Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I would complain strenuously to the organizer(s) if a 20 mile "easy" route included an 18% grade. My neighbor, who organizes the local club's century, typically notes anything over 8-9% on the route description.
6% is pretty normal for bike routes IME. Nothing to complain about.
And let me come back with another question. How do you know the climb was at 18%? Lots of people complain about climbs, and like fishermen, the measurement starts high and grows with each telling. Did you have an inclinometer on either bike?
Believe me, we did give some feedback to the organizing club. The response was something to the effect of 'well, it was posted as a 20 mile route, not necessarily an easy route'.
Post ride, we downloaded the ride from my Garmin and analyzed the climbs. 18% was peak, most were 8-10%.
Originally Posted by
big john
It's hard to imagine an 18% grade on any event ride without some advance notice, especially a 20 mile ride. This was a road ride?
Yes, on road. Sometimes I wonder how they ever managed to lay down the asphalt on some of the sections!
Originally Posted by
steve0257
How can I review the route ahead of time when I'm not even sure where I'm going when I head out?
Exactly my point. If no map or route is provided pre-event, you have no idea. And, it's sometimes easy to miss a turn arrow, 12" long, painted on the side shoulder at the bottom of a descent and go off course for miles before you realize it. Uploading the route to your GPS beforehand can give you the additional notification of upcoming turns.