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"Good" elevation gain over 25 miles...?

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Old 08-30-09, 06:23 PM
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Diesel-CAAD9
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"Good" elevation gain over 25 miles...?

i'm just wondering what a good number to shoot for is over 25 miles as far as elevation gain...?

here's my stats from my ride today and just wondering how it stacks up... i'm still a noob, only been on the road for about 30 days now...



Distance: 25.06 mi
Time: 01:38:43 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 1,635 ft
Avg Speed: 15.2 mph
Calories: 1,773 C
Max Speed: 36.6 mph
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Old 08-30-09, 06:30 PM
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I don't have any data for you....just wanted to encourage you not to get frustrated when the GPS guys start posting responses. =) There are guys here who do crazy amounts of climbing AND mileage are part of their regular weekly schedule.

-Jeremy
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Old 08-30-09, 06:37 PM
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Good amount for what purpose? There is no amount that is considered good.

Most hilly organized centuries that are considered tough have over 100' of gain per mile.

Richard
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Old 08-30-09, 06:39 PM
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I don't know what a good amount is but Sat. we climbed 7700' in 38 miles and on Sunday is was 3850' in 20 miles. Of course we had to come back down but those are the climbing totals. The profiles are in this post.


It's not the Everest Challenge but a good weekend of riding none the less.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:39 PM
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Pretty good, especially for only having been on the road for 30 days. A decent climbing ride for me will ascend about 1,000 feet for every 10 miles. Today's ride was more typical though- 5,400 feet in 68 miles.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:40 PM
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well, i'm not in the "tough" group at this point... probably never will be... plus my area doesn't really allow for it i don't think...
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Old 08-30-09, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by BikeWNC
I don't know what a good amount is but Sat. we climbed 7700' in 38 miles and on Sunday is was 3850' in 20 miles. Of course we had to come back down but those are the climbing totals. The profiles are in this post.


It's not the Everest Challenge but a good weekend of riding none the less.

that's pretty impressive...
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Old 08-30-09, 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by BikeWNC
I don't know what a good amount is but Sat. we climbed 7700' in 38 miles and on Sunday is was 3850' in 20 miles. Of course we had to come back down but those are the climbing totals. The profiles are in this post.
Maybe it's just me, but climbing stats should include the total distance of the ride. 7,700 feet in 76 miles is a great climbing ride though.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Diesel-CAAD9
well, i'm not in the "tough" group at this point... probably never will be... plus my area doesn't really allow for it i don't think...
Sometimes those constant rollers can be harder than a steady long climb. I've done rides in Pa. and there isn't much that is flat.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:45 PM
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yeah it's alot of up and down in my area... i'm branching out more and more though looking for some more steady climbs... the 15-18% grades are not very fun... i prefer something more steady...
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Old 08-30-09, 06:47 PM
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Originally Posted by twocoasttb
Maybe it's just me, but climbing stats should include the total distance of the ride. 7,700 feet in 76 miles is a great climbing ride though.
Well I agree but I was trying to compare to 25 miles. Anyway, yeah 8000' in 63 miles and 4000' in 40 miles. Still, I'd rather do a long steady climb than constant up and down short steep rollers which seem like interval training.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:47 PM
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Idaho Springs to Mount Evans: ~28 miles, and ~7000 of vertical gain.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by shimagnolo
idaho springs to mount evans: ~28 miles, and ~7000 of vertical gain.
dang...
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Old 08-30-09, 06:54 PM
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Today I climbed 4,400 feet in 50 miles. It was all straight up for 25 miles, then flew back down to the starting point. The climb was all a steady pull, nothing terribly steep.
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Old 08-30-09, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Shimagnolo
Idaho Springs to Mount Evans: ~28 miles, and ~7000 of vertical gain.
Originally Posted by Diesel-CAAD9
dang...
He forgot to mention the riding to over 14,000' part. I'm gonna live in Leadville for 3 months before I ride up Evans.
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Old 08-30-09, 07:30 PM
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you did ~ 65.5 ft/mile. That's not bad - for comparison, I did 562 miles this month with 28,120 feet of ascent. That comes to just about 50 ft/mile.
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Old 08-30-09, 07:45 PM
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That's great, especially when first starting out. I did a 25 mile ride today that was similar in gain.

The worst thing I've ever done to myself was climb Mt Constitution, here in Washington State. 5 miles of road, and 1900 feet of gain, according to my GPS. I like rolling terrain, and hate steady climbs. Easily the longest 5 miles I'll ever have on a bike.
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Old 08-30-09, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Shimagnolo
Idaho Springs to Mount Evans: ~28 miles, and ~7000 of vertical gain.
Haleakala on Maui is 10000 feet of elevation gain in 36 miles
There was an organized ride last week: https://cycletothesun.net/

For normal rides, anything over 100 feet per mile is a good ride (i.e., 2500 feet of climbing in the OP's 25 mile ride).
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Old 08-30-09, 08:21 PM
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Whenever you have the word climb in a BF post, not before long anyone in CO will drop in the word Mt. Evans.
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Old 08-30-09, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by BikeWNC
He forgot to mention the riding to over 14,000' part. I'm gonna live in Leadville for 3 months before I ride up Evans.
(Keeping in mind I live at 5300' MSL)
The first time I did it, I was pleasantly surprised that I was feeling really good at 11,000'.
By the time I reached 12,000', everything had changed, and I had 2000' to go.

Last edited by Shimagnolo; 08-30-09 at 08:59 PM.
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Old 08-30-09, 09:38 PM
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I think you ride what's available to you on a day to day basis. Can't dismiss strong Florida riders because they don't have climbing stats. If you live in the Rockies or Sierras your going to climb a lot whether you like it or not. Even in the San Francisco bay area many of the good riding involves a good deal of climbing.
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Old 08-30-09, 10:09 PM
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Originally Posted by rdtompki
Even in the San Francisco bay area many of the good riding involves a good deal of climbing.
Yep. Did 4000 ft of climbing in about 40 miles today.
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Old 08-30-09, 10:15 PM
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Seems like a rather nonsensical question....
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Old 08-30-09, 10:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Tunnelrat81
There are guys here who do crazy amounts of climbing AND mileage are part of their regular weekly schedule.
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Old 08-30-09, 10:26 PM
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I've been riding on the road about the same amount of time. My loop is 25 miles, 1,000 ft of ascent and I average 17.5mph, all in. That's good for me right now, but I'll be looking for more.
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