The Fig

For most of us cycling in California's Central Coast, The Fig, also know as Figueroa Mtn. Rd. is the monster climb. There's two ways to approach the top. Most directly you can leave Los Olivos on Figueroa Mtn Rd and after about seven miles of fairly level road you start up many miles of very steep ramps. Alternatively you can ride south and take the Happy Canyon approach to the ridge, which is marginally easier, and by that I mean it is a little further up the mountain before the inclines get ridiculous. You can make a loop out of it or out and back from either direction, but no matter what your choice, it will kick you ass. I'm pretty certain that no less a rider than Lance Armstrong said it was one of the toughest climbs in the country, and one of his favorites.
Yesterday my first full day as a 65 year old I thought I'd have a go at it. I've done the complete loop from both directions before and have done the climb and back from both ways. I've also been brought to a standstill a couple times on both sides and had to turn back before the top. Yesterday was one of those days. I took the steeper harder north route and after about five miles of climbing, or only a bit more than half way up I had to call it a day. I couldn't face the next steep ramp up to the ranger station. I knew the slopes leveled out above the station, but it didn't matter I was cooked.
The encouraging part of the day was checking the Strava segments afterwards and discovering that I was the fastest 65+ on one of them and in the top 3 in all of the steeps I climbed. And, I wasn't on my lightest bike or even on that good of a day. It should be fun over the rest of the summer posting times on many of the local Strava segments as a 65 year old. It looks like I may be for a while at least one of the dominant riders in the category.