Mt.Baker Hill Climb. Proof of concept

[Winded Lowrider]

Quick report from the Pacific Northwest.

Participated in the Mt. Baker Hill Climb time trial on my Vendetta V20. Strait up Mt. Baker to Artist's Point lookout. 4,857ft of elevation. Apparently I was the only recumbent attempting the climb.

I trained hills for 2 months to prepare. I shed 10 pounds. Even with that, I was not well prepared, but I did manage to make it to the finish line...

The bike performed well. I was able to maintain a steady (if slow) pace up the steep ( 5-8 percent grades) No wheel slippage with 28c Continental GP 4000S2 slicks. Half of the route had just been chip sealed so that helped my tires grip. The chip seal was rough so the 28c tires were crucial. The steepest sharpest switchbacks did give me some trouble on the Vendetta. Climbing and turning sharply is an awkward maneuver.

I beat my riding partner ( DF bike) to the top by about 10 minutes, but the top racers climbed at more than twice my speed. I am a former USCF racer and back in my 20's I was a better than average climber. Now at 52yo I'm 10 pounds heavier and not as well trained ( only 100 miles per week). The Vendetta definitely climbs better than my Zox Lowracer, but it's no match for a DF going up a long incline. I zoomed by DF riders on the lower section of rollers. That was fun. I also passed anyone and everyone at warp speed going back down.

So, overall I think I proved to myself that the Vendetta can climb mountains.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1831554213

 

[LarryOz]

Way to go - nice ride report!
.. and at least they let you show you stuff on the way down. Some of the hill climbs around here you don't get to ride down. = not fun

 

[RojoRacing]

you have to treat switchback corners on a climb the same way you'd treat as small but steep kicker in the climb, accelerate into it and then ease back though the corner so you're back to nominal power as you exit. I'm probably the only person who sprints through 15% switchbacks because I'm bored of going slow and want to feel that lean angle and slight G-force

 

[Winded Lowrider]

My line through the switchbacks was not good sometimes. Swinging wider and speeding up a bit would have surely helped. I was pretty much at my max near the top. That's where the switchbacks got nasty. One lower gear would have helped a lot. 34f x 36r was just barely enough.

 

[GetBent]

Interesting. Not too bad a drive for me. (SW WA) Currently running 30/46f x 11/32r so I have similar gearing, but probably not your legs. I do not race, but it would be fun to see how I stack up against others.

 

[Winded Lowrider]

On the positive side after conquering Mt Baker , I do not fear hills on the Vendetta.
On the negative side: I have not improved dramatically in climbing speed. I did set new PR's for local climbs, but progress has been incremental. An improvement of .5 mph up a 6 percent climb does not put me near the level of the average DF rider. Jason Perez and Tim Turner can match DF climbing speeds, so far I can't. My current thinking is to focus on losing 10 more pounds and to investigate breathing patterns and head/neck position. I'm not sure if oval chainrings would make a significant difference, but I might try those.

It's frustrating because I always loved hill climbing on my DF and it was my strength in racing.