I haven't really ridden at elevation so I had no idea what to expect. Research and several folks that I talked to told me that there is really nothing I can do to prepare for elevation riding except to overshoot my fitness. So last June, I started training really hard for it.
But I still think it didn't prep us enough to how hard Crater Lake Century was.
It was the hardest ride that I have ever done.
M and I carpooled to the start point just in time to catch the newly hatched bugs of the day. See how those pesky bugs repainted her bike!
The ride started out at 40F when we rolled out of the gate at 7 am. They read us the mandatory announcements as required by the park rangers.
The first 15 miles were flat, going around the town. Nothing spectacular. A bunch of open farm fields, cows, nice roads. It was also at 4100 ft elevation. We tried not to swallow the freshly hatched bugs. M wasn't so lucky though :-(
After 15 miles, we headed out toward Crater Lake National Park.
The road slowly started gaining more elevation. Very slowly. 1%, then 2%. Then it became a constant 4% to 6%. Not too difficult. But very annoying. Remember, we were going up to 5000 ft. Break time was at mile 39. It was the slowest 24 miles that I have ever done. Just when you think or hope that the road is finally flattening out, my Garmin stops at 4%. No relief whatsover. So for about 24 miles, we were constantly pedaling at about 6-10 mph. Break was off by 1 mile based on the route sheets. 1 mile is a lot to be off by and I was pissed. But in those 24 miles, we went from 4300 ft to almost 6000 ft of elevation.
We just took a very short break and off we went. More climbing. Big sigh. Next break was at mile 53. Hmmm. I remember thinking and preparing that they will be off again.
At mile 47, we were at 7000 ft of elevation.
Still climbing. Felt like we have been climbing forever.
At this point, my quads were already protesting. But somehow, numbness was also settling in!
Finally, our first view of the lake. I can't describe how I felt when I saw those clear blue waters. The air was crisp, there were some folks who stopped to reward themselves with that beautiful sight. It was also a great picture tiime.
We spoke with another fellow while we were enjoying the view. He told us that the hard part is over and we should have nice rollers. LIE! That was our longest view stop because after that, we had to do MORE climbing around the rim and we just didn't care.
The rollers were nice (the descent parts). But the climbs were long! When you are at 7500 ft and can only spin your legs to go 5-6 mph up them 6-9% grades, 1 mile is a long way to go. We reached the lake around noon. Meaning, we had been climbing for 3 hours. The next break was at mile 53. So they say.
The view was just plain gorgeous. There were lots of snow too! Even with the snow, it got really warm. 80F with I think a high humidity. Or was it because we were constantly climbing?
After this point, I didn't take a lot of pictures. I had the camera on a neck strap and I was getting annoyed by it so I stashed it in my bag.
During one of our stops, M was telling me how she tried to just concentrate and watch my legs spin. Then she played the "I'd rather be" game.
"I'd rather be having a mammogram....."
"I'd rather be having a root canal ...."
All that was going through my mind was pedal one after another. My neck was bothering me more than my legs. I also know that time doesn't stop at that moment and it will be a memory sometime in the very near future. It (future) is just not coming fast enough for me.
From mile 39 to mile 53, I ran out of water. The rest stop at the North Junction? was very well stocked. Loved the baked potatoes.
It took 2.5? hours around the rim to get from one rest stop to the other - 13 miles. Somewhere before that, I ran out of water again. We flagged SAG and they gave us more water.
Then a gigantic hill... wait... 2 more hills... before the final descent. Then 23 more miles? until the end. The scenery? After 6.5 hours of what seemed like constant climbing, who cares! It was gorgeous and I already had it captured. My only regret is not taking a picture at the end.
The post ride food was the best I have ever had and I'm not just saying that because I was very tired. In most events, I really don't care for the food. But at Crater Lake, we had some really great BBQ from Wubba's. There were also great vegetarian option - quinoa, tofu, etc. And the home made ice cream cobbler were the best. They were constantly making the ice cream - as in turn the ice bucket etc.
Some ride these events for the food. I don't understand it. If I wanted great food, I would just go to my favorite restaurant. Most post ride events food for me were cold, soggy, etc. Not worth the event fee and sweating blood and gears for. But at Crater Lake, one can truly say that they ride it for the food. It was that good.
What would I have done differently? I have no idea. They were not kidding when they rated the ride "extremely difficult." I probably would just have ridden more. The only way I could relate it is how much my legs hurt at a given point. It takes a lot for my legs to be sore. When I last rode 7500 ft in 70 miles, I was just slightly sore the next day. No DOMS at all. During Crater Lake, my quads were very sore after climbing 2500 ft. 8-10% gradient, I normally go around 5-7 mph. During CL, I was going 4-5mph at 6%. I was afraid to push my HR harder in case I really crash so I played it safe and decided to stay under 150HR.
This pain is temporary. Like childbirth :-). What an experience!
I will be back next year. Maybe. But I will definitely ride this again.
Event Review:
Organization: *****
Food: *****
Sag Stops: **** (too long in between stops for newbies)
Post Ride Food: ***** (The best!)
Route: *****
SAG: *****
Difficulty: Extremely difficult
Do again? You betcha!
