That Hill
Almost anytime I leave my house to go somewhere, I have to ride uphill. (The exception is when I head to school, but even though that literally sends me downhill, symbolically, it’s often an uphill slog, especially when I’m facing a morning meeting.)
The hill, nearly every time, is the same hill: the south side of Capital Hill, up Jefferson from 28th Avenue, north past Swedish Hospital, and then to the summit, more or less, at Union and 19th.
This morning, I did it twice before 8:00AM, first, around six o’ clock on my way to yoga class, second, a little before eight on the tandem, taking Mimi to school.
Most of the time, I don’t mind it terribly, especially as the weather gets chillier; usually by the time I’ve crested the hill by T.T. Minor Elementary school, I’m all warm and toasty, which is nice.
However, of late, it’s begun wearing on me a bit, particularly when, as on mornings like today, I’ve been rushing around and haven’t even had my coffee, and the kid, allegedly stoking the tandem is lollygagging about, merely letting her legs spin without really doing much in the way of adding thrust on the ascent.
I know, of course, that Seattle is a city of hills, and by and large, I like them. Riding on flats is boring, and if it weren’t for all the ups and downs in our fair city, there would be way more wannabe cyclists cluttering up the streets (like Portland!) and I wouldn’t get to feel nearly so self-righteous about being a cycle commuter. Still, from time to time, I do wish more of them sloped downward than upwards.
Now, I wouldn’t say that Jefferson Street is my nemesis; it is, however, a constant reminder to me that my legs and lungs aren’t getting any younger; and what’s really weird is how every year, even though you can’t see it, the grade gets a little steeper.
The hill, nearly every time, is the same hill: the south side of Capital Hill, up Jefferson from 28th Avenue, north past Swedish Hospital, and then to the summit, more or less, at Union and 19th.
This morning, I did it twice before 8:00AM, first, around six o’ clock on my way to yoga class, second, a little before eight on the tandem, taking Mimi to school.
Most of the time, I don’t mind it terribly, especially as the weather gets chillier; usually by the time I’ve crested the hill by T.T. Minor Elementary school, I’m all warm and toasty, which is nice.
However, of late, it’s begun wearing on me a bit, particularly when, as on mornings like today, I’ve been rushing around and haven’t even had my coffee, and the kid, allegedly stoking the tandem is lollygagging about, merely letting her legs spin without really doing much in the way of adding thrust on the ascent.
I know, of course, that Seattle is a city of hills, and by and large, I like them. Riding on flats is boring, and if it weren’t for all the ups and downs in our fair city, there would be way more wannabe cyclists cluttering up the streets (like Portland!) and I wouldn’t get to feel nearly so self-righteous about being a cycle commuter. Still, from time to time, I do wish more of them sloped downward than upwards.
Now, I wouldn’t say that Jefferson Street is my nemesis; it is, however, a constant reminder to me that my legs and lungs aren’t getting any younger; and what’s really weird is how every year, even though you can’t see it, the grade gets a little steeper.
posted by Professor Dave at 12:37 PM
1 Comments:
As a Capitol Hill resident I know exactly what you're talking about. For two year I worked in Renton and every ride home featured a slog up Madison to my home on 19th. On a good day it wasn't too bad, but on a not so good day it was slow speed death march. I remember one day I snaped a cable on my front shifter and couldn't shift gears. I made it all the way to MLK and Madison in one gear, but as soon as I turned on to Madison I practically fell over. It's the only I ever let that damn hill beat me.
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