"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - San Bruno Hill Climb - First RR Report of 2007

Happy New Year!
I debated weather or not I should post this race report since some members have sent me private messages telling me to quit bragging. :( :( :(
I really don't mean to brag, I just want to post race reports like everyone else. :) So, here it is and I apologize in advance if it sounds like bragging.:D

The conditions were perfect today for the 3.65 mile San Bruno Mountain Hill Climb. It was a little cool when I arrived to warm up, but by the time the race started the sun was shinning and the temp was in the low 50's and climbing with no wind to speak of.

All 200+ racers lined up by category for this mass start event and it was real nice to be a Cat 2 and start on the front line rather than in the back with the Cat 5's like last year. I had a couple teammates who were right behind me in the 3's and ready to take the lead should the pace dawdle. Fortunately though one of the other teams had a masters world track champion who there to make a fast pace for his teammate who was going for the 14:42 course record (and $200 bonus).

The whistle blew and we were off to a fast pace. I was on the outside trying to grab a wheel, as the pace was stringing us into a single file very quickly. By the time I merged into the line I was in about 10th place. Before too long the guy in 8th lost the wheel and I had to bridge up. About this time the pace setter peeled off and I was able to get on the wheel of his teammate sitting in 3rd. The new leader who was not setting a pace for anyone else was content to do all the work and he managed to drop all but 4 of us by the midway point.

I felt great over the first half even though I was nearly a minute faster than my best practice rides over the course. After the brief turn and descent to the underpass as we entered the park the real climbing began. The leader surged and we were down to 4, then I countered and only 1 guy went with me, the defending champion. Once we were free, I tried several 10-15 second all out efforts, but couldn't shake him. After each effort I would rest for a few seconds, but he wouldn't go by so I'd try again. Finally with about 300M to go I went and he wasn't able to go with me. I sprinted in at 14:56, missing the record by 14 seconds, but improving my time by about 50 seconds over last year.

Oh well, next year the course record bonus will be $300!:D

Quit bragging ;)

Well the Racing subforum description reads, "Discuss pro racing, the big races, and even the small backyard races. Don't forget to update all the members with your own race results." so I think the blowhards sending you PMs can just STFU.

Great job on the hill climb, helluva way to start the year off right! Great day for riding today, wasn't it?

Nice! Great way to start the season

I want races already.

I want a lot more to win serious races.

Great report. There's nothing wrong with telling us you won.

Please keep posting!

--Steve

Great job! Today was a wonderful day, thanks for the report!

Hey Pizza, congrats and nice job! So they set LN off the front to hammer? He's a nice big draft :) I see the fountain of youth is still working for AMD boys, and my man took the 55. Shweet.

And for me anyway, I don't think the reports are braggin at all. They're doin. Braggin is when you don't have results to back up your "numbers" or if you're out "winning" a training ride somewhere.

Dude if I had your skillz I'd be braggin' my skinny arse off...besides when you can deliver the pain it ain't braggin' it's called talent. Nice report and keep'm comming!

Kudos, Pizza Man! Sounds like it was a good day for a race. Certainly much better conditions than the last couple of years.

Nice! I had no idea i'd be seeing race reports as early Jan. 1 but I like it. We're still 6 weeks away from the first real races around here. Congrats on the great result.

There's just something about 'locals' beating all comers...

Way to go Pizza Man!!!

Congrats on a great race. Results and reports are always welcome. I was out riding today and it was a fabulous day to start the new year.

Congrats on the awesome ride! And a big +1 to the STFU to the haters of your posts, I love a good RR report, especially here in the dead of winter.

Happy New Year!
I debated weather or not I should post this race report since some members have sent me private messages telling me to quit bragging. :( :( :(
I really don't mean to brag, I just want to post race reports like everyone else. :) So, here it is and I apologize in advance if it sounds like bragging.:D

Keep posting the reports.


I tried several 10-15 second all out efforts, but couldn't shake him. After each effort I would rest for a few seconds, but he wouldn't go by so I'd try again. Finally with about 300M to go I went and he wasn't able to go with me. I sprinted in at 14:56, missing the record by 14 seconds, but improving my time by about 50 seconds over last year.

Congratulations. Maybe without those surges, and a really steady hard effort, you'd have beaten the record!?! Or, perhaps, he might have!


Oh well, next year the course record bonus will be $300!:D

What power/weight ratio does the record time equate to (to first order)? You are obviously very close.

What power/weight ratio does the record time equate to (to first order)? You are obviously very close.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Here is some data from a 123 pound rider who rode the course in 15:28 and averaged 306W or 5.4 w/kg.
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/wattage/sbhc/sbhc.html

I'm guessing that the record would require about 5.6-5.7 W/kg for less than 15 minutes. I think this would be very easy for any Pro or R600DuraAce. :D

Nicely done!

yeah, way to keep kickin' ass, PM :)


Here is some data from a 123 pound rider who rode the course in 15:28 and averaged 306W or 5.4 w/kg.
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/wattage/sbhc/sbhc.html


123 LBS??? Jeezus man, that is tiny

yeah, way to keep kickin' ass, PM :)



123 LBS??? Jeezus man, that is tiny


Welcome to the body type of the pure climber :eek:

My 77 kg self knows I won't ever be competitive at these types of races, luckily I can throw down a good sprint or I'd have no hope :p

Keep 'em coming PM. I'll be out at the EB crits starting next weekend.

Way to go Pizza Man. Keep posting your race reports - they are an inspiration.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Here is some data from a 123 pound rider who rode the course in 15:28 and averaged 306W or 5.4 w/kg.
http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/wattage/sbhc/sbhc.html

I'm guessing that the record would require about 5.6-5.7 W/kg for less than 15 minutes. I think this would be very easy for any Pro or R600DuraAce. :D

I'm not going to touch that with a badly calibrated SRM ;)

Having both powermeters has been pretty enlightening, mostly in making me aware how quickly that w/kg number moves with a few pounds difference in weight. I took numbers from last year and a recent test and played around with weight calcs...for me it's around 1lb=2w more I have to generate to come up with the same ratio. Pretty much the difference between being OTB or hanging with the front group in my races.

To get to 123 I'd have to lose an arm or something though. I got two kidneys, right? Anybody know how much they weight?

That's amazing PM! Congrats on the win!

123lbs...how tall are you?

PM, you rock. It's the people like you here that help keep all of us lesser mortals inspired! Thanks and keep it rocking throughout the season.

You can shave off from about 5-12 oz. by dumping a kidney :) Let me know how it helps your hill climbing...maybe I will consider it too!

PM, you rock. It's the people like you here that help keep all of us lesser mortals inspired! Thanks and keep it rocking throughout the season.

You can shave off from about 5-12 oz. by dumping a kidney :) Let me know how it helps your hill climbing...maybe I will consider it too!

And I could use the black market cash to upgrade to some lighter components.

That's amazing PM! Congrats on the win!

123lbs...how tall are you?

I'm not 123. The guy who had the power data was 123.
I'm a whopping 5'9" and 138 lbs.

About the thinnest I can possibly see myself getting is around 195. Am I doomed to just completely suck at anything that's not flat? Are there any guys that size in the pro peloton?

edit: apologies to PM for going off topic

About the thinnest I can possibly see myself getting is around 195. Am I doomed to just completely suck at anything that's not flat? Are there any guys that size in the pro peloton?

edit: apologies to PM for going off topic

Get to ~180 and you're in good company. Boonen, Hushovd and Hincapie.

Here is some data from a 123 pound rider who rode the course in 15:28 and averaged 306W or 5.4 w/kg. http://anonymous.coward.free.fr/wattage/sbhc/sbhc.html


IMO, the most fascinating thing about that link is that the guy finished about one minute faster in 2003 than in 2002 with the roughly same W/Kg numbers both years! Just goes to show that there are a lot of factors other than power-to-weight ratio even in a race that essentially amounts to a climb.

--Steve

last year's hillclimb was pouring rain and had some pretty bad headwinds. This year's was nearly perfect. I say nearly because "perfect" would include a 30mph tailwind

I was there. Even saw PM chillin at the bottom. I weigh 180 and cracked the top 10 in my measly elite 5 category.

last year's hillclimb was pouring rain and had some pretty bad headwinds. This year's was nearly perfect. I say nearly because "perfect" would include a 30mph tailwind

I was there. Even saw PM chillin at the bottom. I weigh 180 and cracked the top 10 in my measly elite 5 category.

Congrats! I saw your name in the results and recognized it from the forum. That was a very respectable time and beat a lot of the guys in Cats 1-4 including several of my teammates.
Next time be sure to say hello.

Here's a video of most of the race that's about 13 minutes long. The camera was mounted to the lead bike, so there's a lot of it with the racers out of the frame, but some of it's pretty good.

http://media.putfile.com/San-Bruno-Hill-Climb-Jan-1-2007

It ain't braggin' if you can do it. -- Dizzy Dean


And congrats. I'm actually more impressed that you moved from 5 to 2 in a season.

dood, great movie...that guy sucked your wheel hard the entire 2nd half of the way and you still dropped him like a bad habit!

dood, great movie...that guy sucked your wheel hard the entire 2nd half of the way and you still dropped him like a bad habit!

He did take a pull early on. Some of the spectators were giving him a hard time near the top, but he's a good guy and was just racing smart. If he had wanted to lead I would have done the same thing. I wanted to lead because I thought I could drop him. I just didn't think it would be so hard and take as long as it did. :D

PM, Congrats! Great way to start '07. I'll be totally happy if I see the podium at any of my industrial park crits this season... :D

So that's what you look like from the front :)

Cool video, though too bad it's so choppy. Are you doing Pine Flat or Cantua?

He did take a pull early on. Some of the spectators were giving him a hard time near the top, but he's a good guy and was just racing smart. If he had wanted to lead I would have done the same thing. I wanted to lead because I thought I could drop him. I just didn't think it would be so hard and take as long as it did. :D

That guy was Tracy Colwell and he won the Low Key Hillclimb series of 2006. Congratulations!

http://lowkey.djconnel.com/2006/overall/

Happy New Year!
I debated weather or not I should post this race report since some members have sent me private messages telling me to quit bragging. :( :( :(
I really don't mean to brag, I just want to post race reports like everyone else. :) So, here it is and I apologize in advance if it sounds like bragging.:D

The conditions were perfect today for the 3.65 mile San Bruno Mountain Hill Climb. It was a little cool when I arrived to warm up, but by the time the race started the sun was shinning and the temp was in the low 50's and climbing with no wind to speak of.

All 200+ racers lined up by category for this mass start event and it was real nice to be a Cat 2 and start on the front line rather than in the back with the Cat 5's like last year. I had a couple teammates who were right behind me in the 3's and ready to take the lead should the pace dawdle. Fortunately though one of the other teams had a masters world track champion who there to make a fast pace for his teammate who was going for the 14:42 course record (and $200 bonus).

The whistle blew and we were off to a fast pace. I was on the outside trying to grab a wheel, as the pace was stringing us into a single file very quickly. By the time I merged into the line I was in about 10th place. Before too long the guy in 8th lost the wheel and I had to bridge up. About this time the pace setter peeled off and I was able to get on the wheel of his teammate sitting in 3rd. The new leader who was not setting a pace for anyone else was content to do all the work and he managed to drop all but 4 of us by the midway point.

I felt great over the first half even though I was nearly a minute faster than my best practice rides over the course. After the brief turn and descent to the underpass as we entered the park the real climbing began. The leader surged and we were down to 4, then I countered and only 1 guy went with me, the defending champion. Once we were free, I tried several 10-15 second all out efforts, but couldn't shake him. After each effort I would rest for a few seconds, but he wouldn't go by so I'd try again. Finally with about 300M to go I went and he wasn't able to go with me. I sprinted in at 14:56, missing the record by 14 seconds, but improving my time by about 50 seconds over last year.

Oh well, next year the course record bonus will be $300!:D

Don't happen to have a polar or other altitude file for this course do you (Computrainer, HAC4 etc)??

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=617758

This will get you to the start area, I'm not sure of the exact route but Pizza could plot it out and get you an altitude profile.

You pretty much rock.

I wish there were more (and bigger) races here in MT. You make my cat 5-3 season seem ridiculous.

Dude if I had your skillz I'd be braggin' my skinny arse off...besides when you can deliver the pain it ain't braggin' it's called talent. Nice report and keep'm comming!

+ 1,000,000

So that's what you look like from the front :)





Here's a better shot (http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=photos/2007/jan07/mtsanbruno07/DSC_8715), theres a small write up in cyclingnews (http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2007/jan07/mtsanbruno07) about the event.

Wow...I just watched the video. I think I'll start referring to Pizza as Lance Jr. :D

I wish I could climb like that.

That's the best way to win too, just ride everyone off your wheel and leave them with their tongues dragging.

Just watched the video. That made me hurt just sitting here in my chair. Very impressive.

PM: you were turning a nice high cadence. What gear combination were you mostly in?

wow, that road looks terrible in some spots - especially around minute 5 of the video. would absolutely suck to get a flat there.

congrats on the win! that was impressive to watch, to say the least.

PM: you were turning a nice high cadence. What gear combination were you mostly in?

34-21 when sitting, 34-16 or 34-17 when out of the saddle.

I demand a topo of this course.

I demand a topo of this course.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=617758

Hope this works.

34-21 when sitting, 34-16 or 34-17 when out of the saddle.

Thanks. Looks like that's roughly equivalent to 39-25 for a non-compact.