Today's ride visited a hill that's new to me, Olive Tree Lane. Our local topography is such that one need not stray far to find fresh challenges - in this case, a residential neighborhood of Los Altos.Although we could see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Hamilton across the valley, the lower altitudes of Los Altos are rarely affected by treacherous weather. Translation: sections of Olive Tree Lane are tortuously steep.
Most impressively, our ride leaders today (Tootsie and Pops) were a father-daughter pair who rewarded us with . . . Tootsie Pops. Our dynamic duo climbed this beast on a touring bike/trail-a-bike combo outfitted with panniers. Yow! I had enough trouble hauling my sorry self to the top of the hill. The last stretch averages about 14.5% for almost two tenths of a mile. After that, the "hilly route" home felt pretty benign. Here is most of my route, courtesy of MyTracks:
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There are many, many short steep hills in that area: Ravensbury, Mora, Quinhill, Taafe, Altamont, Moody, Blandor and Olive. I love riding over there if I have an hour or 90 minutes to work out, as the variety of possible short, stiff workouts is so great
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