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| Mingus Mountain Climb |
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One way to describe today's route: Well it aint nothin,' its something! 3 climbs; Yarnell Hill 6 miles at 5%; Wilhoit Climb 18 miles of climbing rollers; Mingus Mountain 7 miles at 5%, for a total elevation gain of 8800 feet in 103 miles!
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The group rolls out of Wickenburg
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We roll out as a small group, but by the time we hit Route 89 North, its just Jeff and I rolling along at an easy recovery pace. We both blew up in the heat yesterday, and knowing how tough today would be, I told Jeff I was going to ride slow and steady all day. He thought that was a great idea and went along for the ride!
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The Green Frog
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The sentinel of the Yarnell Hill climb, is the Green Frog. He sits at the base of the climb, and we were quite happy that he was not bothered by our passage!
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Jeff enduring my local brevet stories!
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Passing the Green Frog, we continued onward and upward.
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Mid-morning snack in Peeples Valley
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We cleared the climb and dodging huge grasshoppers on the road, we bombed the descent into Peeples Valley and stopped at the Mountianaire Convenience store (one of my favorite brevet stops). We grabbed a snack and continued on to the base of Wilhoit climb at Kirkland Juction (yes that's where all the Costco stuff comes from ;-). We checked into the SAG and topped off bottles and ice socks for the long, hot, and steady Wilhoit climb.
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Lunch at the summit
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2 long hours of steady climbing put us at the "Welcome To Prescott" sign and Susan's lunch truck. We sat in the shade and enjoyed a great meal!
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Protest in Prescott
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We rolled out and down into Prescott. There was an anti-mandate protest in progress. They were happy to see us and we rolled by! The route continued out of town and onto the Pioneer Parkway. A limited access highway that allows bikes. Just a little heavy with traffic and roadside debris, but we made it through with no incident.
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The real climbing starts here
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Nearing the Mingus Summit
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12 miles of descent; Yes Please!
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We reloaded our drink bottles and grabbed some bananas for pocket food to consume on the descent. After a long day today, depletion of reserves in the heat yesterday, and another big climbing day tomorrow, now was time to start the recovery cycle!
The descent was a blast, especially motor pacing a Harley for the first 5 miles!
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Rolling through Jerome
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The 'ghost' town in Jerome provides a short break from the fast descent, but soon we are through the little town and enjoying the descent through Clarkdale to Cottonwood. We rolled in at just over 9 hours!
Back to the routine; clean bike, shower, clean kit, and figure out dinner. I was sensing a need for calories, fat, and salt...
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The Big Box of Deliciousness!
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Feeling much better day today, I just feel sorry for Jeff having to listen to all my brevet stories on the climbs!
See you tomorrow!
1 comment:
So Happy you had a great day on the bike! I have climbed the Yarnell hill. Mingus is on my list. Great job!
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