City Creek

Finally! I was beginning think that I was somehow cursed as each attempt to ride City Creek has resulted in a problem: Snow/ice on the road, no bikes allowed on odd holidays, a friend's rear hub blowing up, etc. However, yesterday after work, with the help of Kris and my neighbor Craig, I was able to finally do the entire ride. My initial impression is that City Creek is a deceptive climb. Initially it doesn't really feel like you are climbing at all, then you encounter a few short, steeper pitches followed by more easy climbing. I had thought that once the road narrowed after the water facility it would kick up but even then it continued mellow. I should note that I allowed Craig and Kris to open up a gap on the slight downhill in the middle of the climb so from that point on I was basically climbing alone. I figured if it ever got steep I would catch back up and, as luck would have it, I eventually did, but it wasn't until the last 1/2 mile when the road really kicks up.

Yesterday was also my first hard effort on the new '08 Madone Black frame and I must say that the bike performed quite well. I don't feel like I've ridden it enough to make any definitive statements as to how it rides. However, my initial impression is that the frame is both smooth and stiff. Noticeably more so than my previous 2003 OCLV 120 frame. Remember that the wheels, tires, bar, stem, saddle, etc. came from my old bike. The only changes are the frame (with the associated fork & seat mast) and the Ultegra SL crank. I knew the bike would be stiff based on the published tests but had assumed that the stiffness would come at the expense of comfort. Well, as is often true, reality once again proves the invalidity of assumption! Not a bad combination of attributes.