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Sea level Sucks!

3315 Views 53 Replies 26 Participants Last post by hardtail05, Dec 5, 2005

Aquaholic

Discussion Starter · Dec 2, 2005 (Edited)

While spending Thanksgiving in Alabama on the Gulf coast last week, I had time to reflect on how utterly miserable I would be if I were confined to a life at sea level. We were staying at my sister and brother in-law's place on the beach where Katrina blew through. As you can see some of the places were trashed. And this area was 150 miles east of New Orleans!

We tried to rent some bikes at an LBS but it was a no go. This place would be absolute hell (IMHO), if you're a cyclist. I think the highest elevation here is about 5 - 6 feet.

The homes are on these huge stilts...when the storm surge comes in, the whole place is under 10 feet of water. Crazy.

I guess for those of you that live at sea level you work with what you have. I read a good article on florida MTB'n (Oxymoron?) in Dirt Rag a few months back.

Thankfully I live in a place where I can thrash my Turner at 6,000 feet.

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Anonymous

· #2 · Dec 2, 2005

That' s why I live in Colorado. Sea level sux, and it's hard to get drunk there. I live at 8500' and love it. If I can't be above tree line, or stand on solid ground and look at the top of an airtplane in level flight, at least once a week, I get kinda antsy. Plus, without even trying, I'm in better cardio-vascular shape than 80% of the population!

mateoway

· #3 · Dec 2, 2005

they don't have jet skiing there ?

badlander

· #4 · Dec 2, 2005

Personally, I always wanted to live on

STILTS!!!

Ya baby!

Rick

wooglin

· #5 · Dec 2, 2005

Being on a sandbar has its moments, but yeah, I'd sure hate to live there.

This is roughly the same area, back in March.
<img src ="https://forum.bikemag.com/photopost/data/500/medium/1212beach1.jpg">

bob

· #6 · Dec 2, 2005

You got it all wrong.

It's altitude that sucks...if you're from sea level. You can't climb when you visit CO. You watch totaly out of shape friends from Denver leave you in the dust as you hack up a lung and walk your bike. Then there's the alcohol issue. Why oh why did no one warn me about drinking at altitude? Why did none of my friends say "your going to have a giant vice grip on your head in the morning, if you keep drinking like that."?

jrm

· #7 · Dec 2, 2005

Hence the line...

[
its a nice place to visit but i wouldnt want to live there....

mateoway

· #8 · Dec 2, 2005

pedaling 5 miles

through that sand would be great strength training.........

Warp

· #9 · Dec 2, 2005

bob said:
It's altitude that sucks...if you're from sea level. You can't climb when you visit CO. You watch totaly out of shape friends from Denver leave you in the dust as you hack up a lung and walk your bike. Then there's the alcohol issue. Why oh why did no one warn me about drinking at altitude? Why did none of my friends say "your going to have a giant vice grip on your head in the morning, if you keep drinking like that."?

Agreed... Bring those same "altitude guys" down to ride at sea level and watch them fry and sweat like pigs on the first mile and then beg for mercy at the first sand bank.... theymight have a great aerobic shape but they just can't stand the heat down at sea level.

BTW... I'm from the Gulf Coast of Mexico (9ft above sea level) and now I live at Mexico City (7200ft). Every place on earth is a nice place to ride!!

jugdish

· #10 · Dec 2, 2005

bob said:
You can't climb when you visit CO. :

Assuming you CAN climb.....

jugdish

· #11 · Dec 2, 2005

Warp2003 said:
Agreed... Bring those same "altitude guys" down to ride at sea level and watch them fry and sweat like pigs on the first mile and then beg for mercy at the first sand bank.... theymight have a great aerobic shape but they just can't stand the heat down at sea level.

Gotta call ******** on that one. You get me to sea level and all that oxygen rich air and I'll be crankin' the big ring all damn day. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Warp

· #12 · Dec 2, 2005 (Edited)

jugdish said:
Gotta call ******** on that one. You get me to sea level and all that oxygen rich air and I'll be crankin' the big ring all damn day. Sorry to burst your bubble.

You're daydreaming pal... I've seen it MANY times. You just couldn't stand the heat and humidity of my hometown at least.

Really... I've seen high level athletes simply not holding up. I remember those guys from the Real Madrid (a spanish soccer team) trying to play at my hometown with a water bag on their hands. It's not the heat per se, it's the dehydration from the so humid weather.

Even if your lungs are feeling fine, the rest of the body just can't stand it. You can count the blood vessels and pores on your skin as it tries to cool down.

You can't go that fast on sand to get enough cooling... if you see yourself to ride between some trees, you can consider yourself fried.

The SS Boz

· #13 · Dec 2, 2005

Its not so much the lack of altitude as it is lack of hills whatsoever to me......I only live at a few hundred feet but we have trees and hills and little to no sand out on the singletrack.......i will visit the coast but never move down there

However ive found that riding the road bike , pushing the cardio, will put you on an even playing field with all but the most serious enthusiast types out in CO.....

I hit Steamboat Springs to visit my old stomping ground once a summer and can climb the mtns with the best of them usually after about a day or 2 of being in town....all i can say is i attribute it to hard road miles the weeks prior

But the equation is still like this:

flatland MTB'er (racer) = CO MTB'er (recreational rider / racer)

In my opinion

However..... we OWN in the heat and humidity

-Boz

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troy

· #14 · Dec 2, 2005

Come on Aqua, that's why Diego's got it all. I live at sea level and I too get to thrash my turner at 6K. It just take an hour by car to get there. Don't bash the sea level living. When the surf is overhead it beats riding the bike.

jugdish

· #15 · Dec 2, 2005

Warp2003 said:
You're daydreaming pal... I've seen it MANY times. You just couldn't stand the heat and humidity of my hometown at least.

.

Well gee wiz I must have daydreamed through my last two vacations.

Warp

· #16 · Dec 2, 2005

jugdish said:
Well gee wiz I must have daydreamed through my last two vacations.

Where were you? Temp? Humidity?

troy

· #17 · Dec 2, 2005

Warp2003 said:
Where were you? Temp? Humidity?

Your logic only works in high temp and humidity. There are plenty of places at sea level that have mild temps and little humidity. San Diego is one of them. Come here from the rockies and you'll rule the local road rides along the coast (depending on the riders present of course).

Warp

· #18 · Dec 2, 2005

troy said:
Your logic only works in high temp and humidity. There are plenty of places at sea level that have mild temps and little humidity. San Diego is one of them. Come here from the rockies and you'll rule the local road rides along the coast (depending on the riders present of course).

That's what I meant, I never menat it to be applicable to all cases.... try Veracruz, Mexico in May or June coming from wherever you please at altitude.

I've seen higly trained pro athletes simply not holding up. Of course, how hot can be the shore of Labrador or Alaska?? Nothing to be compared.

I can bet New Orleans (where the original pic is), Alabama and Mississippi have a much tougher weather than San Diego. Pacific coasts have colder waters and that helps weather to be a bit fresher. Atlantic Shores have hot water and that helps Greenland to be green part of the year.

bob

· #19 · Dec 2, 2005

I can't

"Assuming you CAN climb....."

I can't. Not for any extended time at least. That was the point.

Cucucachu

· #20 · Dec 2, 2005 (Edited)

Aquaholic said:
While spending Thanksgiving in Alabama on the Gulf coast last week, I had time to reflect on how utterly miserable I would be if I were confined to a life at sea level. We were staying at my sister and brother in-law's place on the beach where Katrina blew through. As you can see some of the places were trashed. And this area was 150 miles east of New Orleans!

We tried to rent some bikes at an LBS but it was a no go. This place would be absolute hell (IMHO), if you're a cyclist. I think the highest elevation here is about 5 - 6 feet.

The homes are on these huge stilts...when the storm surge comes in, the whole place is under 10 feet of water. Crazy.

I guess for those of you that live at sea level you work with what you have. I read a good article on florida MTB'n (Oxymoron?) in Dirt Rag a few months back.

Thankfully I live in a place where I can thrash my Turner at 6,000 feet.

You aren't trying to say our trails are boring are you? LOL!!!

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