Ooooh, no. It's 35 miles of country road; seventeen of them are BAD roads, dirt, seven-percent grade.
Keeps out the riffraff. But no, a bicycle ride up that way would be a "challenge" kind of event and feat.
I choose pain
- Thread starter pmbug
- Start date
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Keeps out the riffraff. But no, a bicycle ride up that way would be a "challenge" kind of event and feat.
So in other words, it'd whip your butt into shape in no time at all.
Sounds like "win" to me. Lol
By the time I got there, I'd have to turn around and head back.
That's IF I got there. Even allowing a rider was in good enough shape, what about a flat tire? These are not country dirt roads. These are MOUNTAIN dirt roads, with granite pushing through the hardpan. Often sharp-edged...road-grader blades causing rock breakage, and the jagged ends work up, over time.
You'll get a little quicker each time, therfor eventually leaving time to actually shoot some before you gotta leave.
That just means you'll get really good, and fast, at fixing flats.
Again, sounds like a "win" to me. Lol
Tougher tires with liners go long way toward preventing flats.
Yes, I suppose so.
....and I was just havin' some fun with this. I realize a 35 mile ride up a mountain is prolly not realistic for you, or probably anyone not extremely used to riding in such conditions.
It's been a little while, but I once went mountain biking in Colorado at Copper mountain, and I rode all the way up their dirt rode to as close to the summit as I could get.
Edited add: looked it up. That's 2600 feet vertical.
They shut the lift down about two hours before the rented bike had to be returned and I wanted one more run down the mountain.
So I rode up. It was hard, but I made it.
....and I barely made it back in time to return the bike.
Also rode up the mountain at Winter Park resort a few years later.
.....and after a full day of riding, had my friends drop me off at Berthoud Pass about an hour before Sunset and I hiked over Flora peak (13,131') and down into the valley on the other side of it to where I re- met my friends at their campsite.
The wimps went around and drove up from the other side of the Continental Divide. Lol
....and I was just havin' some fun with this. I realize a 35 mile ride up a mountain is prolly not realistic for you, or probably anyone not extremely used to riding in such conditions.
It's been a little while, but I once went mountain biking in Colorado at Copper mountain, and I rode all the way up their dirt rode to as close to the summit as I could get.
Edited add: looked it up. That's 2600 feet vertical.
They shut the lift down about two hours before the rented bike had to be returned and I wanted one more run down the mountain.
So I rode up. It was hard, but I made it.
....and I barely made it back in time to return the bike.
Also rode up the mountain at Winter Park resort a few years later.
.....and after a full day of riding, had my friends drop me off at Berthoud Pass about an hour before Sunset and I hiked over Flora peak (13,131') and down into the valley on the other side of it to where I re- met my friends at their campsite.
The wimps went around and drove up from the other side of the Continental Divide. Lol
Are there any downhill mountain bike trails near you in Montana? I'm kinda thinking there probably are.
If you've never tried downhill, it's a ton of fun, and will help get you into shape.
Or even just regular cross country type of bike trails. That stuff will help a lot towards lower body muscle toning and help improve your balance.
It will also help to sharpen your cognitive abilities.
Mountain biking requires fast and constant mental work.
.....and cognitive slowing is another issue we face as we age.
Learning new stuff and forcing your brain to have to process things faster, helps immensely with putting off the cognitive decline seen in many aging people, as it reinforces existing neural connections, as well as creating new ones.
....and anything that can help stave off things like Alzheimer's longer, is a good thing.
If you've never tried downhill, it's a ton of fun, and will help get you into shape.
Or even just regular cross country type of bike trails. That stuff will help a lot towards lower body muscle toning and help improve your balance.
It will also help to sharpen your cognitive abilities.
Mountain biking requires fast and constant mental work.
.....and cognitive slowing is another issue we face as we age.
Learning new stuff and forcing your brain to have to process things faster, helps immensely with putting off the cognitive decline seen in many aging people, as it reinforces existing neural connections, as well as creating new ones.
....and anything that can help stave off things like Alzheimer's longer, is a good thing.
I just did it after reading your post.
Pain report
This morning I jogged a mile at the track.
(afternoon)
Crucifix Crunch - 1 set of 15 reps just to get the abs warmed up.
Core Hold Series (immediate transitions)
Form 1 - Today I positioned my arms at about 80 degrees - just shy of perpendicular to the ground. My back came up about half the distance from the ground that I normally reach with arms parallel to the ground. I focused on keeping the abs tight and breathed. I kept the back off the ground until breath 26. I was tempted to lower the hands when I realized I wasn't going to make it to 30, but I chose to tough it out with the high degree of difficulty. I finished out to 30 breaths with back on the floor.
Form 2 - I kept my feet low to the ground for higher difficulty. i had to continually bear down with the abs to keep the lower back flat to the floor. I was mostly successful out to 30 breaths.
Form 3 - I kept the kicking as low to the ground as i could while keeping the lower back on the floor. They were definitely lower than yesterday. Finished 30 breaths and realized that my abs never really burned like in the past. I mean, I felt them working and they are slightly sore as I finished, but I never had the burning pain that these isometric holds incur when you first start them. My biggest issue was just keeping the lower back flat to the ground.
Side planks - 25 reps each side today
Right side - Shoulder popping loudly through the first 15 reps. Then it stops popping and doesn't even signal pain. I stopped at 25 by choice but could have pushed for more.
Left side - Shoulder did not pop at all, but around rep 18 started signalling pain. I'm glad I didn't push the right side for more reps, because the 25 rep on the left was about my shoulder's limit.
Horse Stance - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I start out and more or less find the right spinal alignment right away. Quads start burning around breath 15. Around breath 30, the burn is intense. Knees start shaking around breath 45 or so and by breath 50 it seems most of my leg muscles are spasming. I keep breathing but the burning is really intense. I reach breath 60 and put my hands on my knees and audibly groan as I push myself back to standing position. Pain!
Wall Sit - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I sit into good position immediately today. Quads start burning around breath 12. Burning ramps up with each successive breath. I keep breathing. Around breath 42, my knees start to vibrate slightly (somewhat less pronounced than the shaking I usually experience with Horse Stance). I keep breathing and the burning is getting very intense. I make it to 60 breaths and shimmy up the wall to standing position. Pain!
Bottom Push Up Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
I get into position - core tight and straight. Breath 15 and all feels good. Breath 16 and am feeling failure approaching. Breath 20 and I feel the mental wall telling me to release the hold. ignore it and bear down. I'm going to failure today. Each breath is a struggle and today it's my chest/pecs that are feeling the burn. I exhale breath 25 and collapse. Triceps didn't even burn/complain. Chest/pecs woke up today.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Bear Crawl Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
It wasn't until breath 50 or so that I noticed any strain at all. This hold is easy (for me). Arms/elbows/shoulders started shaking during the last 10 breaths, but it was mild. Quads were working but not really burning enough to notice over the shoulders/back.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Iron Bridge - 1 set of 60-90 seconds is MY goal
"easy mode" straight plank bridge - shoulders start vibrating around breath 15. Soon thereafter they are shaking mildly but the shaking reaches a plateau and does not get worse. My head isn't bobbing like yesterday. Right hamstring tries to cramp a few times and I have to relax that leg to abate the cramping for a few breaths. Very annoying. I reach breath 60 and could have gone much longer, but chose to stop because of time constraints and my right hammy cramping issue. Shoulders are sore.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Active Dead Hang - Shoulder width grip today. Lasted 21 breaths. I pushed to failure too. I needed a longer rest as my back/shoulders were tired from the last 3 exercises.
This morning I jogged a mile at the track.
(afternoon)
Crucifix Crunch - 1 set of 15 reps just to get the abs warmed up.
Core Hold Series (immediate transitions)
Form 1 - Today I positioned my arms at about 80 degrees - just shy of perpendicular to the ground. My back came up about half the distance from the ground that I normally reach with arms parallel to the ground. I focused on keeping the abs tight and breathed. I kept the back off the ground until breath 26. I was tempted to lower the hands when I realized I wasn't going to make it to 30, but I chose to tough it out with the high degree of difficulty. I finished out to 30 breaths with back on the floor.
Form 2 - I kept my feet low to the ground for higher difficulty. i had to continually bear down with the abs to keep the lower back flat to the floor. I was mostly successful out to 30 breaths.
Form 3 - I kept the kicking as low to the ground as i could while keeping the lower back on the floor. They were definitely lower than yesterday. Finished 30 breaths and realized that my abs never really burned like in the past. I mean, I felt them working and they are slightly sore as I finished, but I never had the burning pain that these isometric holds incur when you first start them. My biggest issue was just keeping the lower back flat to the ground.
Side planks - 25 reps each side today
Right side - Shoulder popping loudly through the first 15 reps. Then it stops popping and doesn't even signal pain. I stopped at 25 by choice but could have pushed for more.
Left side - Shoulder did not pop at all, but around rep 18 started signalling pain. I'm glad I didn't push the right side for more reps, because the 25 rep on the left was about my shoulder's limit.
Horse Stance - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I start out and more or less find the right spinal alignment right away. Quads start burning around breath 15. Around breath 30, the burn is intense. Knees start shaking around breath 45 or so and by breath 50 it seems most of my leg muscles are spasming. I keep breathing but the burning is really intense. I reach breath 60 and put my hands on my knees and audibly groan as I push myself back to standing position. Pain!
Wall Sit - 1 set of 60 is MY goal
I sit into good position immediately today. Quads start burning around breath 12. Burning ramps up with each successive breath. I keep breathing. Around breath 42, my knees start to vibrate slightly (somewhat less pronounced than the shaking I usually experience with Horse Stance). I keep breathing and the burning is getting very intense. I make it to 60 breaths and shimmy up the wall to standing position. Pain!
Bottom Push Up Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
I get into position - core tight and straight. Breath 15 and all feels good. Breath 16 and am feeling failure approaching. Breath 20 and I feel the mental wall telling me to release the hold. ignore it and bear down. I'm going to failure today. Each breath is a struggle and today it's my chest/pecs that are feeling the burn. I exhale breath 25 and collapse. Triceps didn't even burn/complain. Chest/pecs woke up today.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Bear Crawl Hold - 1 set of 45-60 seconds is MY goal
It wasn't until breath 50 or so that I noticed any strain at all. This hold is easy (for me). Arms/elbows/shoulders started shaking during the last 10 breaths, but it was mild. Quads were working but not really burning enough to notice over the shoulders/back.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Iron Bridge - 1 set of 60-90 seconds is MY goal
"easy mode" straight plank bridge - shoulders start vibrating around breath 15. Soon thereafter they are shaking mildly but the shaking reaches a plateau and does not get worse. My head isn't bobbing like yesterday. Right hamstring tries to cramp a few times and I have to relax that leg to abate the cramping for a few breaths. Very annoying. I reach breath 60 and could have gone much longer, but chose to stop because of time constraints and my right hammy cramping issue. Shoulders are sore.
(short rest - running out of time again)
Active Dead Hang - Shoulder width grip today. Lasted 21 breaths. I pushed to failure too. I needed a longer rest as my back/shoulders were tired from the last 3 exercises.
There's a trail, off Lookout Pass...where I-90 crosses, now...called the Hiawatha Trail.
There's a concession there...Lookout Pass is also a ski slope. Summers, they use it as the muster point for riders doing just this. You park at the lot, right there at the lodge, near the Interstate...get your bike out, and with a guide or a group (so they can organize a trip back) you ride down to, I think, St Regis. It's about 25 miles by the freeway, but much more on the trail.
The trail was mostly on the roadbed of the Milwaukee Road, but the Lookout Pass section belonged to the Northern Pacific Railroad. Now, this takes some explaining...the NP crossed Lookout Pass, through Wallace, Idaho (the last Idaho town to have open brothels; and even now the cathouse is run as a museum). Wallace had a railroad trestle going right through parts of the town, and also, given its challenging topography, it was one of the last sections of I-90 to be completed. That portion of the freeway was open in, IIRC, 1979.
It took a consolidation of the three Northern Transcon railroads to make THAT happen. The Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy merged to form the Burlington Northern in 1970. Parts of the Milwaukee Road, bankrupted in 1975, were later purchased. The Lookout Pass portion was seen as superfluous and was ripped out...down came the wooden trestles, still used to that point, and in went the freeway. The BN's High Line, the Great Northern route, became the main line through the area. BN sold (leased the track) the former Milwaukee Road portion through central Montana, to Rail Link...until BNSF reacquired it three years ago.
Okay. The Lookout Pass railroad bed, now an ORV trail called the Hiawatha Trail, is wild...and famous. Last time I was on it was on a trail motorcycle, and I tore up a tire. Scared the hell out of me - two in the afternoon, in mountain-lion country. The cats come out at dusk, and I had a 40-mile ride (on the trail) back to safety.
This would be different, but I've done long downhill rides. They're as hard as uphill, or even more so - potential loss of balance or control. I may do it; but I may decide that the thrillseeker life is one I'm too old for.