In an effort to practice my hill climbing skills I loaded my bike, attached my trailer, and headed off for a ride from Universal Studios to Simi Valley. All of my camping gear was not yet ready to go into the trailer so I added weight by setting two 1 gallon Arrowhead bottles of water, and a gallon of Dunn Edwards Unicote Primer in the trailer. This way it was just like having my gear for the real ride.
The weather was warm and got warmer, and as I ascended the Old Santa Susana Pass Road, I had to be sure to take in lots of water. Very little shade was available to shelter me from the rising temperatures, but before 10 AM I crested over the pass and coasted down to the Old Susana Cafe.
Once I reached the cafe I had an enormous breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. YUM!! The good thing about all this exercise is that I can eat whatever I want. Then after breakfast I had to ride home the 25 miles and use all of the energy I consumed at breakfast.
So, with a full tummy, I started the climb back up the hill. The food gave me lots of energy, and I was able to pedal my bike, my body, and my trailer back up and over the pass. The sun struck me even harder on the ride home, and even with the downhill slope I was feeling the challenge. I continued to drink lots of water and keep my energy level in a safe zone. Whenever exercising it is important not to overdo it - that can make you sick.
I started my ride at 7:30 AM and finished at 12:45 PM. I took 45 minutes for breakfast. Can anyone figure out how long I was actually riding my bike?
