Greenville cycling: Skyuka Mountain

What you need to know before climbing Skyuka Mountain

Distance: There are two ways to climb to the top of Skyuka. From Skyuka Mountain Road, the climb is 4.27 miles (to the scenic rock point, picture above). From White Oak Mountain Road, the climb is 4.06 miles.

Elevation gain: Start at 1061 feet and finish at 2883 feet (total gain = 1966 feet).

Grade: According to my Garmin, the average grade is ~8% (from both sides). There are several very pitchy segments that range from 11-17%. This is a nasty climb with no relief (recovery sections) from bottom to top.

Road condition: The road condition is poor. There are a few sections that have been paved, which is a real treat. You can expect cracks, bumps, debris, water, trees limbs and bumps as you are climbing and descending.

Scenery: This is a very peaceful climb with views of the mountains tucked beyond the trees. However, you likely won't be enjoying much of it as you'll be focused on the road ahead of you. There is a little bit of everything throughout this climb - waterfalls, a lake, mountains, trees, running water....it's nature at its finest.

Recommended bike/gearing: Road bike! Crazy enough, the first time we climbed Skyuka we were on our tri bikes. The road bike is better for this climb as the descend is extremely technical with fast sections going right into very tight switchbacks. You'll want your "easiest" climbing gears; Semi-compact crank. 52-34 chainset and11-30 (or 28) cassette. Disc brakes and electronic shifting will also make your climbing/descending experience a bit more enjoyable.

Descend: No matter which side you descend from, this is a very technical and dangerous descent. We've never taken any of our group camps (and only one private camper) on this climb for that reason. With the poor road conditions, debris on the road and fast descends going into back to back tight switchbacks, you definitely want to have great bike handling skills for descending when planning this climb.

Climb with a view? While it's our most technical and challenging climb and most dangerous descend, the view at the top makes it all worth it. You actually get two scenic points to enjoy - one on each side of the top of the mountain. The panoramic view is really is breathtaking. Just make sure to go on a clear day so you can really enjoy the view (we've climbed it in the winter and all we got at the top were clouds). On the White Oak Mountain side, you'll see a beautiful waterfall flowing from the mountain. On the Skyuka Road side, there is a lake near the top! Be sure to have your camera ready for this climb.

Traffic: There are several houses spread throughout the mountain, as well as some other lodging facilities. However, I've never found this climb to be busy with traffic - only a few cars may drive by (if any). Because the climb and descend is so technical, the cars are not traveling very fast (albeit, a little faster than what we can do on two wheels).

Difficulty: You've probably gotten the gist that this is a technical and extremely difficult climb with an incredible view. You'll need great fitness, endurance, strength and bike handling skills to feel comfortable and safe on this climb.

Honest feedback: We have never taken any of our group campers on this climb because it's not the best for tri bikes. We've actually only taken one private camper/athlete on this climb. The view at the top is incredible but it's a very challenging climb with a sketchy descend. Be safe and smart.

The 7-hour tour (Hogback Moutain, Skyuka Mountain x2, Saluda Grade, Green River Cove loop)
Date: 6/14/20
Road bike
Riding time: 7:06
Total Miles: 104
Total elevation: ~12,000 feet
Run off the bike: 21 min/2.5 miles/~300 feet

2013 Horrible Hundred - event recap

Do you like to be challenged?

If so, doesn't it feel good to be challenged at things you are really good at?

When it comes to triathlons - I'm in my comfort zone. It doesn't matter how hilly a course may be, how hard the wind is blowing, how wavy the water is, how hot it is outside or who my competition is.....I accept the challenge because I have experience and confidence in the sport of triathlons.

Throw me into a soccer game and we will have another story. OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE!

Like anyone, I am challenged all the time by life - things out of my control and suddenly I am forced to figure them out. They don't require the use of a Garmin, running shoes or goggles but instead, a mind that can make the best decisions possible and then learn from the experience afterward. There's nothing worse than making the same mistake twice so instead of viewing life's challenges as failures, I believe they are learning lessons.

And what's great about sports or anything that requires you to step outside of your comfort zone (ex. public speaking, singing/choir, being the head of a project/event, etc.) is that you are going to be challenged and that challenge (or challenges) will likely make a difference in how you live your life.

I use to beat myself up a lot when I made mistakes. I was really hard on myself and I would even call myself "stupid." That was never a nice thing to say about myself especially when I would make mistakes while in school - studying to earn my Master of Science degree or my RD credential. Obviously, I wasn't stupid but at that time in my life, I put so much pressure on myself to do things perfectly and be good at things that I forgot about the act of making progress. I don't have to be perfect, just make progress.

On 11/17/13 I returned to Clermont Florida for my 4th time participating in the Horrible Hundred cycling event. This was my third time doing the 100 mile option. Last year, Karel and I did the event around 24 hours after finishing a 10K race so our legs were really toasted.

This year, we did this event as the finish of our first week of our transition training phase and we were really excited for this event. A chance to catch up with our friends, ride the hills in Clermont Florida that our legs love so much and enjoy what we love to do with hundreds and hundreds of other cyclists and fitness enthusiasts.

                            

One area that challenges me the most with my love of triathlons is running. But that is for reasons beyond my control for the biomechanics and physiology of my body keep me frustrated at times but I refuse to give up on being as smart as I can with my body and training for endurance events.

So that leaves me with another challenge which is cycling.

The Horrible Hundred event means more to me than just riding my bike for 100 miles or 5+ hours. For me, it is a way that I can judge my progress as a cyclist. This course isn't easy and it tests me in so many ways - my mind, my endurance, my skills and my power. Thanks to a lot of hard work and patience, I have come very far since I got my first "tri bike" in 2003 and I can judge my progress with this event.

The funny thing about cycling on the same roads/course is that it doesn't really get any easier. Despite gains in power, skills and speed, I still get tired but in a different way. I love that I can just sign up for this event and ride 100 miles. I'm grateful that my body can do that. But after the event, I was pooped.

Every year I am able to ride a stronger than the year before. I can challenge myself by riding with cyclists of a different level every year. For there is always someone faster and slower than myself and I like recognizing my limits with the relatively "fast" people for me each year.

This year, I was able to ride the entire Horrible Hundred course with Karel....behind his wheel. Sadly, our goal to catch up with friends and for Karel to ride his road bike with his old cat 1 cycling buddies was gone as they changed the start of the event and changed the course slightly (to be a little more horrible than in years past - in a good way of course). We typically ride around Lake Minneola on our own to warm-up as that part of the course can be a bit of a chaotic time for the packs of riders. Also, it can be a bit sketchy with the first climb within 8 miles of the start of the event and it is super steep.

After I registered that morning, I rode back to my car and did not hear the announcement about the change in the course and did not consider to look at the map (Karel has done this race at least 6+ times) so we were at least 15-20 minutes behind the front group which is Karel's pace....but not mine.

So, after feeling a little let down that Karel was not able to ride with all his buddies at the front, he had no choice but to pull me around the course for 100 miles. And not only me, but anyone else who was strong enough to hang on....which was very few.

We passed riders for over 2 hours and although I was having fun, Karel was a bit bored with his solo effort.

Whereas for me, I was being challenged.....tremendously. My heart was hurting, my legs were throbbing and I kept wondering how long I'd be able to keep up this pace. Especially when Sugarloaf mountain comes around mile 75 or so.
                                   
For over 2.5 hours, Karel was pulling me up and down every climb and all I could do was to hang on until I wanted to quit.

Around 3 hours, I was struggling. No amount of nutrition could help me ride faster - I was pushed beyond my limits. Karel told me that I needed to believe in myself but my main concern was how I would be able to hold on for 2 more hours??? Karel reminded me that I couldn't think like that. He encouraged me that I was doing great and around mile 67 or so, we would be stopping at a SAG stop to refill our bottles so only around 15-20 minutes to go. We were averaging around 20.5mph for the first 3 hours - a few slow moments for me to catch up to Karel on the climbs and obviously, a lot slower pace than if he was with the group in front...and considering he had to ride at least "slow" enough for me to suffer enough behind him without getting dropped in the first hour, that pace was fast enough for me.

                             

So after a little pep talk from Karel, I needed to remind myself of how far I have come. Never did I think I could ride 100 miles at one time in my life..I grew up as a swimmer.
 Then I thought about riding 112 miles for the first time....with Karel falling asleep behind me on his road bike as I was training for IMFL in 2006. :)
Then I thought about being able to run a marathon after riding 112 miles....now I have done that 7 times.
Then I thought about all the hilly courses I have completed  - IMKY, IMWI, IM Lake Placid, Branson 70.3 with good cycling skills and love for riding my bike on those challenging courses.

And then I thought about Karel's "race" on Sugarloaf a few years ago. Five laps up Sugarloaf mountain with a sprint finish at the time. I remember this race as if it was yesterday and just watching him race on that day made my legs hurt. Karel placed 2nd at this race and every time I ride on hills in training, I think about Karel and his ability to suffer so amazingly well.

                             
                    (Karel on the far right, 5th time up Sugarloaf, sprinting at the top  for the final lap to place 2nd)

Motivation self-talk is an amazing thing. As a single-sport athlete, I have a lot of time to be one with my thoughts....and not always are they good thoughts. I know for Karel, when he raced bikes he would speak to himself a thousand times that he should quit for the pain was too much. It was like a checklist - ok, one more lap and then I will quite, ok one more.....the same is true for running. How many times have you told yourself, just one more mile...and then......one more mile.....

I feel challenged by cycling in a different way than in life. For in cycling, I know I can progress and it doesn't always mean training harder. Karel always knows what climbing cassette I need on my bike and with my complaints of my position on my road bike, that was solved with a shorter crank and a change in my reach to my handelbars - so no more right shoulder pain. I have much better skills and confidence on my bike and I really love being on my bike.

So even though I always review course maps in great detail (or drive the course) before triathlon races, I learned on Sunday that we also should have reviewed the course map ahead of time to avoid missing our friends. Lesson learned.

In life, sometimes we don't get second chances. And that sucks. Sometimes bad news is all the news we get. Sometimes there is no light at the end of the road, no rainbow to shine after the storm blows through.

Hopefully, you always have the chance to learn from your failures...or as I like to call, lessons.

One of the best things I have learned about life is that even though I am faced with challenges all the time, I have to be strong enough to move forward. Sometimes it takes a little believing in yourself...sometimes a laugh at a joke or a discussion with friends, family or a coach/expert.

But the key is to never give up. How can you learn from your mistakes, failures and lessons if you don't try again? Never let your failed moment be your last moment.


                                 

I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to give up in triathlons and especially with cycling and running. So frustrated that I wasn't "good" enough or that I could never keep up with Karel when we met. But the drive to get better somehow overpowered my fear of failure so a warm-up behind Karel turned into a group ride, which turned into three Kona slots, which turned into loving to climb mountains......

Now 7 years later, I can cover 100 miles with Karel...albeit, at a pace a bit slower than what Karel can do alone or with his cycling buddies, it was what I could handle uncomfortably and it is still a huge improvement.

For 5 hours and 10 minutes I kept reminding myself how lucky I am to be able to experience the joy of suffering with Karel.

There may be a day when I can not ride my bike for 100 miles but on 11/17/13, I was proud to be healthy and well enough to do what I love to do. Every year I want to become a better athlete and healthier human being. Every year I reflect and think about what I should have done better. It's easy to focus on what worked but it takes a lot of effort to focus on what didn't work and how to make yourself better.

The same applies in life.

If you do the same thing over and over, expect the same results. 

What's it like to ride 100 miles behind Karel?

For the past 5 weeks, I have been focused on periodized training as I train for Ironman Lake Placid. Like every athlete, I have had some obstacles thrown in my way but I just focus on the cans and making progress - for some progress is better than no progress. In other words, making small gains forward and not going backward. With not running for 8 weeks due to my iliopsoas strain/tendonitis issues, I had a lot of ground to make up but I believe in making investments and not withdrawals. I got myself very strong in my glutes/hips/adductors/abductors and although the progression back to running has been slow, I have designed my return to running with a purpose for each run - I must feel stronger and more confident with my running with every workout. I stop before I need to stop, I walk to ensure less residual fatigue and I am focused on form, not speed.

As for swimming - I love to swim and not sure how much I will improve over the next 2 months but for me to get faster, I have to swim a lot and I just don't have all the time in the world so I have specific sets for each workout and that has given me some great key workouts...and some OK workouts where I just enjoy being in the water (after almost 20 years of competitive swimming).

In terms of biking, building endurance for an Ironman is much easier than building speed and I have come very far since first learning to ride a tri bike in 2006. Considering I have done 5 Ironmans and have been with Karel for all of them, you'd think that I'd be knocking out "long" rides every weekends and I'd be super fast on the bike. But it's not that simple to just ride long or hard every weekend/day and ensure the body will be ready for race day. As athletes, we all seem to have a few epic/stellar workouts in our system and at any point in the training plan, we can knock out some long workouts. Perhaps some are spot-on and amazing and others are ehhh, OK and glad to have got that one over with. I don't believe in the later for I want to gain something from every workout and it's very rare that my body will give me an ehhh, sub-par workout with periodized training.

Over the past 5 weeks, I have done 4 "long" rides of ~ 4 hours. Each ride had a purpose, teaching myself to be more efficient, working on nutrition and learning how to properly pace myself at the Ironman zone 3 (power zone) effort along with the rest of my swim-bike-run training.

Before even deciding to do a century this year, I wanted to make sure my mind and body were prepared for 100 miles and I knew if I couldn't pace and fuel myself properly for 4 hours, there's really no point in knocking out a 100 mile ride. Because I always go by time and not distance on the bike for a workout, I wanted to have a strong 100 mile ride and not waste time out there riding "slow" but instead, put my training to good use and to see what I was capable of. I feel this was the best strategy for mental toughness in that if I could be focused and strong for 4 hours, I knew with the right pacing, nutrition and focus, I could have a strong 100 mile ride. I just don't believe in long rides that are slow. I also don't feel that they need to be fast. There needs to be a purpose with every workout if you are sticking to periodized training and it's not about speed or miles but rather what you put into those miles.

So Friday evening I was excited for the century ride that I invited Karel to pace me on but totally exhausted from a long week of working/training. Fri night came around and I was in no mood to cook. BUT, food is fuel and my medicine and it only takes a little creativity and a pre-meal snack to get me excited to fuel my body with yummy nutritious fuel. 

For dinner: 

Grapefruit and strawberry salad w/ dark leafy greens, almonds, farmers cheese and golden raisins.

Pasta and veggie casserole

For the casserole, I boiled some pasta noodles until al dente. While those were cooking I sauteed firm cubed tofu in a little olive oil and seasoned with turmeric (hence the yellow/orange coloring of the tofu). While everything was cooking, I preheated oven to 425 degrees and in a casserole dish I filled it with sliced mushrooms, yellow squash, purple onions and kale. I spooned some marinara sauce on top, placed the cooked noodles on top (drained) to fill the dish (about 2 cups worth) and then topped again with a little marinara and seasonings of oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. I baked for ~25 minutes and then turned off oven, sprinkled with cheddar cheese and then kept in oven for 5 additional minutes. Voila! I super easy dinner with very little cooking.

So, onto the ride. 

5:30 wake up (I do best with at least 60 minutes before I start any workout to get myself moving, to foam roll, walk Campy, eat a pre training snack and get myself ready for the workout)
Pre training snack - 1 Matzah (I prefer flat bread or french/pita bread over whole grain bread, oatmeal or bagel) + small spoonful PB, cinnamon, raisins, honey, sliced bananas, 3 large strawberries and 1 cup milk + coffee/water. around ~65 g or s of carbs and low fiber and fat, energy dense carbs are key (ex. raisins, honey, banana, milk). I also had $5 with me for a gas station stop if needed.
7am - start time!
Nutrition for the ride - 3 bottles with ~250 calories in each bottle (~60g of carbs) + 3 gels + FIZZ (to refill bottle w/ water at stop around 3-3:30 hours). I also had 6 Hammer endurance aminos to take throughout the ride. A total of around 1100 calories. (based on my power meter, I am able to see how many calories I burn in the ride, and I try to replace around 50% which is about how much I can properly digest and absorb. Of course, the higher the intensity, more glycogen use but harder to digest so that is why pacing and nutrition consistency are super important on long training sessions. Be efficient and save your best performance for race day. I don't train to burn calories. I train to perform).

Warm-up (not so much) - once we were a few miles down the road, Karel picked up the pace. I didn't ask any questions about the ride and was thinking the ride would be around 5 hours but within the first hour, my mind was coming up with a million excuses as to why I shouldn't be riding "this fast" and there's no way I can keep this up. I had a mini breakdown around 1:20 into the ride and told Karel the pace was too fast and I probably shouldn't be doing this ride with him. He assured me (like always) that I can do this and to just stay focused. He said based on previous rides, there was nothing holding me back and I should just believe in myself. Seeing that my very first 100 mile ride was with Karel in 2006 and we averaged a blazing 16.5-17 mph (Karel was totally bored on that ride - he joked that he fell asleep a few times) I had to remind myself that I have come a long way on the bike and I had no limiters in my way.

After around 1:30, we joined the group ride in Nocatee which wasn't the normal fast pace because riders were either racing triathlons or in Athens for the Twilight Crit. Although the pace wasn't ridiculously fast, it was a little unorganized and my lack of fast twitch fibers do not do well with random accelerations. This is why I love riding with Karel  - he is so steady with his power meter and he is smart with pacing.

After the group ride, I started to feel better. We headed on A1A toward St. Augustine and the wind was blowing. It was a weird wind (like usual here in Jax - the legs never get to stop moving because it's always windy, hence why we don't "need" hills to learn how to ride strong - although I'd take some hills any day) and it was not easy to draft on Karel's wheel.

Because Karel was riding steady today, I knew my effort was going to be a bit higher because that is how it works with drafting off Karel. A steady ride for him, a challenging ride for me.

So far, the century ride was going better than planned. I had no idea how far we had gone or total time as I left that all up to Karel so I could stay focused. As I mentioned before, I rarely care about speed or miles but instead time and what I do with my time. I kept my power meter on a screen where I saw cadence, HR and lap speed, 3 sec power and normalized lap power. For every interval we did today (which included some recovery between our fast warm-up, group ride and other intervals) I hit the lap button to better analyze my ride. In races, I hit the lap button every hour which helps with pacing for long races as well as reviewing my file.

The A1A section was tough but all I was told to do was to stay focused. 2 x 22-25 minute intervals (to Gate Station and back) w/ a few minutes recovery in between. Karel was strong and I had no choice but to stay focused...or get dropped. Karel was not taking it easy on me and kept reminding me that this would be my best ride ever if I would only stay focused.

After A1A, we headed back to Nocatee, then on to Philips Hwy for another steady state interval. This time right into the wind but luckily, a little tailwind on the way back. But with only 20 miles left to go (told by Karel before that last out and back section), my brain was still focused and body felt good (thus I was doing a great job with fueling) but the legs were really talking to me and wanted to stop a million times in the last 40 miles. But, I had no real reason to stop as the body was still hanging in there and I knew I just had to stay focused.

I think as humans, we often struggle with being uncomfortable, being out of our comfort zone. But I have learned from many successes in the past that it is only when we take a chance to be out of our comfort zone that we realize that we are capable of much more than we thought we were.

Still not knowing our total time, average speed or miles, it was on our road back to our home that Karel finally said - "100 miles!! You did it!"

I switched over my Garmin 500 screen and couldn't believe my eyes.

Although Karel said that he finished the ride and felt like he could have gone 1 hour more (thanks for rubbing it in hubby), I was not as tired as I thought but ready to start the recovery process (epson salt bath, recovery whey protein drink, foam rolling, TP ball, stretching, icing and compression - and a recovery meal and consistent eating of primarily carbohydrates and protein throughout the day, every few hours). Because I was on-call at the hospital, I had to do tube feeding recommendations for two patients after being consulted by the doctors that afternoon so I really gave a big thank you to my body for allowing me to have a great workout and recover quickly. Also, with the right fuel at the right time, I felt like I nailed my nutrition without any worries on "calories" but instead, keeping my brain and muscles fueled.

                                         
My recovery partner and favorite 110% Play Harder recovery compression socks.

Here's the details of the ride:

Total time: 4:37
Average speed: 21.7
Variable index 1.02
Distance: 100.44 miles

Warm-up: 1:31 - 30 miles, average speed 20.6
Group ride- 54 minutes, 22 miles, average speed 22.82
Interval 1 on A1A (out)- 23 minutes, 9.3 miles, average speed 24.31
Recovery 2 minute
Interval 2 on AIA (back) - 25 minutes, 9.5 miles, average speed 22.05
Potty stop/refill bottles (~6 minutes)
Interval 3 (nocatee) - 28 minutes, 10 miles, average speed 22.03
Last interval (out and back) - 50 minutes, 18.3 miles, average speed 22.07
Cool down - 3 minutes (13 mph)

Peak 3 hours: 67 miles, average speed 22.34 mph

As you can see, it's OK to take recovery breaks and it's not always about the miles and getting in those "long" rides. It's good to pace yourself and break up the long-ish rides in a periodized training plan with race type intervals to teach the body how to stay steady. Also, it's so important that you practice fueling when it's windy or on bumpy roads for if you don't feel taking in a gel or grabbing a bottle when you are training, you are not only hurting your performance during that training session but you likely won't feel comfortable doing it on race day. I stay fueled every 10 minutes on the bike and then whenever needed from my bottles or gel.

Also, I would like to note that Karel can bike much faster than what he did with me. But even if I was slowing him down a little by making sure I stayed on his wheel, the focus of IM (or endurance) riding is not to prove how fast you can be. When it comes to triathlons, you want to bike steady and run strong. Although we'd all love to show off how strong we are on the bike (or how much time we can "gain" on the bike), it's very important that if you are training for an upcoming race, get us to a Z3 effort (or around 75-83-85% max HR to get yourself more efficient with this uncomfortable, comfortable pace). We do several 20-50 min intervals with 1-2 minute recoveries - not at a leg-burning pace but instead, a steady pace with a smooth cadence and just enough recover to shake out the legs and not fatigue throughout the ride while taking in proper nutrition to maintain a steady pace.

Thanks Karel for the great workout and a BIG thank you to my body for allowing me to have consistent quality workouts. WOW, talk about a lot of progress since 2006! Life's a journey.....