The Cholla 5 minute club- post your times!

I am going to give it a go this week.

I rode Cholla a couple times in the same ride last week and was feeling good. I didn't beat my prior best time of 5:05, I think it was 5:35 or something (according to Strava...). But I've been putting in a lot of miles and elevation and should have another "gear" in my legs to finally break the 5:00 mark...we'll see...

 

I'm taking some friends into Aliso tomorrow morning, I'll have to try the climb again. Is it just me or did the trail get harder/steeper/looser/longer? I haven't made it up recently without dabbing... and the dang hill never felt so long...

 

No. It has actually gotten much easier.

It used to be singletrack, looser, rockier and lined with cactus on both sides to punish those who dabbed.

 

I must have gotten fatter...

 

I heard too that, back in "the day", they used to do it on rod-iron beach cruisers with coaster brakes and that they rode it in the snow with cardboard in their SPD compatible shoes...

 

What, you down to 3:50? ;-)

 

Not even...anyways, if anyone wants to join us on a social paced ride we're planning to be rolling out of the main trailhead @9am

 

I got 4:35 on about my 4th try for time. Spent about 30 seconds behind a decently fast dude that might have cost me about 5 seconds. These sub-4:00 times are insane. Your body really wants to quit when going that hard. And the 9-something Mathis is strong too! I think my best is 13:xx on that one. I've got a friend who used to do 7-min on Mathis when he lived out here. FAST!

 

First time I rode up it was with toe-clips on a 29lb steel HT (pre rock shock) running 7-speed with Tioga Farmer John tires back around '89 and it was much harder than it is today.

 

I just weighed my bike 3 times and realized that it weighs 33.5 pounds... suddenly, those 21-22 lb. Epics seem really impressive to me... I could probably lose 12 pounds, especially today, but...

 

Ivan- look for me in the morning. I'll follow you (from a distance) up Cholla!

 

3:14 up Cholla this afternoon according to Strava. That's 8 sec faster than my time last week. I dumped it all this time, (including my water bottles at the top of Lynx before I dropped Lynx to get back to Cholla for the effort. LOL... maybe the extra weight loss helped). Then I dropped Rock-it and went over to try for a Strava KOM on Meadows. Well... after 2.5 hrs of riding yesterday and the effort up Cholla, (and perhaps the downhill rider I had to avoid and the stupid slip-out mistake I made), I cam up a few seconds short of the KOM on Meadows. Oh well. Next time. And maybe next time I'll man-up, ditch my weight weenie wheels/tires and put on some real rubber to try to re-gain the Downhill meadows 1st place. Excuses, excuses. I'm just hoping the truly fast guys don't decide to throw down on strava too! Then again, I say bring it and I'll kick my ass harder. Fun.

 

Got on my new Superfly 100 and posted a new personal best. 4:15 up Cholla and this was riding a a fast pace from the parking lot all the way to TOW where I set a new record there too. Not bad for this 197 lb rider. Also managed a 11:13 up Mathis this week which is also a new personal best.

I'm not on Strave but curious what times people are posting down Meadows and when do you stop the clock (at the box on left of the bridge)?

 

Join Strava and look around, most features are free.


PS What are you using for timing?

 

I'm using my Edge 305 using the splits button. Push it at the bottom and push it again at the top. Pretty accurate that way.

 

Just for giggles I gave it a go up Cholla this past Monday. I am rolling a little on the chubby side right now and I am fatigued from some heavy base training, but I posted a decent time...

http://app.strava.com/rides/3049072#53438584

3:07 according to Strava

Will have to do it again when I am in race form to see if I can put in a nice sub 3 minute time...

 

I did it in 5:30 today according to Sasquatch9billion. My first time up it in probably 12-15 years. I had to dismount and clip in again too as my front tire fell into a rain rut.

 

It takes me a total of 10+ minutes with resting about 3 times. I need to get stronger.

 

Funny, I tracked this post down and the last entry was on my birthday when I turned 41! Too cool. I went up the other day in 5:21. It's a bit more technical now in a couple of spots but I'm more out of shape. Still fun though. On another note, I cleaned car wreck for the first time (except the dab at the tree) so after 8 years of riding almost entirely Aliso, it's nice to conquer something new for a change.

 

I have been trying for about three weeks now to break 4 minutes and I finally did this mornging with a 3:59! Not much under 4 but I will take it.