Ready to get back on the bike

Between the weather and the business of the h0lidays, I haven’t biked in a while. But I’m about to get going again.

I got some new cycling gear for Christmas – a couple pairs of gloves and a frame pump (so if I get a flat, I don’t have to call Evelyn to pick me up 20 miles out of town).

I’d specifically like to get strong, as I’d like to tackle Bear Camp Road this coming summer. Below is a map/profile of the road (click for bigger):

It’s a one-lane paved road from Gold Beach to Grants Pass in southern Oregon. More specifically, Bear Camp Road is the middle section from Agness to Galice (each town is literally at the base of the sides of the big hill in the profile). The road is snowed over and impassable in the winter but is nice in summer.

I’m planning to go West to East, and I’m having a little trouble figuring out how to train for 16 miles uphill. To be honest, if the elevation profile looks like a hat, it’s probably a tough ride. Which is probably what I need about now.