Burnside Burn

2705.5; 21.0 miles

I started out with a much longer ride in mind, and noticed about three miles out that my odometer wasn't working. On closer inspection, it appeared the cable-tie holding the sensor on the fork had been sheared off by my loading of my bike with another on the car rack yesterday. Miles the odometer doesn't see? They don't exist. So about 6 "ghost miles" back to the bike shop (West County Revolution), where they kindly affixed TWO cable-ties. By then I was rethinking my ride, not sure where I wanted to go, but no longer in the mood for 50+. I gravitated toward the mighty, fearsome Burnside Road ("English Hill" on this map, if it shows terrain as selected):


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I'd never before climbed this hill without at least two stops. It gains about 1000 feet in about 4 miles, all told. Today, I found I couldn't get into the lowest front gear without a derailleur adjustment that requires a phillips screwdriver, which my not-so-handy bike tool doesn't have!), so climbed it in 2-1 at best, and WITHOUT STOPPING, in about 40 minutes. Whoo-hoo! (It's a spectacular view up there, one of the best in the county!)

The other side could easily lead to 40mph+, except it's so badly potted and, in some places, slick, so I was seldom much over 30 mph, and riding the brakes for most of it. All in all, a slow start on my week, but I'm still easily in the running for a 3000-mile year.

I drove it later and filmed the climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiN8zFlZq6g