Originally Posted by
Roughstuff
What I find amazing about such grades as I approach them from miles away (say, in the mountains) is they look ABSOLUTELY vertical! I say, "there is no way I can do that!" When ya finally see the climb it is not as bad as you thought, but still tough. I've been a granny gear guy from day one (my current bike lowest gear is 26 front 36 back) so I'm usually singing on the way up....
Hah, that's the good part about Ebbetts Pass and Pacific Grade, you can't see any of the road ahead--too many trees and mountains.