Originally Posted by
uspspro
Ack... we have a long way to go... That ride took us ALL day. Alba at mile 81 took everything out of us, and left us to crawling up 14 miles of HWY 9 at the end.
Alba is described as follows:
distance: 3.8 miles
climbing: 2050 feet
Route 2/3 from Hwy 9 to Empire Grade, Alba averages 10.2%, rather steep for something which gains over 2000 feet. The average grade doesn't do it justice, however, as the grade is highly inconsistent, with sections near 5% intermixed with significant portions at 15% to 20%. With road gears (a low of 39/28 or bigger), surviving this climb is an exercise in pain.
I do not understand this comment. I thought you had a 53/39/30 triple. Am I wrong?