Up (and up) Queen Anne

Yesterday I climbed the hill two times on my new Casseroll, once up the Olympic to 10th route, then up 3rd from SPU. That was the first time I'd ever climbed it twice in one day, though I was pretty sure that I could.

The first time was on the way home from work, and went pretty well. I rode downtown, then up the hill. I found myself pushing harder than normal, as the bike just feels like I should be racing around. I never really found myself wishing for a lower gear, but I spend plenty of time in my lowest.

After I got home, I decided to run a quick errand at SPU, so I hopped back on the bike. Descending was a bit scary - I don't feel like I have the control on braking power on the Salsa that I do on my other two bikes, but that may change as I get used to it. The climb back up was uneventful, but quick, though I got passed by someone doing repeats. I couldn't help but think I'd like to carry that kind of speed uphill, but that's why we train. My guess is I was 10 - 15% percent faster up the hill than normal, but I'd need to time it to be sure.

I'm still not totally comfortable on the bike, especially descending. I also need to learn what cogs/ring combinations work best for me and in what order, but no way to do that without riding! Hopefully I'll get some decent miles in this weekend.