fun.
1. The way you cut into the wind changes. If the wind is blowing hard you will find your bike a bit unstable.
2. You might find deer and turkey. They always seem to come out when you are having the most fun.
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| Watch that left turn! You may have to slam on the brakes if a deer is lurking. |
How many times?
I have never climbed Beatty more than three times. However there are a few reasons for that:
1. I would rather continue to advance and climb other hills like Wilson or Serrano
2. I am doing this during lunch and don’t have time to climb it again.
Why not have turkey for lunch?
ReplyDeleteTempting! However, I am trying to be as light as possible while climbing so I can't carry all of the tools required to cook a turkey.
ReplyDelete