DOUBLE DELIGHT IN SO CAL. - MT WILSON TOLL ROAD FOR BREAKFAST & MT. BALDY RD FOR LUNCH Mt Wilson Toll Road is 100% rough gravel, and has a vertical climb of 4797, (1462 meters). The distance is 9.4 miles, (15 kms) with a average grade 9.7%. The top elevation is 5,710 and the FIETS Index (Dutch rating system for hill climbing difficulty) is 14.9. As a comparison Mount Ventoux 12. 5, Alpe dHuez 9.14, both in France. Stelvio in Italy is 15.5 and Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is 17.7. Mt. Baldy rd is rated as one of the hardest climbs in So Cal. and was used recently in the Amgen Tour of California. I rode the top 5 miles, (8kms) of Mt. Baldy rd. which gains 2500, (762 meters) vertical and has sustained sections of double digit grades, highest being 15% grade. Average grade for this top section where the climb is really known for is around 9%. After an amazing morning on the Mt.Wilson toll rd; riding it both up and down on my niner unicycle, I decided I should back it up with the Mt. Baldy rd. climb. They are a short drive from each other. The weather was perfect for both rides, although the air quality on Mt. Wilson was not what I am use to. Views from the top of Mt. Wilson were great; the San Gabriel Mtns were rising from the haze below. The ride down was smooth and fun on the niner uni. The top 3 or so miles of Mt. Baldy are pretty steep; the inside of the switchbacks are crazy steep/canted. Made it to the base of the ski area which is a ghost town, and it looks like it has been deserted for years. I had many grateful thoughts of how sweet the day had been on the unicycle while spinning my way down from Mt. Baldy. The two rides combined in one day was a fun challenge for me. I was super stoked to do back to back big climbs . Riding new terrain is always awesome, especially on the unicycle. Total ascending and descending for the day was 14,400, (4389 meters) on trails/roads averaging 500mile, (153meter/km) ascending or descending; total distance 28.4 miles, (45 kms). Life is great, get out and ride.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 01:07:40 +0000
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