Rose Pedals . . .: Ode To My Granny Gear

Thursday, July 18, 2013
Day 12 - Powell, Wyoming to Sheridan, Wyoming
122 miles
7,375 feet of climbing

Today was a banner day on our Tour - we rode over Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming. This was essentially a 25-mile climb with sustained steep grades of 10 to 14%. It was a real knee-buster, let me tell you. We got a nice early start, so we could get as much climbing as possible done before the high temps of the day. The climb started at around mile 32, at first with gentle 2 to 4% grades. Then, around mile 41, the grade pitched up to 8 and 9%. At this point, I'm not yet in my lowest gears - I still have three in the pocket. Why? I'm thinking I'm going to "save" those lower gears for when the climb gets really tough, which is typical for me. I know this is odd, but when I do a climb, I like to conserve my gears . . . I try to accomplish the climb in the highest gear that I can reasonably sustain. For some reason, it gives me comfort to know I have gears available to me. And I never, ever like to use my granny gear. In fact, I refer to it as my "emergency use only" gear and "bail out" gear. I do not know why I am like this, it probably has something to do with my strict Catholic upbringing or being dropped on my head as a child too many times, but, "it is what it is," as they say. Anyway, at mile 44, the grade pitched up to 10% and higher - up to 14%. I then had to switch into a lower gear. I quickly (like, within seconds) used all of my "reserve" gears and had no choice but to switch into my granny gear. And there I stayed in my granny gear pretty much for the entire climb. It was a really tough grind of steep grades until we got to mile 54, where we saw the last of the really steep grades and the terrain changed to a series of rolling climbs. Then . . . (dramatic pause) . . . at mile 61, we were rewarded with a eight-mile crazy-fast descent, which I, my legs, and my poor, overworked crankshaft, thoroughly enjoyed. By the time we arrived at our lunch stop at mile 77, the significant climbing of the day was behind us. After lunch, we had a little 5-mile climb that brought us to yet another . . . (dramatic pause) . . . even crazier-faster 10-mile descent, by which we dropped over 4,000 feet in elevation. We arrived in Sheridan around 3:45 - with tired legs, but very happy to have accomplished today's climb. Sure, it was a difficult day, but it was also a great day, despite the fact that I had to use my granny gear. Thank you, granny gear, you really bailed me out today!