Local Steep Climbs

In addition to riding in the mountains, I also like riding up my local steep climbs. A few I really enjoy are:

St. Katherine

Chevy Chase

Hampstead

Greenbriar

Haven

Wildwood Canyon

Stough Canyon

Alta Canada

Hampstead

Sugarloaf

These are all steep short climbs that I combine into a 20 to 60 mile ride with lots of elevation gain. In general, I prefer loops to out and back routes, so I will branch up from my loop to climb, and end up with a ride elevation profile like this (total of 6,319 feet of elevation gain in 55 miles): 

I rolled from home at 6:30 am this morning, and air temps were in around 61 degrees. This is a little warm for climbing weather, but compared to the weeks of 90 degree afternoons we've been having, it felt great to do some close steep climbs that mix it up a bit from the long steady climbs in the local mountains. Additional benefits of rolling early is that there's shade and little motor vehicle traffic on the roads I traveled. There were dog walkers and a few other cyclists, but for the most par, I had the roads to myself. 

I like to do these steep climbs at tempo (not at a hard pace) so I can do more of them. It's tough, and my legs feel different, and more fatigued than after doing the long, steady climbs.