# Lookout Mtn.



## Samadhi

I'm planning to do the Denver Century on the 17th. Can't make up my mind about whether to do the full 100 or the 85 mile options. The difference is Lookout Mtn. 

I've never ridden that route and I'm thinking about having a go at LM on the 9th to help me decide on which option to take. If I can do LM without embarassing myself, I'll go for the century

Where can I park and not get towed?

Any timely or sage advice for this attempt (like FORGET IT ---- YOU'RE OUTTA YER FRIKKIN MIND)?


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## taralon

Right before the pillars that are the 'official' entrance/start to lookout mountain there is a small park that has some parking associated with it. Otherwise there's a set of apartments owned by CSM just to the west of US 6 that you can park in as well, the second left after the light would be the best area. Otherwise downtown Golden has a lot of public parking as well. 

As for how hard Lookout is, I've only seriously been cycling for the last year. After a ~20 mile ride out to Golden I made it up last Friday in some bad wind in 38 minutes, and managed the 20 mile ride home as well. As long as you pace yourself correctly lookout is quite doable, the main thing isn't to go too hard at the beginning because it eases about 2.5 miles into the climb for about a mile and then ramps up at the end fairly significantly.


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## OldChipper

It's only 4.5 miles and 1,200' IIRC. How hard could it be? ;^)


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## Samadhi

OldChipper said:


> It's only 4.5 miles and 1,200' IIRC. How hard could it be? ;^)


For all I know, impossible . I've never ridden that climb so I won't know the difficulty until I do.

TBH, I'm sure I can make it, but whether or not it can be done in in a reasonable time relative to the time that the rest of the ride needs is the question to be answered. The only way to know is to try it, so that's what I'll do.

Right now the plan is to get up with the sun, motor to the bottom of the mtn, ride the climb, and mark the time to Buffalo Bill's Alleged Grave Site and descend in glory. Home in time for lunch and a nap.

Hoo-Rah.

I'm polling my friends to see if I can find some company. I find having someone to ride and keep pace with can help immeassureably.


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## taralon

Eh, closer to 5.0 miles actually, but that's offset by the fact that thinner air is easier to breath and you can move through it with less resistance, so that's just a quibble. 



OldChipper said:


> It's only 4.5 miles and 1,200' IIRC. How hard could it be? ;^)


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## Rokh On

There are 2 parks and one, as mentioned, is right at the pillars. There is also a huge dirt area just past the pillars in the switch back. I've parked there myself and have never heard of anyone being towed. Just don't part close to the maintenance gate/road.

I agree with taralon's advice. Just start at a steady pace and see how you feel. You can pick it up as you get going On a bad day, the very beginning is the worst part for me. Be mindful of the wildlife as you blaze back down at 35mph+. Deer have no problem crossing the road in front of you.

Using LM as a judge for a century might not be the best. The route you were talking about doing in CR might be a better judge. Did you give it a try yet?


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## shongalola

if you park at the pillars you get no warm up. I'd park in Golden and use 32nd as a warmup (like east to the roundabout and back). 

Also, if you're making the effort to drive to Golden, adding Colorow Rd loop, Mt Vernon Country Club and maybe even Mt Genessee is worth the little extra work


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## Samadhi

Rokh On said:


> There are 2 parks and one, as mentioned, is right at the pillars. There is also a huge dirt area just past the pillars in the switch back. I've parked there myself and have never heard of anyone being towed. Just don't part close to the maintenance gate/road.
> 
> I agree with taralon's advice. Just start at a steady pace and see how you feel. You can pick it up as you get going On a bad day, the very beginning is the worst part for me. Be mindful of the wildlife as you blaze back down at 35mph+. Deer have no problem crossing the road in front of you.
> 
> Using LM as a judge for a century might not be the best. The route you were talking about doing in CR might be a better judge. Did you give it a try yet?


No, I haven't.

I want to do LM because it it's part to the 100 mile option for the Denver Century. I haven't sent in my entry yet and wanted to take a stab at LM before I do. I just want to see if I can make that climb and still have enough left over to finish the 100 miles in a reasonable time span.


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## taralon

Have you ever done the climb up Lefthand Canyon out of Boulder? From what I understand the drag up and out of downtown Denver to the top of Lookout is roughly comparable to the ride from Boulder to Ward. I've never ridden Lefthand myself so I can't speak to the veracity of that statement. 

On the otherhand I understand that both Deercreek and the Highgrade are more difficult than Lookout if you've ridden those.


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## Mootsie

Park in downtown Golden and do the complete hill, not just the wussy hill starting at the pillars. The hardest part is from Hwy 93 to the pillars and if you park at pillar lot, you leave off the most manly part of the ride.


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## Bocephus Jones II

taralon said:


> Have you ever done the climb up Lefthand Canyon out of Boulder? From what I understand the drag up and out of downtown Denver to the top of Lookout is roughly comparable to the ride from Boulder to Ward. I've never ridden Lefthand myself so I can't speak to the veracity of that statement.
> 
> On the otherhand I understand that both Deercreek and the Highgrade are more difficult than Lookout if you've ridden those.


Lefthand to Ward isn't bad until the last 1/4 mile. That is a steep mutha. If you want steeper and longer go up Magnolia (partially paved) off Boulder Canyon.


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## Bocephus Jones II

Samadhi said:


> I'm planning to do the Denver Century on the 17th. Can't make up my mind about whether to do the full 100 or the 85 mile options. The difference is Lookout Mtn.
> 
> I've never ridden that route and I'm thinking about having a go at LM on the 9th to help me decide on which option to take. If I can do LM without embarassing myself, I'll go for the century
> 
> Where can I park and not get towed?
> 
> Any timely or sage advice for this attempt (like FORGET IT ---- YOU'RE OUTTA YER FRIKKIN MIND)?


 If you can do 85 you can do 100--just sign up and make it happen.


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## Samadhi

Mootsie said:


> Park in downtown Golden and do the complete hill, not just the wussy hill starting at the pillars. The hardest part is from Hwy 93 to the pillars and if you park at pillar lot, you leave off the most manly part of the ride.


Ok .....

Seeing as this ride has to be a reflection on the mass of my ManParts, let's say I start in downtown Golden. Where's a good/safe/legal place to park?

I was thinking about starting at the Safeway (on Jackson/18th) Starbuck's concession for an espresso before setting out. If I park in a remote corner of that lot, I shouldn't get ticketed or towed as I shouldn't be gone for more than 3 hours.

A kind lady at the tourist info office said there are large parking garages south of City Hall on 10th and 11th St near Jackson.

Hell, it's only 13 miles from my house to downtown Golden. I could just HTFU, use the ride to Golden as a warm-up, and then hit the mountain.

Somethin will work but I'm also open to suggestion.


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## OldChipper

There's also a public lot behind Peak Cycles at 13th and Wahington and a Starbucks right across Washington. After your coffee, ride up 13th, turn left on Illinois then right on 19th to begin the climb. Nothing simpler!


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## OldChipper

+1 for local business. I'll have to check that one out, thanks!


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## taralon

OldChipper said:


> There's also a public lot behind Peak Cycles at 13th and Wahington and a Starbucks right across Washington. After your coffee, ride up 13th, turn left on Illinois then right on 19th to begin the climb. Nothing simpler!


Downtown Golden has a ton of public places to park. Safeway's got a big lot, and I've never had a problem with getting towed out of that lot myself, but I'd suggest the above. Riding up 19th from Safeway if there's any uphill traffic isn't the safest as the road is narrow, has a center divider and no shoulder until you get to Elm. Be aware that there's quite a bit of construction going on in the CSM campus right now and Illinois was closed last week due to that. Heck, there's a lot of visitor parking on the CSM campus as long as you read the signs and pick one that's open to visitors they won't tow you either. Streetside parking is available near the Intermural field on Elm street, and there's streetside parking on 19th leading up to the pillars. Parking's the least of your problem.

As for your morning Coffee, might I suggest stopping by Cafe 13, on the corner of 13th and Arapahoe instead? They've got some nice wall art in the form of vintage bikes, photos of old tours etc, it is a quite pleasant coffee/sandwhich shop. And as a bonus the public parking is right across 13th from them.


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## Rokh On

Maybe you should have just done Elephant Rock this past weekend. Even doing just the metric century would have given you a pretty good clue where you stand.


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## Mootsie

Samadhi said:


> Ok .....
> 
> Seeing as this ride has to be a reflection on the mass of my ManParts, let's say I start in downtown Golden. Where's a good/safe/legal place to park?
> 
> I was thinking about starting at the Safeway (on Jackson/18th) Starbuck's concession for an espresso before setting out. If I park in a remote corner of that lot, I shouldn't get ticketed or towed as I shouldn't be gone for more than 3 hours.
> 
> A kind lady at the tourist info office said there are large parking garages south of City Hall on 10th and 11th St near Jackson.
> 
> Hell, it's only 13 miles from my house to downtown Golden. I could just HTFU, use the ride to Golden as a warm-up, and then hit the mountain.
> 
> Somethin will work but I'm also open to suggestion.


I normally ride in from central Denver, but on the occasion that I park in town, I have used a lot in a park right in downtown along the river. I think it's called Vanover park. It's just a block or two off the main drag. I think they also have toilets there.


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## Samadhi

Rokh On said:


> Maybe you should have just done Elephant Rock this past weekend. Even doing just the metric century would have given you a pretty good clue where you stand.


Good advice Rokh but y'know, ER's kinda old news right now.

Plus I don't think the Elephant Rock ride has a climb like Lookout Mountain, does it?

I'm interested in the climb right now. I'm about 100% sure of being able to finish the 85mile Denver Century loop, no problem, but if I can make the Lookout Mountain option for 100 miles I'll sign up for that option. The only way I can be sure about making Lookout Mountain is to ride Lookout Mountain. Elephant Rock wouldn't have accomplished that for me.

I will, however, consider Elephant Rock for next year. I hear it's a great time.


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## Samadhi

Mootsie said:


> I normally ride in from central Denver, but on the occasion that I park in town, I have used a lot in a park right in downtown along the river. I think it's called Vanover park. It's just a block or two off the main drag. I think they also have toilets there.


Also good to know. Thanx.

I've pretty much decided to ride the whole thing. Riding to Golden from my house will be a good warmup and holy, smokin, man-parts, studly to boot. If my concern is making that climb in the context of a longer ride, pedalling a good distance before the climb would be a better gauge of readiness than driving into Golden and riding from there. 

By changing the route a bit I could make a neat half-century out of it. 
My current plan is something like from Florida/Tennyson go west to Union, north to Mississippi, cross Alameda, north past RRCC, west to Indiana, north to S. Golden Rd and into Golden. Rest a bit over coffee and tackle LM. Come straight back down or head around to Hwy 40 and decend that way. 

That rte I take into Golden will be a little trickier later in the day (traffic). Rather than straight back the way I came, take 32nd, etc into downtown Denver, pick up the Platte River Trail, south to Florida, west over Ruby Hill and home. Should be close to 50 miles.


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## Bulldozer

My advice would be to find a route that gets you up Lookout Mtn as early as you can. It gets pretty busy up there with bike and car traffic. An earlier start will likely provide you with a better experience.


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## Samadhi

Bulldozer said:


> My advice would be to find a route that gets you up Lookout Mtn as early as you can. It gets pretty busy up there with bike and car traffic. An earlier start will likely provide you with a better experience.


I was thinking the same thing.

I was planning on leaving the house around 0630. That should put me in Golden around 0730. If I go straight for the climb with a minimal/no rest stop I should be on my way back down by 0930.

If I take that route on 32nd into downtown I should be able to avoid heavy traffic on the Platte River Trail. If that gets gnarly I can take the Lakewood Gulch trail east to Perry and ride south from there home.

Would a decent via Hwy 40 be preferable to a back-track route?


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## OldChipper

Depends on how you feel about fast, winding descents vs. fast, straight descents.  Going over to US40 will add a few more rollers for some added climbing/value. As others have suggested, for maximum value, go past BB Grave to Colorow Rd, ride that up to the Nature Center (bathrooms and water fountain), keep going back out to the main road from Lookout Mtn road, go over a couple more rollers, turn right under the arch and go up past Mt. Vernon Country Club. From there you can either go down US40 or cross over I70 and either turn right for more out-n-back climbing or turn left for a more fun and interesting descent (IMHO) back to the Cabrini exit off of I70 where you cross back across I70 and descend the second half of US40. OR after crossing back across 70, turn left, climb back up to Lookout Mountain road and go back down Lookout (this version is about 4500' feet of climbing I think).

OTOH, just turning around and going back down Lookout is a hoot! Very fast, fun turns unless you get stuck behind a car.  Definitely keep a handle on your speed though since this will be your first time down this route and it definitely has fast, technical turns.

Descending US40 is pretty straight-forward, just keep an eye out for large rocks on the road and stay sharp if it's at all windy.


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## taralon

Remember if you do take the descent down lookout mountain road that covering the brakes at all times is a must a the deer that frequent the area still have not learned to look both ways before crossing the road. I would suggest the descent that parallels the Denver century ride as that will familiarize you with the route before the ride.


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## Mootsie

taralon said:


> Remember if you do take the descent down lookout mountain road that covering the brakes at all times is a must a the deer that frequent the area still have not learned to look both ways before crossing the road. I would suggest the descent that parallels the Denver century ride as that will familiarize you with the route before the ride.


I've seen an out of control cyclist T bone a car in one of the hairpin turns near the top. Hands on the brakes is always good advice on a descent.


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## Rokh On

I also mentioned the deer early on. I can speak from experience they will jump onto the road and not freakin move. Scared the crap out of me.

Like I said before, for me it's the very beginning that gets my heart going. Hec, on part of it you will feel like it is almost level with no climb in elevation. I agree with Mootsie. You want to kick the crap out of yourself then don't start at the pillars. Start downtown or ride down to 93 and go up. The hardest part is from 93 to about a mile past the pillars.

You're right. The closeout hill in E Rock is Tomah rd. and that is only about a 500' climb in about 2 miles. But in Strava it is listed as a bastard climb.


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## 8Ring

Hello:

I'm doing the 80 mile route with my wife on Father's Day. 

I generally start the Lookout Mountain route in at Rooney Road near E-470 and Morrison Road. This gives you about six miles of some gradual climbs and rollers to get warmed up before reaching Lookout Mountain Road and starting your more serious climb. 

The climb up Lookout is a bit challenging if you haven't done it before. Relax, spin, and drink plenty of liquid during the climb on these warm days. The scenery is great, there is little traffic, the other riders are friendly, and it gets cooler the higher you go.

After you climbLookout Mountain a time or two, you will want to follow Old Chipper's recommendation and go to the Nature Center a/k/a Boettcher Mansion (another couple hundred feet of climbing) for a pit stop, follow Colorow Rd. back to Lookout Mtn. Rd. and continue west to the Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd. Mount Vernon offers about 1.3 miles of continuous climbing at about a 7%. grade. You will rejoin US 40 as you exit the Mt. Vernon area near the Buffalo paddock where you head back downhill to your starting point. 

Once you do this route a few times, you will be eager to add climbing side trips to Genessee Park and Mother Cabrini Shrine. After that, you will learn of the secret side roads that are said to have grades of 15% to 20% or more. By then, this area will take its hold on you and you will hardly ride anywhere else.


Enjoy your climb.

Chris


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## Samadhi

8Ring said:


> Hello:
> 
> I'm doing the 80 mile route with my wife on Father's Day.
> 
> I generally start the Lookout Mountain route in at Rooney Road near E-470 and Morrison Road. This gives you about six miles of some gradual climbs and rollers to get warmed up before reaching Lookout Mountain Road and starting your more serious climb.
> 
> The climb up Lookout is a bit challenging if you haven't done it before. Relax, spin, and drink plenty of liquid during the climb on these warm days. The scenery is great, there is little traffic, the other riders are friendly, and it gets cooler the higher you go.
> 
> After you climbLookout Mountain a time or two, you will want to follow Old Chipper's recommendation and go to the Nature Center a/k/a Boettcher Mansion (another couple hundred feet of climbing) for a pit stop, follow Colorow Rd. back to Lookout Mtn. Rd. and continue west to the Mt. Vernon Country Club Rd. Mount Vernon offers about 1.3 miles of continuous climbing at about a 7%. grade. You will rejoin US 40 as you exit the Mt. Vernon area near the Buffalo paddock where you head back downhill to your starting point.
> 
> Once you do this route a few times, you will be eager to add climbing side trips to Genessee Park and Mother Cabrini Shrine. After that, you will learn of the secret side roads that are said to have grades of 15% to 20% or more. By then, this area will take its hold on you and you will hardly ride anywhere else.
> 
> 
> Enjoy your climb.
> 
> Chris


Thanks.

If LM takes too much time on saturday I'll put in for the 85 mile loop. That's been the plan all along and the reason I'm doing LM saturday in the first place. we'll have 9.5 hours to complete our rides. That means I'll have to average 11mph to get back to Stapleton before the course closes at 4pm. In fact, considering there will be a number of traffic and rest stops I'll have maintain an even faster pace - maybe 15mph I'm not sure I can maintain that pace for 100 miles with LM thrown in. Saturday's climb will tell the tale.

I'll ride to golden via Florida, Mississippi, Indiana, S. Golden, etc and then ride up 19th to the pillars and so on. That route as some decent climbs to warm up on before Golden. I'm gonna leave the house between 0530 and 0600 so I should miss a lot of traffic on the approach and have plenty of time to ride home on a longer route along 32nd, etc.

I'm really looking forward to this, regardless of the outcome. Climbs near my house - Ruby Hill, Ft Logan, Chatlfield have become a gauge of how I'm developing fitness-wise. Despite the fact that I usually hate the climb while I'm making it, I always end up looking forward to another go on my next ride. I've been wanting to try LM for a while along with Deer Creek/High Grade, Lefthand, and others and I think the time has come to HTFU and hit that hill.

Should be a good time.

I'm really glad I started this thread.

OH!!!! And I just got a call from Campus saying that my new Selle An-Atomica just came in so I'll be able to ride LM on something a bit more comfortable than the Fizik Pave I've got right now!!

Yay.


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## Andy Pancroft

5.5 miles, 1558 ft of ascent and 5.3% grade...Lookout is on my Strava three times a week(After 40 miles riding to it!!) - one of the easiest ascents in the area...go get it!!!


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## DonDenver

Samadhi said:


> Should be a good time.


It WILL be a good time. Reading through this thread (great supportive comments suggestions btw) it appears to me you have the perfect attitude for altitude @grade cycling. Don't be suprised however how if you never feel you're fast enough going up. Year after year, no matter how strong those legs and lungs and technique get, there is always an eye to the clock (your power:weight, bike weight, training, etc) I think Jens had something to do with this...its that love of suffering at a high level...and wanting it more 

Have a good ride @ lookout, we'll see you up there some time.


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## Bulldozer

Samadhi said:


> Would a decent via Hwy 40 be preferable to a back-track route?


Depends on what you like to descend. The fastest I've ever been on my bike (60mph+) was descending that section of Hwy 40 with a tailwind. The LM descent is more curvy and tight. If you get stuck behind a slow vehicle, it can really suck. Given the choice, I prefer LM with no traffic. If it's busy, take Hwy 40.


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## Andy Pancroft

I may have missed the post but, in addition to deer, be on the lookout for cops!! They do a lot of radar on Lookout and just step right into the road like they are God!!!


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## Samadhi

*Color My Ass Kicked*

I rode Lookout Mountain this morning.

I didn't exactly crush it, but I did make to the top.

And got my ass kicked in the process.

With numerous stops it took me about 2 hours.

Loved every minute of it. 

I was really impressed with the other riders. Every stop I made, at least one passing cyclist would ask me how I was doing. It wasn't like some lame greeting - that person actually seemed to give a sh!t about my condition. Other riders were just plain friendly - more so than you might find in town.

The store at the Buffal Bill grave site had a cooler with free icewater.

I made a 1/2 century out of the ride.

It all went pretty well. It took longer than I thought it would, but I wanted to see just what I ride like that would take. All in all, I'm very satisfied. Thanx to all who offered advice, encouragement, etc.


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## taralon

Congrats! You beat me out in making it up your first attempt. I turned around at the M and cruised back down my first attempt. Just so you know, the more times you do it, the funner it gets. Still a lot of effort, at least for me, but every time I ride to the top it's just a little easier, and I can enjoy the view and ride just a bit more. 

I never thought of stepping inside the store at the top, I'll have to do so the next time through.


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## Samadhi

taralon said:


> Congrats! You beat me out in making it up your first attempt. I turned around at the M and cruised back down my first attempt. Just so you know, the more times you do it, the funner it gets. Still a lot of effort, at least for me, but every time I ride to the top it's just a little easier, and I can enjoy the view and ride just a bit more.
> 
> I never thought of stepping inside the store at the top, I'll have to do so the next time through.


It's a good place to stop.

Besides water, they have the usual tourist trap useless schwag, fudge, burgers drinks and what was most valuable on Saturday, SHADE!

Having free icewater prompted buying a bottle of vitamin water and leaving a tip. Water is a valuable commodity up there. They had paper cups, but people were filling bottles and the folks behind the counter were happy to accomodate and refilled the jug when it ran empty. They could have been charging double for bottled water and people would gladly pay it. I appreciate the kind of generosity those folks show. Yes, they expect that offering free water will promote sales, but that's okay. For two bottles filled with clean, fresh, cold, good-tasting water, I think I can drop a few bucks on something else.

Shade was a nice touch. As it turned out there wasn't much shade available so being able to get out of the sun with a cold drink after two hours on the side of that mountain was kinda nice.

As far as the climb goes, I'll definitely have another go.


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## OldChipper

Great job sticking it out! As folks have said, each time gets easier as you learn the mountain.


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## OldChipper

Andy Pancroft said:


> I may have missed the post but, in addition to deer, be on the lookout for cops!! They do a lot of radar on Lookout and just step right into the road like they are God!!!


Yeah, there were 3 Sheriff's Deputies patrolling up there on Thursday night. Fortunately they'd left by the time I descended.


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## Andy Pancroft

Nice work getting up Lookout!!! Now that you've made it, instead of wondering if you can make it, you'll be concentrating on how fast you can make it!!!! I just did the Deer Creek Challenge route, for the fun of it - BIG mistake!!!!! Loads of steep (13 and 15 percent grades) climbs but, almost ten hours and 10k+ ft of climbing, I did it!!!! Next time, I'll drive to the ride rather than ride the 20 miles there and back!!! LOL


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## Samadhi

OldChipper said:


> Great job sticking it out! As folks have said, each time gets easier as you learn the mountain.


THANX!

Everyone in this thread was really encouraging and that actually helped some.

I tend to agree with Rule 10 - It doesn't get easier. It just gets faster.

I suspect next time I shave a few minutes off my my time by resting less. To that end, I find myself wondering what can/should I do to train up for the next attempt.

One thing's for sure. I will do it again.

Another thing's for sure, I won't be doing the full 100-ile option for the Denver Century. Considering the time it took to finish Lookout and how shagged-out I was for the rest of the 50 miles I rode that day, a full century really isn't a good idea right now. In fact, I'm thinking the metric option might be just about right. 

Live and learn I guess ...


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## Andy Pancroft

Samadhi said:


> THANX!
> 
> Everyone in this thread was really encouraging and that actually helped some.
> 
> I tend to agree with Rule 10 - It doesn't get easier. It just gets faster.
> 
> I suspect next time I shave a few minutes off my my time by resting less. To that end, I find myself wondering what can/should I do to train up for the next attempt.
> 
> One thing's for sure. I will do it again.
> 
> Another thing's for sure, I won't be doing the full 100-ile option for the Denver Century. Considering the time it took to finish Lookout and how shagged-out I was for the rest of the 50 miles I rode that day, a full century really isn't a good idea right now. In fact, I'm thinking the metric option might be just about right.
> 
> Live and learn I guess ...


Training for a century isn't a week-long effort!!! If you're not ready for it this year, you will be next. And, by that time, you'll be encouraging the next person who posts a question about being able to climb Lookout!!!


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## taralon

One thing you might want to look into is your gearing ratios. When I bought my bike I went with the Apex setup simply because I'm not a world class athlete (twelve months ago I might have qualified as world class couch potato), and the low end 34/32 gearing that the system allowed me was quite attractive. Going up Lookout I can ride in the 34/25 and the 34/28 until I start pushing the heartrate into the red, and then drop into the 34/32 and grind away until I get it back down again. I'm not sure what your bike has for gearing, but its a thought to maybe look into changing out one of the front chainrings, or part/all of the rear cassette for a more suitable gear selection. 



Samadhi said:


> THANX!
> 
> Everyone in this thread was really encouraging and that actually helped some.
> 
> I tend to agree with Rule 10 - It doesn't get easier. It just gets faster.
> 
> I suspect next time I shave a few minutes off my my time by resting less. To that end, I find myself wondering what can/should I do to train up for the next attempt.
> 
> One thing's for sure. I will do it again.
> 
> Another thing's for sure, I won't be doing the full 100-ile option for the Denver Century. Considering the time it took to finish Lookout and how shagged-out I was for the rest of the 50 miles I rode that day, a full century really isn't a good idea right now. In fact, I'm thinking the metric option might be just about right.
> 
> Live and learn I guess ...


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## Samadhi

taralon said:


> One thing you might want to look into is your gearing ratios. When I bought my bike I went with the Apex setup simply because I'm not a world class athlete (twelve months ago I might have qualified as world class couch potato), and the low end 34/32 gearing that the system allowed me was quite attractive. Going up Lookout I can ride in the 34/25 and the 34/28 until I start pushing the heartrate into the red, and then drop into the 34/32 and grind away until I get it back down again. I'm not sure what your bike has for gearing, but its a thought to maybe look into changing out one of the front chainrings, or part/all of the rear cassette for a more suitable gear selection.


I have an Apex group, too. 12/28 & 34/50. Just switched the cassette out from a Shimano 12/25. I think I'll leave it there for the time being. I was bike-watching a lot during my repeated rest stops and noticed that most people on road bikes had a gear range smaller than a 32 tooth cog.

To go to a 12/32 would require a new derailleur (medium cage) and She Who Holds The Pursestrings won't go for that. I'd consider changing the chainrings but I'd need to replace both as the front derailleur can only handle a 16-tooth difference (my understanding). So, if I change the small chainring I'll have to change both. Not up for that, either.

I think I'd rather see how my leg and cardio-vascular strength develops before changing gearing yet again.

When I felt my heartrate was getting too high I simply slowed down, stopped and sat until my heartrate came down. It was a little awkward sitting there by the side of the road watching everyone else mash on by, but then I wasn' trying to win a race or anything. Just wanted to top the sucker. 

I suspect it'll be a while before I make LM in one stint.


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## Andy Pancroft

One reason why one needs to be careful coming down!!! But, at 100 degrees and 5% humidity, I wasn't worried about Bambi going up!!!:cryin:


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