I tackled another dirt road not far from our house--Casa Diablo. In the somewhat enhanced photo above, Casa Diablo Mtn. is in the backgound, thousands of feet above. This was a test run, about an hour out to my turn-around point. I haven't recalibrated the cyclometer, so no mileage or elevation numbers. I wanted to do 1,000 ft. of gain but left the altimeter at home--doh. I definitely climbed less than that, probably around 300 ft. or so. In my online mapping, I envision this as one part of a big training loop:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27769683
Heading clockwise, after an initial ramp up to about 8%, the angle backs way off. This would an an ideal training ground but for one issue: Sand. Again. On the plus side, it's definitely not as deep as I encounter on the west side of the valley, but it was a clear and present drag on the proceedings. I need to explore a counter-clockwise version, which would allow descending of the sandy stretches. In the estimated couple of miles of gentle climbing I encountered a big range of surfaces.
This sandy stretch was deceiving. It appeared flat, but I was climbing gently. Once I turned around, the going was MUCH easier. The idea of hauling a trailer up this surface was daunting. I still need some bigger tires for the trailer, so I'll get a chance to check it out.
Here's a short video from the turn-around point:
So the journey continues. I really need to find more representative road surfaces. I think full-on sand as I keep encountering in the Bishop area is quite rare on the GDMBR.
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