So, in North County the climb up Palomar Mountain has been called the U.S. version of the Alp d'Huez. It has a ton of switchbacks and climbs 4,500ft in 12.5 miles. What many people don't know about is the little gem of a ride that is just north of the Palomar road climb. That's probably because it's dirt, gravel, and broken asphalt. Very few people ride it because, well, it can be either hard, really hard, or down right painful. It's called Nate Harrison Grade and in 9.5 miles there are a ton of switchbacks and about 4,500ft of climbing. Alp d'Huez got nothing on Nate. People ride up on road, cx, and mtbs. I've even gone up on a fat bike to ride the snow at the top in the winter. Whatever the bike of choice, and whatever the weather, it is all always an adventure.
Nate, being what it is, can be a hard ride to find people motivated with whom to climb. So, when Derrick sent out the idea last week about riding I was immediately trying to find ways to make it work. It's fine going solo, and on a climb like Nate there is plenty of alone time, but last time I was descending Nate I saw a big ol' mountain lion in the middle of the road, which is unnerving to say the least. Thankfully, I was coming fast enough that it was more scared of me than I of it.
The weather turned out to be great for the start of the ride and D and I made our way to the base of the climb and discussed pacing plans and where to rendezvous. Then we both settled into our pace. Now, you know it's going to be a good ride when 30 minutes into the climb this song comes on at random:
I probably had the most comfortable ride I have ever had up Nate this time around. I was on a full-squish 29r with lock-out capabilities, 2x11, I kept my heart rate just below threshold, and my cadence was high. I knew I was feeling fresh when I got to the tree line because I didn't freak out like I normally do as the gnats swarmed me. We were hoping it had gotten cold enough to kill them off, but alas the gnats were in full affect. Once you hit the tree line (which is also where the climb tends to really get noticeable in the body) the gnats swarm your face. At 7mph they have no problem following you as long as they like.
I reached the lookout tower feeling good and circled back to D to ride the rest of his climb with him. After that we stopped for water before we headed out for extra credit.
The extra credit didn't disappoint. I't was my first time seeing it and I'm thankful D showed it to me because I got to ride a couple mile stretch of this:
But it all culminated in what D wanted to show me at the turn around point:
Nate, being what it is, can be a hard ride to find people motivated with whom to climb. So, when Derrick sent out the idea last week about riding I was immediately trying to find ways to make it work. It's fine going solo, and on a climb like Nate there is plenty of alone time, but last time I was descending Nate I saw a big ol' mountain lion in the middle of the road, which is unnerving to say the least. Thankfully, I was coming fast enough that it was more scared of me than I of it.
The weather turned out to be great for the start of the ride and D and I made our way to the base of the climb and discussed pacing plans and where to rendezvous. Then we both settled into our pace. Now, you know it's going to be a good ride when 30 minutes into the climb this song comes on at random:
I probably had the most comfortable ride I have ever had up Nate this time around. I was on a full-squish 29r with lock-out capabilities, 2x11, I kept my heart rate just below threshold, and my cadence was high. I knew I was feeling fresh when I got to the tree line because I didn't freak out like I normally do as the gnats swarmed me. We were hoping it had gotten cold enough to kill them off, but alas the gnats were in full affect. Once you hit the tree line (which is also where the climb tends to really get noticeable in the body) the gnats swarm your face. At 7mph they have no problem following you as long as they like.
I reached the lookout tower feeling good and circled back to D to ride the rest of his climb with him. After that we stopped for water before we headed out for extra credit.
Sweet false flat double-track
And along that I got to see this:
The picture doesn't do this meadow justice.
That's one very old out house at the top of a mountain.
By this point we noticed that we had a pretty good ratio and it was time to head back.
I can't say I have ever really enjoyed descending Nate. Turns out that is because of my choice of bike. Cross bikes down Nate are very, very, unfun. I've done it 3 times and I won't again. However, short travel full squish 29rs are the jam for a Nate DH. You always have to be careful descending because while it is dirt, it is still an open road, and I always see at least one truck coming up as I am headed down. This time was no exception and I encountered 3 vehicles, but in general I was able to let it rip. And it turns out that descending 4,200 ft in 22 minutes can cause some pressure issues in your ears. I couldn't hear for like 20 minutes after we got down. My bottle was feeling the pressure as well!
D descends like a boss, and after he did a little extra climb at the top to make sure he would go over 6k for the day he still nearly caught me. All in all it was a good day in the saddle. The tougher dirtier version of the U.S.'s Alp d'Huez never disappoints when it comes to adventure.
Well written Sir!
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