The Figueroa Mountain ride is not easy, and it gets harder every year. My attempt at 77 years old was the toughest yet. The weather forecast for Sunday was possible snow, rain, and high wind, so I delayed my ride until Monday. When you are retired you can do things like that.
Monday was a clear, but cold day. The ride was somewhat strange. I started off feeling weaker than normal. The first couple of climbs were very tough. I had serious doubts I would be able to finish the ride. However, during the final 2/3 of the initial climb, I began to feel a lot better. By the time I was ½ way to the top, I was feeling a lot better, and not because the climbs are easier; they are just as hard as the start. At the top, there is still over 20 miles to go, with only 1 more serious climb, and a rough dirt road portion. Last year I was truly dead tired when I finished. This year, I was certainly tired, but not nearly as bad as previous years. A somewhat strange ride.
It was still dark when I started at 6:30 AM. The sun did not rise until 7:20. If I ever do this again, I will not start so early. It was cold, but I dressed for it with my Ninji face mask, super warm gloves, and 3-layer jerseys.
I basically had the mountain to myself; I only saw 2-3 other cars on the mountain all day. Overall, a good day, but there were some really tough spots. It took me 8.5 hours to complete the 40-mile loop; and that was 50 minutes faster than last year. However, the time actually riding was almost the same. The difference was I had a shorter lunch break. I also tried a different braking method that reduced the number of stops I had to make to cool the brakes on the way down. I also deleted the rest break at the top. Why rest when you are already at the top LOL.
The times for the last 4 years are below. The 8:36 looks better than prior years, but the moving or actual riding time is close to the others.
I also included a few videos. Those that are marked long will require a high speed Internet, and maybe a lot of patience. Skip over if you have neither….
To access the pictures of that cold day click here: