The Hogpen Hillclimb

I am so excited that I FINALLY got to ride up Hogpen! I have wanted to do this forever-but getting up to the Gaps is always such a hassle and never seems to fit in with the rest of my training. So when Scoots invited me along for a Gaps trip last weekend, I knew that I couldn't resist!

I have heard SO much about Hogpen, I was a little apprehensive about a climb that has left many of my friends off their bikes and walking their first time up. But it wasn't really half as bad as it's made out to be. It would have been a lot easier had I not accidently took a tramadol (pain killer) after Unicoi Gap. Oops. That was totally supposed to be for the leg pain after the ride! I got super-dizzy and sick to my stomach. But somehow I managed to make it up Hogpen and back down! My goal was not to let the mountain goat Scoots get out of sight. I can't wait to climb like that one day!

We rode a total of about 48-50 miles. It was blazing hot because we didn't start until 11am! The best part was that I didn't freak out at all on the descents, because honestly they were nothing compared to what I dealt with in Cali! After the ride was over I was even more dizzy and nauseated (pain killers on an empty stomach aren't a good idea!) We made an emergency stop at Zaxby's so I could hug the porecelin for a few minutes and then I felt better!

Congrats to Aaron for riding up Hogpen his FIRST trip to the Gaps! That's awesome!

Happy Training!