Biking Banner Hill

I knew a week ago that I would be riding Banner Hill today.

 

I have been wanting to attempt this hill for 3 years. I have driven up and down it many times and ridden down it a few times but never gone up it.

Until today.

 

Linda was supposed to go with me but at 8am it was misty/rain & I cancelled,

our planned start time had been 10am.

 

But at 1pm the weather was PERFECT so I went for it.

 

This is the whole planned ride but I cut it short due to time restraints

 

I took this photo 1 mile before the beginning of the UPHILL.

This is at the top of a 1 mile downhill, its a good 35MPH hill. I will ride farther than I have to so that I can ride down this hill.

 

Here is the ride with color coded hill up & down grades.

 

And here is the 1 mile hill I was so anxious about. I had thought the very first part would be the hardest but I was fresh off that downhill so was rested.

 

Here is a play by play:

 

2:23 Start up Banner hill.

2:24 Laugh, tell self this isn't so hard. HA! What have I been so afraid of??
2:26 OK, maybe its a bit harder here.
2:26:10 What a beautiful view, I should do this ride every week.
2:27 OH MY GOD. This hill is KILLING me but I continue up, half way to the top now.
2:28 Don't you DARE honk at me, I have a right to this road.
2:28:15 Flip off offending little blue SUV.
2:28:25 Wish they would come back so I can kick their ass.
2:28:26 Realize if they come back I would have to stop riding to kick their ass.
2:28:27 Realize that I'm too tired to kick their ass right this minute and I'd lose.
2:28:28 Laugh.
2:28:29 Die laughing. I mean, I'm dying here, I can barely breath let alone laugh.
2:29 Pass a side street.
2:29:05 Turn around, go back to side street, ride 3 circles to recover & breath but do not stop moving.
2:30 Continue up the hill on second wind.
2:31 See the last corner before the top.
2:32 What, another corner? WTH? UH!
2:33 There it is, this is the last corner, I have beaten Banner Hill!
2:34 Stop at top of hill for sweaty red faced I MADE THAT HILL SUFFER MORE THAN I DID selfie.

That dark purple shit was on a freaking sharp corner so I was lucky no cars were coming because I took the road.

 

That's Colvos Passage, I was just down there 11 minutes before I took this photo.

 

15.88 miles in 1:15:47

R/T 1:21:35

average speed 12.6

high speed 39.7