Beech Mountain
Every now and then I get to do something that's memorable and lasting, and this past weekend I experienced one of those moments that's worth sharing. We traveled to Banner Elk, North Carolina to compete in races being held by Lees-McRae College. I had never been to that part of North Carolina, but I had been anticipating the trip all week because I've heard of its beautiful mountains.
Every road trip on the weekends I'll take my bike along hoping to have a break after the races with enough time for a short training ride. Usually I'll be able to ride at least once, but the rides are short and easy. This past Saturday the criterium was later in the day, but it finished in time for me to get out and spin around a bit.
There are only two directions you can go in the Banner Elk area, up or down. To do one you've got to do the other. Flatlanders would be greatly disappointed, but all you light and skinny riders would love it. I'm not physically suited (ie, gravity challenged) for a lot of mountain climbing, but I still love doing it nonetheless. I've learned to embrace the challenge and suffering of mountain riding, and accept that in the long run it will make me a stronger rider.
As I left our Sugar Mountain digs there was slightly over one hour of daylight left for me to absorb. I started with no plan of action or idea where I might go, but my decision was made once I read the Beech Mountain sign on Hwy 194 telling me how close I was. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Come on, chance of a lifetime!"
Here I am with barely 10 minutes of warmup after leaving our ski resort lodge, and I'm on my way up a mountain that I knew absolutely nothing about. Clearly I had given this a lot of thought huh? I had only heard Beech Mountain was a tough climb, but I had no clue as to how long or how steep. Keep in mind the weather had been terrible all day with rain and temps in the upper 40s. The higher elevation areas were engulfed in clouds, which is where my adventure was taking me.
So off I go planning to go as far as daylight would allow before having to turn around. I had a 25 tooth on the back, so I felt comfortable knowing I could grind up the harder sections. Afterwards I read the tougher sections are a 19% grade. Yeah, that sounds about right! The weather during the first 3km was good, but after that point things began to change dramatically. I started rising into the foggy mist and wet roads, and once I hit the 4th km I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
As I'm climbing I have no idea how long this climb will last. I go through several switchbacks and wonder if the next one holds the peak, but I keep going up and up and up. The last 2km I began to get concerned because I couldn't see 30 feet in front of me as the visibility had dwindled due to the fog. All I could think about was, "Where in the world does this thing end?"
The short warmup didn't help me tackle this beast of a climb, and not until the last 2km did I begin to feel loose. My cadence averaged a little over 60 and I kept my wattage between 280 and 300 for the most part. Since this ride wasn't a planned workout I did my best to control the effort and not overextend myself, especially after a hard week of training and another hard week looming.
While I'm enjoying the experience I was worried about getting caught in some really bad weather, but I wasn't about to turnaround and descend without reaching the peak. Not that I ever intended to accomplish some huge goal, but I figured since I'd climbed that far I might as well see where it takes me. Because it was difficult to see I stayed as far right as possible. I only hoped drivers were paying attention because it wasn't until I got within a few bike lengths that I could read neon signs distinctly. Was this really a good idea?
The last kilometer the fog was very thick and made for absolutely sketchy riding. Then I began to pass several businesses one after the other when finally I see the famed Beech Mountain City Limit sign. No sprint points today! More like a huge sigh of relief because I felt assured this had to be the top. The road leveled out quite a bit so I turned around and headed straight back down.
Just as I'm about to begin the descent my PowerTap shuts down and wouldn't work. I don't know if it was the cold or altitude of 5,506ft that stopped it, but it wasn't until I got back down to the bottom that it fired up again. During the descent I took it easy and relied on the brakes quite a bit. With the dense fog and wet roads I wasn't about to take any stupid risks, as if it would have been the first right? Really the only thing on my mind at that point was how damn good that soy mocha was going to taste at Mona's in Banner Elk!
When I get to the coffee shop I keep looking back up the road as if to say, "I can't believe I just did that!" I just stood there as the exhilaration of the moment began to really hit me. It was an incredibly fun thing to do, but it was just me, with nobody else to enjoy the moment. I pull out my cell phone and call a few people to share my few ounces of disbelief. Of course I only get voicemails! I leave excited messages trying to explain what I'd just done, but I'm sure it was just a bunch of giggled gibberish.
Some things are better experienced alone, but I do wish you had been with me.....
Every road trip on the weekends I'll take my bike along hoping to have a break after the races with enough time for a short training ride. Usually I'll be able to ride at least once, but the rides are short and easy. This past Saturday the criterium was later in the day, but it finished in time for me to get out and spin around a bit.
There are only two directions you can go in the Banner Elk area, up or down. To do one you've got to do the other. Flatlanders would be greatly disappointed, but all you light and skinny riders would love it. I'm not physically suited (ie, gravity challenged) for a lot of mountain climbing, but I still love doing it nonetheless. I've learned to embrace the challenge and suffering of mountain riding, and accept that in the long run it will make me a stronger rider.
As I left our Sugar Mountain digs there was slightly over one hour of daylight left for me to absorb. I started with no plan of action or idea where I might go, but my decision was made once I read the Beech Mountain sign on Hwy 194 telling me how close I was. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Come on, chance of a lifetime!"
Here I am with barely 10 minutes of warmup after leaving our ski resort lodge, and I'm on my way up a mountain that I knew absolutely nothing about. Clearly I had given this a lot of thought huh? I had only heard Beech Mountain was a tough climb, but I had no clue as to how long or how steep. Keep in mind the weather had been terrible all day with rain and temps in the upper 40s. The higher elevation areas were engulfed in clouds, which is where my adventure was taking me.
So off I go planning to go as far as daylight would allow before having to turn around. I had a 25 tooth on the back, so I felt comfortable knowing I could grind up the harder sections. Afterwards I read the tougher sections are a 19% grade. Yeah, that sounds about right! The weather during the first 3km was good, but after that point things began to change dramatically. I started rising into the foggy mist and wet roads, and once I hit the 4th km I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
As I'm climbing I have no idea how long this climb will last. I go through several switchbacks and wonder if the next one holds the peak, but I keep going up and up and up. The last 2km I began to get concerned because I couldn't see 30 feet in front of me as the visibility had dwindled due to the fog. All I could think about was, "Where in the world does this thing end?"
The short warmup didn't help me tackle this beast of a climb, and not until the last 2km did I begin to feel loose. My cadence averaged a little over 60 and I kept my wattage between 280 and 300 for the most part. Since this ride wasn't a planned workout I did my best to control the effort and not overextend myself, especially after a hard week of training and another hard week looming.
While I'm enjoying the experience I was worried about getting caught in some really bad weather, but I wasn't about to turnaround and descend without reaching the peak. Not that I ever intended to accomplish some huge goal, but I figured since I'd climbed that far I might as well see where it takes me. Because it was difficult to see I stayed as far right as possible. I only hoped drivers were paying attention because it wasn't until I got within a few bike lengths that I could read neon signs distinctly. Was this really a good idea?
The last kilometer the fog was very thick and made for absolutely sketchy riding. Then I began to pass several businesses one after the other when finally I see the famed Beech Mountain City Limit sign. No sprint points today! More like a huge sigh of relief because I felt assured this had to be the top. The road leveled out quite a bit so I turned around and headed straight back down.
Just as I'm about to begin the descent my PowerTap shuts down and wouldn't work. I don't know if it was the cold or altitude of 5,506ft that stopped it, but it wasn't until I got back down to the bottom that it fired up again. During the descent I took it easy and relied on the brakes quite a bit. With the dense fog and wet roads I wasn't about to take any stupid risks, as if it would have been the first right? Really the only thing on my mind at that point was how damn good that soy mocha was going to taste at Mona's in Banner Elk!
When I get to the coffee shop I keep looking back up the road as if to say, "I can't believe I just did that!" I just stood there as the exhilaration of the moment began to really hit me. It was an incredibly fun thing to do, but it was just me, with nobody else to enjoy the moment. I pull out my cell phone and call a few people to share my few ounces of disbelief. Of course I only get voicemails! I leave excited messages trying to explain what I'd just done, but I'm sure it was just a bunch of giggled gibberish.
Some things are better experienced alone, but I do wish you had been with me.....
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 4/12/2006 01:31:00 AM
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