Hittin' the Hills

Saturday's weather was nothing like we've seen these last couple of days. Temps in the mid 40's, Kevin and I were proud of the fact that we even made it out there. The subject of this posting may sound like we were intentional in our selection but the truth is we chose the hills to avoid the wind on our normal routes.

In the Great Hills area of Austin, we hit Yaupon, a steep 8% grade. The caution sign is at the top of the hill and I saw it just before we flew down! We turned to go back up and it looked ever so daunting. This photo does NOT do the hill justice. As I gasped my way up the hill, I sucked in so much cold air that my throat became really sore. Kevin seems to think that we should start repeating this climb regularly until we can make it 6 or 7 times. I want to be optimistic and think positively but seriously, is that possible for me? What kind of time frame are we looking at for successfully accomplishing a goal like that?

Is there anything that I can say or feet/time that I can calculate that will convey to you in words exactly how challenging this hill really is?

The afternoon temps are now in the 80's again and I'm riding in the morning before work. All my friends and cycling buds are somehow on Spring Break, enjoying this awesome weather and riding during the day. You guys suck!