Vertical K in a Day – BionicOldGuy

Since a long trip was planned yesterday and I’m running out of days to meet her Strava climbing challengeI decided to climb 1000 meters in one day. Mountain runners call this a “vertical K.” I chose the biggest climb in our area, up to Henry Coe State Park, about 16 miles via East Dunne Ave. The last time I did this on a recumbent bike was probably over 30 years ago. I had no electric assistance for this and to climb the final steep section known as “the wall” I had to pull my stuck shoes up on the pedals. I managed it, but ended up with a bad overuse injury to my shin that didn’t go away for a few years. This time I was hoping to avoid that: no jammed shoes, but electrical support. I almost made it to the “wall” but the battery was almost empty. I had to leave enough reserve to stay at home as there were still a few climbs to tackle on the way back.

So I stayed behind Henry Coe but added a few hills on the side of West Morgan Hill to give it enough of a climb. Here is the ride summary from Strava. It was the 1008 m that I needed.