Fresno Cycling Club’s 30-Day Climbing Challenge
What is it? The FCC Climbing Challenge operates like many Strava challenges or online challenges you have seen advertised on Facebook or other sites. Club Members have 30 days to accumulate between 5,000 and 30,000 feet of climbing on their rides. The challenge options include 5,000 (Tollhouse), 10,000 (Kaiser), 15,000 (McKinley), 20,000 (Danali), and 30,000 (Everest). Members log their rides on Strava as they complete them (more on this below). Elevation gain can be accumulated on traditional roads, gravel, or anywhere else you can ride your bike.
When is it happening? The 30-Day Climbing Challenge begins on Saturday, May 18, and finishes on Sunday, June 16.
Why should I do this? Part of the goal of any cycling club is to help its members become better riders. The goal of this event is for you to set a challenging but achievable goal for yourself. If you have access to data via Strava, Garmin, Wahoo or other devices maybe you can target climbing 30% more than you do in a normal month. If you do not have that information, look at the sample rides below. Most likely you are familiar with many of the routes already. You can also check out the FCC RWGPS page Fresno Cycling Club - Ride with GPS Premium Account for rides.
Is Strava a Requirement? Technically, no. Some people choose not to use programs like Strava, Facebook, or other social media for privacy reasons. You can use the provided routes below to complete your goal, all you truly need is a bike.
Can members use the free version of Strava? Yes. This was on limited testing of me posting my rides using the free version to the club Strava account. Annual Strava subscription is $80, or about the cost of a century ride.
Is there a “winner?” Well, technically, someone doing the Everest level challenge (30,000 feet) will gain more elevation than anyone else in the club. In our testing, one member went over 60,000 feet! The goal is for each club member to challenge themselves to something they have not done before or maybe something they have not done in many years. The event is supposed to be fun, not stressful.
How do I Join the Challenge?
- Step 1 is to register for the event on this website.
- Step 2 is to follow the event organizer, David Wright, on Strava. David Wright | Strava Cyclist Profile We recognize this step may seem weird but because this is a private challenge only open to Club members, David has to invite you to join the challenge and per Strava privacy rules, he can only invite Strava members who follow him.
- Step 3, on or around May 14th David will “invite” you to join the challenge level you selected. This invitation will come through Strava. Strava should send you an alert when this happens to make sure you do not miss it.
An Important Thing to Know – this is the first time the club has ever offered a Strava challenge. We did some initial testing and believe we have it figured out. However, it is possible there may be some “bumps in the road.” Please be patient and mindful if things do not go as smoothly as we hope.
Sample Rides to Accomplish Your Climbing Goals
- Millerton Store - 700 feet, 25 miles, Millerton Store from Steven's Bikes Willow - Nees · Ride with GPS
- The Corrals – 900 feet 23 miles Ride with Nathan - Shaw - Academy start · Ride with GPS (This route goes out Watts Valley Road where there are no bike lanes)
- The Circuit – 1,000 feet, 28 miles The Millerton Circuit CCW from Steven's Clovis · Ride with GPS
- Backside of Millerton (BOM) - 1,500 feet, 38 miles BOM from Steven's Clovis · Ride with GPS
- Highway 168 – 1,500 feet, 37 miles Hwy 168 from Steven's Bikes Clovis · Ride with GPS
- Wellbarn – 1,600 feet, 41 miles OAB to Wellbarn from Steven's Clovis via Auberry Road · Ride with GPS
- Spring Valley School (SVS) – 1,700, 43 miles SVS OAB from Steven's Clovis · Ride with GPS.
- Prather – 2,200, 43 miles Prather Out and Back from Steven's Clovis · Ride with GPS
- Sky Harbor – 2,500 feet, 39 miles (this ride has very steep sections) Sky Harbor from Steven's Clovis, return via Friant · Ride with GPS
- BOM & SVS – 2,600 feet, 54 miles Steven's Clovis to SVS and BOM · Ride with GPS
- 168 & Prather – 2,700 feet, 51 miles Copper Market to 168 & Prather · Ride with GPS
- Tollhouse Market – 3,000 feet, 44 miles Tollhouse Market OAB · Ride with GPS (This route goes out Watts Valley Road where there are no bike lanes. Also, there are no restrooms or places to stop for food and water until you reach Tollhouse Market.)
How to Sneak in Extra Climbing
If you have a program like Strava or Wahoo or Garmin devices, you can track your specific elevation gains. This can allow you to “sneak” in extra climbing by looking for small opportunities on rides. For example, the first ride listed to Millerton Store shows a little over 700 feet of climbing. However, if you ride the hill toward the casino and turn around at the top, you can add in an additional 150 feet of climbing.
Another strategy is to do hill repeats. A favorite spot of mine is the Backside of Millerton. From the stop sign to the ranger station toll booth and back is five miles and 500 feet of climbing. If you are crunched for time, you can even drive to Friant and park across the street from the Shell Station and get in your climbing. Riding “two laps’ plus the ride to and from the stop sign is 17 miles and 1,500 feet of climbing 2x BOM Hill · Ride with GPS
Have additional questions/ideas – contact David Wright at editor@fresnocycling.com