I can only imagine what I'd be like if I'd trained (or done any riding
at all, or really much in the way of moving) while I was in Qinghai.
Two weeks at 2200+ meters above sea level. Spent the night as high as
3200+. Didn't ride a bike once. Didn't walk more than two kilometers
at a stretch. Mostly didn't walk farther than upstairs. And when I
did walk upstairs it was out of persistent stubborn refusal to use an
elevator (if there was one) and double persistent stubborn refusal to
acknowledge how difficult it was to walk up stairs.
Friday was my first time on a bike since I got back. Went up my usual
stretch of steep and nasty. It's not a very long stretch. Probably
less than 100 meters before I get to the sign that says "Military
Area, No Admittance" but it's wonderfully steep and nasty. Did it
three gears higher than I usually do.
Then, today, there was a nice little group mountain climb. Six of
us. Five on bikes plus a support ... err.. vehicle. Not sure exactly
what you call it. Modified motorcycle for the handicapped with a pick-
up bed and bench seats in back. His custom built recumbent tadpole
trike isn't the greatest at climbing moderate grades and today was not
intended to be moderate.
Forgot to check odometers before starting the climb. Forgot to check
altimeter at the bottom of the climb. Guess we'll just have to do it
again. 🙂
Approximate 400 meter gain in approximately 5 kilometers. It wasn't
always steep. The occasionally not being steep (sub 5%) was made up
for by being extra steep.
On the ride to the climb I noticed that my perception of effort versus
what the heart rate monitor told me I was doing was significantly
off. Although I felt like I was around 120bpm and riding extremely
fast for 120, the hrm told me I was at 140. The discrepancy in what I
felt like I was doing and what the hrm reported tended to be around 20
beats.
At 165bpm on a grade steep enough that my 30x28 granny combo could
just barely propel me upwards at 4kph without zigzagging or standing
up I not only was still breathing through my nose I had enough air
left over to sing along with the songs on my ipod.
Even when I got to the bit where it was steep enough that I needed the
30x28, and standing up, and zigzagging my heart rate never went over
180. I've topped 190 on far gentler slopes.
Only two of us finished the climb. My stupid insistence on sprinting
at the very end (cause someone was watching) finally got me mouth
breathing but only just.
-M