0 Climbing Mountains...slowly

It's funny how things just come together sometimes.  I had to go to Nagambie today for work,  and at first I was not exactly ecstatic about the idea of three hours in the car, but then I started to think more creatively.  "Aren't there some great climbs up north of Melbourne?"  Damn right there are!!  So when I packed my car this morning, my bike and some super sexy lycra came with me.  After all, we're all time-poor and fitting a great workout into a work-day is the perfect way to save time, and enjoy work a whole lot more.

The township of Kinglake is about 60kms north of Melbourne.  A couple of years ago, devastating bushfires ripped through this area, and you can still clearly see the damage done.

Thanks to The Climbing Cyclist I knew exactly where to head to find the start of the famous Kinglake Climb.  With a length of 7.2kms, and with an average gradient of 4.8% this is not exactly the Alpe D'Huez but let's face it, for the average Joe this is a bit of a mission, achievable, but not exactly a walk in the park.

As you can see from the picture above, I couldn't have asked for better weather.  Bright, clear skies with only a hint of a breeze.  Mild temperatures, and with school holidays, barely a car on the road.

I was pretty excited to get cracking, and to be honest I probably went a bit hard in the first couple of kilometres.  I tried to stay above 20kmh but after 3.5kms, I was puffing like an old steam train and my legs were starting to complain.  Thankfully I was able to channel the great Jens Voigt disregard for physical discomfort and keep my cadence high.  The road surface is pretty good, although the roadway is very narrow, with no shoulder (be careful of cars).  As the road snaked upwards through a serious of tight turns, the pitch of the road tilts up further before a couple of false flats.

About 5kms into the climb I was starting to question why I do things like this, but the sight of another rider a couple of corners ahead of me was the boost I needed to push a bit harder over the last stretch, and before I knew it, the road was flattening out and I was at the top.

The great thing about climbing a mountain is getting to descend it afterwards.  I made the most of the clear roads and pushed hard on my way back down the hill.  Gravity is a wonderful thing, and I have to say that the descent was a LOT more fun than the ascent.

If you get the chance to make the trip to Kinglake, I'd highly recommend it.  The town is pretty, the view is amazing, and there are plenty of places to record your best time online! (Let's just say that I won't be challenging the record holders anytime soon).