"Holy Hills, Batman!" Our Team Trip to Clermont (FL)

Wow, What a weekend.  I have mentioned it once or twice (or ten times, I am not quite sure) that our Team would go to Clermont, Florida (A.K.A. The Florida Alps) for some hill training.  Really, we just needed to get in some REAL hill climbing experience before our trip to Lake Tahoe in June. Last week I talked about how the flat roads of Florida, the winds, the bridges would all help us in Tahoe.  However, Nothing would prepare us better than training in Clermont with REAL hills and very steep climbs.

This was just a small part
of our shake-out-FUN ride...

A couple of the girls on the Team and I traveled our way north on Friday morning so we could check in, eat lunch, and rest by the pool before we took off to tackle some rolling hills on Friday.  We arrived about noon, and right after lunch we were by the pool relaxing until the rest of the team arrived.  Then it was time for wheels out.

Friday night's ride was just a shakeout 30-miler.  No real steep climbs.  I was still getting over being sick earlier in the week, but I opted to take the ride anyhow.  I got in about 22 of the 30 miles.  Not bad for recovering.  I did start and finish with the team; however, I took a longer break in the middle letting them go ahead for a few more miles.  I needed that break.  

This was just supposed to be an uneventful ride to acclimate to the terrain a bit.  Well, so much for uneventful.  Besides the bobcats, squirrels, and bunnies ('Oh My') we had a few other issues to deal with.  Two teammates bonked in the first five miles; our coach blew a tire (Tire Changing Clinic!!), and another teammate went to the hospital (he was released after fluid replacement - Heat is a bear!!).  Not a pretty start to what was only supposed to be a relaxing ride.

Did I mention this was also BikeFest Weekend in Leesburg?  Well, because it was, the hotel was booked with bikers everywhere.  Most of them had motors on their bike, not like us with the only motor being our own legs.  This fact did lead to some interesting comments after the ambulance left the hotel with a teammate inside.  I believe I heard one guy tell us "You know, it is much easier like this" as he pointed to his Harley.  Maybe so, but that would not help us much in Tahoe.

The rolling hills of Buckhill Road:
223' Elevation Gain, 11% Slope, 2.5 miles

We were supposed to be in bed no later than 10, but we didn't even eat dinner until 10 with all the excitement around us.  We were all in bed about midnight.  Thankfully, the whole Team slept in the hotel and no one had to stay in a hospital.

Early risers and wheels out at 7:30 am.  This meant waking up at 5:30-6 to eat and get ourselves ready.  It was going to be a tough 40 mile ride.  I will tell you, the 40 miles on Saturday felt like 60 miles, easy.  Due to the events of the previous day, Coach Big Mac opted to skip the first big climb of the day and let us warm up with easy rolling hills and small climbs prior to hitting Clermont's most notorious cycle landmarks better known as "The Wall", "Buckhill", and of course, "Sugarloaf Mountain".  County Road 455 was our "friend" of the day... well, that really depends who you ask.  All of these spots lived up to their reputation without question.

We started our ride with an easy 8 mile ride to Mountverde, FL.  This area is on the Southwest corner of Lake Apopka.  Beautiful scenery, which was a welcomed distraction from the crazy roller-coaster-like roads leading us there.  Being from South Florida and only having an opportunity to train on the very flat A1A, this was a great experience.  Yes, the ocean is beautiful (at times), but I would take the back country roads any day of the week over the drying salt air of oceanside A1A/Ocean Drive.

The one thing about training in Clermont, FL, you gain a real appreciation of gravity.  It is truly a Love-Hate relationship, I must say.  The one truth you cannot argue is "What goes up, must come down".  The 'Going UP' part is the hard (HATE) terrible truth we would all like to forget; your weight, the weight of your bike all works against you up steep climbs.  The 'down' side is really the UPSIDE... (Another appreciation gained for my size).

Almost at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain
Rd.  This photo does not do the the climb
justice: 207' elevation gained, 14% slope,
.73 miles long. 

After your climbs you get to coast.  Coast: What a concept to a flat-lander Florida girl; who, on a normal day of training, would stall completely if she did not continue to "peddle, peddle, peddle".  Coast...No, not that thing by the ocean, but the tuck and roll of cycling.  Tuck the arms in, get your head down, scoot your but back, sit your feet level, and let gravity do it's job.  I set a personal best in speed that day at 41.7 mph.  It was GREAT!  

I talked last week about the bridge repeats we add into our workouts to teach us climbing techniques.  After this weekend, the bridges are nothing.  We had climbs that gained 207' elevation in less than a mile.  This was Sugarloaf Mountain.  (A brief stop before we all took on Sugarloaf was an opportunity for me to drink my Celsius.)

The only thing that made this climb worth the pain was the view from the top. First, the view looking down at what you just accomplished; then, the view from the top of Sugarloaf overlooking Lake Apopka; and finally, the water station graciously provided by the residents there on top of the hill.  (The one photo I did take was at the "false crest" just over midway up the climb.) Oh, I cannot forget to mention (again) the 41.7 mph downhill: What a ride!!!

At the top of Sugarloaf. L-R: Jon, Jacey, Judy, Kristin,
Bryan, me, Leanne, and Sam.

After Sugarloaf, we were all but done.  Just a few more miles back to Mountverde, a few more climbs back to the hotel, then it was time for a cool down in the pool.  Fatigue was starting to set in with most of us.  I was all but done and we still had several miles left to go.  This was by far the most difficult, most trying training I have ever put myself through.  We started the day with some cool air, even goosebumps appeared on my legs on some of our faster downhills in the morning.  By the early afternoon, when we were finishing up our ride, we were at the heat of the day with about 92 degree heat and humidity.  YUCK!

All in all, the TEAM (Kristin, Jacey, Jon, Leanne, Judy, Sam, Coach Bryan, and myself) all finished the ride in Clermont.  Most of the team never walked a hill.  I will admit, I had to walk a couple.  The Wall was the first one: 135' elevation gained over only .21 miles with an 18% slope.  That was crazy.  There was one climb on Buckhill Road I just could not get up and over; another one where I stopped to get a photo (I am not counting that one); mid way up Sugarloaf (a brief rest and photo op); and, lastly there was one long climb at the end (only 4 miles or less from the hotel) where my body just said NO MORE and I had to dismount the bike and rest a bit.  (I was not going to the hospital.)

The Elevation Chart according to MapMyRun.com

I finished the ride, like the rest of the team, on the bike.  I rode into the hotel parking lot, stopped briefly for a fresh cold gatorade, took off the bike shoes, then straight to the pool where I paused only for a moment to take off my bike jersey (with my phone and Kristin's camera in the pockets) before jumping into the 70 degree water.  What a well deserved cool down after a very hard 40 mile ride.

So, will I do this again?  Of course I will.  I mentioned above our impromptu Tire Changing Clinic on our Friday night shake-out ride when Coach Big Mac blew a tire.  We optimized this opportunity to share a MISSION MOMENT.  This is when we talk about what has brought us all to this cause and why we do what we do.  I took this moment to talk about Courtney.  I told the teammates who didn't already know, she is the reason I got started in this cause almost two years ago.

When Courtney was diagnosed, I needed to do something to help.  I am not blood related to Courtney which means my ability to help was limited.  I decided to join Team in Training and raise awareness and money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).  LLS is not federally funded.  100% of their funding is trough programs like Team in Training.  They not only fund research for cures and treatments, they fund patient care services to assist families who have been touched by blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma).

As Courtney's treatments progressed, she started to develop side effects from one of the drugs which ultimately left her with neuropathy from the hips down.  Courtney has been in a wheelchair since January/February 2010.  She is a strong cookie and continues to fight: she will walk again and she knows this.  It is just going to take some hard work on her part to get there.

Courtney, my niece and my personal Honored Hero

After this happened, my goals for LLS and Team in Training began to change.  I not only want to find a cure, but until one can be obtained, I want better treatments for patients so they don't have to live a life of more suffering.  Cancer is bad enough... you should not have to fear the treatments as well.

My goal this season for LLS is to raise just over $2700.  You can see my goal meter above in my blog.  I would really appreciate any assistance my readers could offer.  Every dollar will make a difference, I promise.  You can follow the link to the secure site and make a 100% tax deductible donation today and save a life!

As for our training, we are back in South Florida for a few more weeks on the flat roads here, then off to Clermont one more time in May (to conquer ALL of the hills this time), just four weeks shy of our trip to Tahoe to participate in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (103 miles around The Lake).   We are almost there...

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9