I haven’t done a real world hard climb in a while. I think the last one I did may have been Mellor brow, but that might be wrong (edit: in hindsight it would have been the Trough of Bowland climb). Certainly I can’t remember doing one as steep as the “short” way up Jeffrey Hill since I hit Birdy Brow at the start of summer.
On that occasion I failed to reach the top without a stop, partly because I’d just broken my wrist having had a fall after the first descent, and partly because I took a wrong turn due to my inept understanding of the Garmin sat nav.
Anyway, I knew today’s climb would be a touch one. I couldn’t guage exactly how tough as neither Strava nor the Garmin route planner would give me a gradient breakdown of the climb. In hindsight I was probably just looking in the wrong place. But what I could see in the Garmin climb pro was the blood red section which looked really rather ominous.
Setting out I felt fine enough. A nice hot(ish) morning, had my breakfast, legs felt initially stiff but loosened up sufficiently within the first 5km.
Here, though, began what may have been my undoing. To get to Jeffrey Hill, I have to ride first to Longridge. From my house to Longridge is basically an uphill affair for at least 10km. Some of its just a gradual 1% grind, other parts are short and steep. Foolishly I went at a sort of FTP road test pace, for reasons now that escape me but seemed like a good idea at the time.
My plan was to ease off once I’d reached Longridge, recovering for 5km or so on the way to the start of the climb. And I did do this. But it possibly wasn’t enough. Maybe I should have taken it easy (around 3w/kg, instead of high 3s and low 4s) all the way to the start of the climb.
But maybe it was the fact that I took on too much after 5 days riding. I wish I knew.
What I do know is that yet again, half way up the climb, I had to stop. And this time not due to a wrong turn. This was due to a combination of physical and mental stress that I couldn’t work through. There have been times on previous climbs where I’ve wanted to quit, but haven’t. Today I gave in. And frankly, it was extremely gutting to do so.
The pictures above don’t really do it justice. This was taken after the hardest part of the climb. I don’t know exactly how steep it gets. The most I saw on the Garmin was 21%, but Strava has the segment down as hitting 28%. It is, and was, absolutely brutal. I was out of the saddle for the hardest bit, no way I could have climbed seated.
But after the exertion I had nothing left to give. Now, on a second attempt I would know that the next part isn’t as bad as it looks. It can be done seated. But today, I didn’t know that – or at least, I didn’t believe it. And so I stopped. That’s when I took the pictures. The one on left being the way I just came – the hard bit of the climb is hidden on the bend as it slopes steeply down and to the left. And the one on the right is the remainder, though it does continue on a bit around the bend to the left, also.
Ultimately after that climb is done, the ride is effectively over. That’s the key piece of the ride. The rest is a long descent pretty much back home – from the 5km or so down Jeffrey Hill gradual climb to the glide through Longridge and then back home down Whittingham Lane. All highly uneventful. I just had to rue my failed attempt all the way home. Boo.
Anyway, it is what it is. I tried. Was it my best? I don’t know. Bad ride management on my part, and I’m not exactly on fine form at the moment anyway.
Things, as they say, can only get better.
