Tough Ascent
Cycling uphill. For fun.
Vacaville – The Diabolical Duo – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon (Super Steep) Hill Climbing
Aug 23rd
Mix Canyon and Gates Canyon. Two truly insane climbs. The two toughest medium-length climbs I have ever ridden (and I have ridden a lot of steep climbs!). You would have to be slightly demented to attempt them.
Mix Canyon
Stats from John Summerson’s Climbing (By Bike) In California book for Mix Canyon:
Needless to say, Mix Canyon, by the stats, is an epic climb. Gates Canyon is no easier.
Anyway, I started out at Alamo Creek Park Park in Vacaville. From here, I headed north on Alamo Dr, quickly turned left on Foothill Dr, then turned right right on Pleasants Valley Rd. Pleasants Valley is a pleasant, scenic road:
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| From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing |
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| From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing |
After about 4 miles of rolling terrain along Pleasants Valley Rd, I hit the infamous Mix Canyon:
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| From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing |
Initially, Mix is an easy, scenic ride through pleasant farms:
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| From 2010-08-18 – Vacaville Cycling – Mix Canyon & Gates Canyon Climbing |
San Bernardino Mountains – Valley of the Falls – CA-38 (State Route 38) to Forest Falls Hill Climb
Aug 6th
If you start in Mentone, those are the stats. That is definitely a solid climb. You can also cut off a few miles of somewhat boring climbing and start at the intersection of 38 (Mill Creek Rd) and Bryant. If you do this, you will miss almost 900 feet of shallow climbing. With that said, the climbing you will miss is nothing special. So, if you are going for overall climbing, start in Mentone. If you are going for scenic climbing, start at 38/Bryant. Additionally, if you start at 38/Bryant, your average grade will be 6.3% for over 10 miles. Not bad. The rest of this post assumes a starting point at 38/Bryant.
The initial section of 38 (above Bryant) has a minimal shoulder:
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
Given the relatively steady traffic, this is the only somewhat unpleasant section. Luckily, the shoulders open up pretty quickly for the rest of the ride:
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
The rest of the ride along 38 is a very scenic ride up a valley with few curves:
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
The traffic, while not heavy, is relatively constant and somewhat fast. The wide shoulder for most of 38, however, makes this section surprisingly pleasant.
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
The grade is, for the most part, extremely steady and relatively shallow. While I love steep climbs, it is also nice to be able to shift up a few gears and power on at more than 6 mph at times! And, of course, some pleasant scenery doesn’t hurt.
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
Awesome valley to be riding up!
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
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| From 2010-07-11 – San Bernardino Mountains Cycling – 38 to Forest Falls |
San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Santa Cruz Mountains – Hicks Road North/Mt. Umunhum Climbing
Jul 28th
4.1 miles. 2,199 ft elevation gain. 10.2% average grade. 17% max grade.
Let that sink in for a minute. Over 4 miles of climbing at over 10%. If that doesn’t scare you just a little bit, I don’t know what will.
Anyway, this is, not surprisingly, another climb listed in Summerson’s The Complete Guide to Climbing (By Bike) in California. In this book, Hicks Road North/Mt Umunhum gets a few noteworthy mentions..
For all of California:
For the San Francisco Bay Area:
With this many mentions..and an entire mile at 13.9% (!), I had to try this out. Somehow, I actually also convinced my mom to attempt it as well. She is an avid cyclist, but stats like these give her pause. Anyway, despite the ridiculousness of the grade, she was game (after thinking it over for a few minutes). Sweet.
The first part of Hicks Road consists of rolling bumps that gradually bring you upwards (<400 feet gain in 5 miles). This stretch is semi-scenic:
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
There is a bit of car traffic along here though, so watch your line. The only real climbing in this first stretch is a short, but steep, bump up to Guadalupe Reservoir:
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
Enjoy the respite along the reservoir. It will not last. After you round a sharp bend (and cross a second small creek crossing), you are suddenly faced with a wall of pain..
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| From 2010-07-25 – San Francisco Bay Area Cycling – Hicks Rd & Mt. Umunhum Climb |
Ojai – CA-33 to Rose Valley to Pine Mountain Summit (& Beyond!)
Jul 18th
33 North from Ojai is one of the most beautiful cycling hill climbing routes ever created. While never all that steep, the route is incredibly scenic and offers lots of changing scenery if you ride it all the way to Pine Mountain Summit. Going all the way to Pine Mountain Summit along Route 33 means a 30 mile (one-way) ride that takes you up to a max elevation of 5160 ft. With a starting elevation of ~800 ft and some rolling sections, this means an overall elevation gain nearing 5000 ft. Pretty solid. If that is too easy, you can also ride up Pine Mountain Ridge Road to get to the real Pine Mountain itself, another 2000 ft higher (and a very tough and rough 2000 ft!). Also, if you go beyond Rose Valley Summit, bring a Camelback as there were no water sources that we could find.
Stats:
Anyway, the climbing starts just north of Meiners Oaks along Route 33. From Ojai, head west along 150 (Ojai Ave) for about 1 mile before turning right (& heading north) on 33. At about 4.5 miles in, the climbing starts in earnest as you pass by Matilija Lake. This first section, before the real climbing, is quite pleasant:
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
Nearing Matilija Lake:
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
As you approach Matilija Lake, the actual climbing begins:
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
Me..getting ready for a long climb..
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
Just a bit north of this point, I elected to throw in a touch of brief, steep climbing. Matilija Canyon Road presents an awesomely steep section of road:
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
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| From 2010-06-25 – Ojai Cycling – CA-33 to Pine Mountain Summit (& Up Pine Mountain!) |
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| From HQ Panoramas |
Crazy, no?
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