With the rain we've had every Tuesday night these last 4 weeks, I have been unable to try riding with the Texas Wheels on their hill training night - as if the Thursday "speed" night wasn't hilly enough!
 
Anyway I arrived early and discussed the route and tried to figure it out as best I could.  The idea would be that instead of hitting the rollers out in Ceder Hill/Duncanville, we'd go up lake ridge and do a circle that included riding up the Texas Plume TWICE.  I think Bud plotted this hill at 200 feet of climbing in aboiut a mile, with one section at 12%.   Gets the heart rate around 180-185 real fast for me - pukesville if I'm not careful.
 
So I tried a new strategy tonight.  I stayed with the paceline, and jammed right up the first sets of hills going towards the Plume.  Stayed in the first third of the line and used the next mile of level ground to recover.  As we started to hit a small descent leading up to the plume I jammed on it and put a hundred yards or so on the paceline and held the lead until the Plume became steep.  The whole line passed me, but I overtook 3 roadies on the way back up - the new 11-32 cassette lets me climb in the middle ring - MUCH more power.  I still had the whole line in my sight and could have taken them easily, but I stopped to wait for Bud at the top of the hill.
 
Unbeknownst to me, he had a mechanical so my wait was for naught.  So I caught up with the last rider again and toyed with him down and around and back up the plume a second time.  Back down lake ridge to a street called valley view.  It's a 3 mile or so high-moderate incline, leads to a screaming downhill, and then before you looms THE WALL.  It's maybe 30 yards long, but you can't get a running start because of the incline leading towards it, and it's so steep that my front wheel was bouncing up every time I mashed the pedals hard, and "chirping" on the way back down.
 
Once you climb the wall you go back the way you came and do the entire valley view road again.  Apparently you're only supposed to do the wall a second time, but I did it twice.  Then it's out to I-67, back down the Plume, and a 9 mile sprint back to the finish.
 
32 miles, 2500 feet or so of climbing.  Seems MUCH worse though!  In spite of the hill slowness, I kept a 16.6 average.  Speed night on Thursday oughta be much easier, if I can recover.

I'm hoping it'll be clear enough for tonight's ride.  I'm starting to drop some fat finally and I'd like to keep the miles up and keep it off.  5 pounds less is five pounds less I have to carry up the hills in Austin for 105 miles Saturday.

You have *no* idea how fast Bud is these days.   These days he stays on my wheel for a few minutes to tire me out, then he blasts out in front of me and is a half mile ahead before I can blink.  And then he disappears.  He usually has time for a shower by the time I get back to the parking lot!  

Guess I'd better air up with helium, then...   <grin>    The tires, that is...