Time Trial: Old Tunnel Road

The rained stopped for about 2 hours today, so I hopped on the bike for a quick ride up Old Tunnel. About half way up I decided to make this a time trial, and I'm afraid the results were pretty sad. 55 minutes to get from Claremeont/College to Grizzly Peak! Last January I clocked this at 49 minutes elapsed time (actual ride time is usually 2.5-3 minutes less due to 2 stop lights).

Now, I am riding a slightly different route up through Claremont, and that adds about 3/10 of a mile to the total. And I'm riding the heavier Tournado with the fat tires, but still. Looks like I've got a lot of training to do.

Bike: Artemis (Dahon Tournado)
Total Time Clocked, from Claremont/College to Grizzly Peak: 55 minutes
Actual Ride time: unknown; probably 52 minutes
Total Distance: 5.4 miles

Time Trial: Old Tunnel Road

From now until the Death Ride I plan on riding up Old Tunnel twice a week after work. My goal is to be a climbing machine by July.

I felt strong riding up the hill today, and really pushed myself more than I normally do. In fact I actually felt a little light headed by the time I got to the summit (I also forgot to bring any gels with me, which was dumb). But I managed to shave 5 minutes off my last official time of 46 minutes 30 seconds (back on January 1).

Bike: Specialized Dolce
Actual Ride time: 41 minutes 30 seconds
Total Distance: 5.1 miles

Time Trial: Old Tunnel Road

I do this quick ride all the time, but realized today that it's a good candidate for a hilly time trial. Starting from Rockridge, it's a steady 5 mile climb up to the ridge line, where Skyline Blvd meets Grizzly Peak. There are a couple of nice things about this climb: there's only one traffic light to get through (and usually you don't have to wait more than 20 seconds for it to turn), and Old Tunnel Road has very light traffic, limited mostly to local residents.

From now on I'm going to start clocking this ride whenever I do it, to see if I can't shave some time off in the coming months. I expect my time will be slightly faster when I'm riding the Specialized (aluminum) rather than the Terry (steel frame, with racks and panniers), so I'll note which machine I'm using each time.

Bike: Specialized Dolce
Total Time Clocked, from Claremont/College to Grizzly Peak: 49 minutes
Actual Ride time: 46 minutes 30 seconds
Total Distance: 5.1 miles
Route (bikely.com): Old Tunnel Road