Ski Lifts

The day after (months ago now and I meant to publish this a month ago) my motorcycle day was a bicycle day. I thought of (2) two possibilities, I either complete the ride or I fall over from over exertion. Fortunately for me and my bicycle the ride was completed. It was one of my more difficult rides to date. If you recall I had recently recovered from an ailment and this was my first day of freedom which meant I had also not been on the saddle for over a week. I met up with Sprocket Rockets Cycling Club (SRCC) at Glendora High School for a Memorial Day Mt. Baldy ride. This was a day for a great ride because Glendora Mountain Road was closed to motorized vehicles and SRCC had a good turnout. We rolled out around 0730 and made our way towards Baldy Village.

I had done this climb before but about half a year ago. I remember there being a shack, but not the exact details. I was not sure how my body would hold up so the shack would be a potential turnaround point for me. As the climb continued the group began to separate into groups at different paces...if I remember correctly I was in my own little bubble in between groups. It was overcast foggy or whatever which was a relief. However, I kept spinning and wondering where is the shack!? It is about (10) ten miles from gate to shack. I still felt fine so I kept going with the rest of some of the group. Other members were doing extra credit and split off down to Camp Williams. I decided to not take my chances and continued straight to Baldy Village, again in my own little bubble. I finally arrived around 1045 outside Mt. Baldy Lodge Restaurant to regroup. The only reason to continue riding was to go up to Mount Baldy Ski Lifts which I was told could be a struggle.

baldy_lodge

I waited with a few other riders on the side of the road for the rest of the group. Well I waited until I saw a friend keep riding past the lodge and go towards the ski lifts. I quickly went back to my bicycle and saddled up so I could join, my first mistake. A few others joined as well and we were on our way. It did not take too long for me to start struggling, questioning my choice, and taking breaks as needed. I knew it was not an easy climb and I was not prepared. A couple people appeared to have no issues and eventually disappeared into the distance. I was fortunate to have someone stay with me and continue to push me up the remainder of the short climb. I do not recall how many breaks I needed but it was at least (5) five (hundred). According to the Strava segment "First switch to lift" it is 3.14 miles, 1398 feet in elevation, and grade of 8.4%. I completed that segment in 1:06:53, but before completing it I saw a couple people I started with heading down back down. Not great for morale but hopefully it meant the end was near.

the_bowling_alley

I really struggled on the home stretch segment "The Bowling Alley" and I almost considered walking. Instead you can see my serpentine pattern.

ski_lifts I finally made it and it would not have been possible without the SRCC team member pushing me to the top. Remember people: Never give up! Never surrender! We took a few pictures for proof before rolling back downhill. The annoying part is it took less than (15) fifteen minutes for what just took me over an hour to go up. Climbing is fun. We made it back to Baldy Village, had lunch, and eventually descended (with some rollers) back to our cars.

garmin_new_record This ride had set a new personal record for me for "Most Ascent" which was previously held by a climb up Mount Wilson in November 2021. It was a short lived personal record. I surpassed it on a solo ride in Palos Verdes on 2022-07-29 with 10348 feet of elevation gain.

baldy_ski_lifts_garmin

Until the next post.

p.s. The goal is to be able to complete Lobster Ride in Fall 2022.

p.p.s. I am actually riding Tour de Big Bear this year which is this weekend on 2022-08-06. Hoping for decent weather as rain and thunderstorms have occurred during the past week.

Previous Post Next Post