Riding up Flagstaff Road

If you do not like bicycles and you are not in good shape, you may want to drive this one. This is a steep hill that starts where Baseline ends, and gets steeper from there. On the way up, you first pass the expensive Flagstaff House restaurant, and then the road continues up a series of switchbacks higher up. As I was riding from one switchback to another, a hiker was shortcutting through the woods, and we actually met about three times, until I finally left her behind on a flatter section. I must admit, I also prefer hiking and my mountain bike is not of the lightest variety.

Later on, you pass a turn to the summit of the Flagstaff mountain and if you think as I did, that this must be almost it, you are in for a bad surprise. The road gets steeper from there and when you think you are there, it gets steeper yet. I was almost embarrased when humbly switching to the lowest gear, at which point my pace slowed to a crawl. But I made it, all 2500 vertical feet of it without being passed by another biker. Well, this was more due to my early start than my pace.:-) And then as I slowly coasted down, stopping at times to enjoy the views, I thought to myself, this is what bikes are made for anyway.

Cold morning	Ready to go down	Looking west	It is a hard life	Tough climb	Tough climb
Tough climb