Southwest Hills and Garden Party

Description

Practice your climbing technique in the scenic Southwest hills! Regulars from Thursday’s Slow Hill ride will recognize the long climb through Riverview Cemetery and the following segment on Terwilliger. A second long climb ascends from Terwilliger to Fairmont via Westwood and Mitchell. A third long climb starts from Canyon Road leading up to Fairview via Highland. Traffic is very lite on the long climbs during the first half of the ride; however, we will have plenty of slow moving traffic riding through downtown Portland. Plan to re-group frequently and stay together on short segments to avoid navigating turns. This route is not quite as thrilling as Wednesday’s West Hills Roller Coaster because we avoid the steepest climbs; the total elevation gain is about 1,800 feet compared to 2,500 on the Roller Coaster. Riders are invited to a light lunch (salad & dessert) in George's backyard about an hour and a half into the ride.