North Gate

The Dynamic Duo (Sally tagged us with that title early on in our training) hit the roads today with a new goal in mind...to work on shorter mileage and long steady climbs. What better area to get that type of workout than the East Bay's focal point...Mt. Diablo.

We started out riding loops in the neighborhoods before the park...we thought that would be an appropriate warm up. However, since we were not too familiar with the area our first loop was a BIG surprise...a massive long climb in the Rancho Paradiso area...not the subtle start we were expecting! The total loop was about a 2.5 mile ascent and decent (no flat areas on this one) that came very soon in the ride but we worked our way through it...not fun! The up side is, it did make the first part of the ride up North Gate a little easier.

We had good weather conditions (cloudy & cold) to be working on our hill climbing...it is amazing how quickly our body temperature climbs as we worked our way into the park. The only traffic we had to deal with was the very active, ground squirrel population...we think they work for Geico...haha!




"Go, Sally, go"!




We focused on a slow steady pace with our climbs (without stopping), as well as, our cardio and breathing techniques. We heard a rumor that this week's team ride was going to involve a lot more hill work, so we wanted to be as prepared as possible for this Saturday. Through all our huffing and puffing, we remained positive and had enough energy to still give each other crap periodically...its what we do...and it keeps things fun:)



We take our training seriously but as you can tell by the photo...we laugh at ourselves through the process.


After riding up into the park (not even close to the summit) several miles...we decided on the way back to ride the steep neighborhood loop a second time. It was still tough, but we were pleasantly surprised that we felt a bit stronger on the 2nd ascent. I personally felt my pace improve and I didn't have to shift down to my granny gear as quickly. It felt great to add in more diversity and long climbs into our training routine. Having a change in scenery, out on the quiet country roads was also an added benefit to the day.