Northern California - San Bruno Hill Climb: Report

Just some picts for now...

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Chris1-1.jpg


http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Chrismedal.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/TheGang-7.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/MaryEllen.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/ChrisPete.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Scottie.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Rtch.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Mascott.jpg

Reading BlastRadius's comment in the other thread -- huge congrats to Pizzaman! Can't wait to see the times you guys all put in - no doubt epic.

I also like the last picture...:innocent:

Reading BlastRadius's comment in the other thread -- huge congrats to Pizzaman! Can't wait to see the times you guys all put in - no doubt epic.

I also like the last picture...:innocent:

I saw my time was 15:15, but haven't seen any other official times yet.

FYI, the dog in the picture is 15 years old, girl holding dog is 18.

Also, here's a short video of the leaders at the parking lot at the start of Radio Road:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv0xz4etjlI&feature=channel_page

I saw my time was 15:15, but haven't seen any other official times yet.

FYI, the dog in the picture is 15 years old, girl holding dog is 18.

15:15 just blows me away. In all seriousness I'd love to know how you and the other guys approach that climb. I plan to try the race next year, but suspect I'll need to actually think about climbing smarter this year. I find myself with two focal points on the hill - the first is the right hand curve just after the 2nd set of traffic lights on Guadalupe, then there's that danged hairpin on Radio Road. I figure if I can just carry more speed through both of those I'd be in better shape.

Congrats again everyone.

SanBrunoHillChallenge

I started out from my place and rode over to meet Chris. We drove down and parked at the start...I was freezing! After registration Chris rode up the mountain cause once up for the day wouldn't be enough for'em! I hung out took picts and tried to get my act together. Henry and I were like two Diva's readying ourselves for the big debut. We finally got out to warm up and ended up just doing the Brisbane circuit laps.

I felt sufficiently warmed up for the race. Scotty, Rich/MaryEllen used their trainers.

They split the field in half and launced with 5 mins in-between...good idea.
Our group started finally and I had a relatively easy time maneuvering through to where I wanted to be.

I had a lot of (Ramon) types doing good pacing, so I picked someone maybe a little too fast and hit my MHR by the top of the first climb...I was never able to bring it back down, but I felt ok. Maybe all the MHR training had made a difference. I hit the first parking lot swing around and there were some cornering wimps that got in my way, so I had to make up time and hauled ass passing many riders up to the steep section. At that point I was hurting but the fog hid what was before me and I started to spar with some riders next to me which distracted my mind from the pain. I crossed the finish line a little earlier than I expected when I looked down I swore it was just over 20 mins. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get a sub 20 min, but it was fne I felt good about my performance.

I really enjoyed the day and being around all the NorCal gang...You guys totally ROCKED!!!!

In the freezing cold with Chris during registration:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Before.jpg

Chris still in "party mode" from New Years Eve:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Partytime.jpg

Henry before warming up:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Henry-4.jpg

Chris on his way to the top...

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Crisride.jpg

Me waiting to start in the fog:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Petepose.jpg

Rich and Mary Ellen warming up:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Warmup.jpg

The Start

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Start-3.jpg

Chris and I at the top:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/SDC11661.jpg

Tim at the finish

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Tim-1.jpg

Henry at the top:

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Henrytop.jpg

marco at the top

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Marco-2.jpg

Dancing at the top

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/PeteB.jpg

Rich MaryEllen at the top

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/RitchMaryellen.jpg

Ruth crossing

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/ruth-1.jpg

Ruth relaxing

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/ruth2.jpg

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/start2.jpg

Pete,

Thanks for hanging out pre and post race and for the pics.

Here's a link to one of you in action.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3157799675/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/

Chris

Damn, you all look so freakin' cold I got cold just looking at the photos.

Pete,

Thanks for hanging out pre and post race and for the pics.

Here's a link to one of you in action.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3157799675/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/

Chris

Thanks for the link.
Here's Marco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3158627262/in/set-72157612033481102/
and Me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3158627262/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/
I was passed by Annie (she rode up Hamilton with us last year) shortly after when these pics were taken.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3158638528/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/
Here's Mary Ellen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3157807541/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/
and Rich.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samp/3157812257/sizes/o/in/set-72157612033481102/

Those pictures really tell a story. Cold weather for sure, but good time as well.

I'm with cccorlew, they do make me cold just looking at them

This is a little snippet where Chris attacks! Where the race is won. It's the parking lot right after the wiggle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv0xz4etjlI&feature=channel_page

Here are all of the results.

http://www.ncncaracing.com/reports/2009/sbhc.pdf

Great riding everyone.

I guess today was a wash for Tam, I still haven;t got out for a ride. I hope to get in an hour or 2 this afternoon.

Maybe I'll see you on Tam tomorrow. I'm riding out to Marshall from SF at 7:30, and I should be swinging by Tam around noon.

I got 15th in Cat 5. 19:33. Hopefully next year I won't be sick and/or taking cold medicine.

Ruth got 18th in cat 4 W. 29:45 (her goal was sub 30, so I am proud of her).

I got 15th in Cat 5. 19:33. Hopefully next year I won't be sick and/or taking cold medicine.

Ruth got 18th in cat 4 W. 29:45 (her goal was sub 30, so I am proud of her).

The way you had me working on that night ride I know you could easily knock 2 minutes off of that.

I got 18th in M35+ with 19:20. My goal was to get sub 20:00 so I'm pretty happy with the day overall. Last week I posted 20:40 and in the beginning of Dec. I busted my ass for 23:11. I'm going to credit those polo fields workouts for a large part of the success. :thumb:

Looks like I missed 17th place by .34 seconds. Shoulda taken off the second bottlecage!

Thanks you guys for helping me get that sub 20 I was trying so hard for...Next year...Top Three in my Cat if not the record!...Serious...

I ended up having to work on new years eve and didn't get off until 3am!! oh well, I was looking forward to joining you guys, but it's a new year with plenty more opportunities!!

At the risk of repeating an earlier post - looking through the official results I'm really impressed with everyone's times. Looks like a goal for me will be to see if I can hang with you guys next time round. I'd better start working on my lunchtime San Bruno Mountain rides when I get back in the office next week....phew!

The way you had me working on that night ride I know you could easily knock 2 minutes off of that.

Thanks for the bid of confidence!

I think I can for sure. I've been feeling pretty lethargic throughout the holidays.

I've been eating too much crap lately. I need to drop around 10 lb (I weigh 170).

Congrats again Chris for his win, Pete for his sub-20 and everyone else who raced through the fog.

At the risk of repeating an earlier post - looking through the official results I'm really impressed with everyone's times.

Looking at the results, I conclude - I am soooo not worthy! :eek::(

Thanks for the bid of confidence!

I've been eating too much crap lately. I need to drop around 10 lb (I weigh 170).


Marco: If you dropped 10lbs, you'd be a killer out there. You got the genes, talent and youth going for you. I say go for it next season!!!!

Marco: If you dropped 10lbs, you'd be a killer out there. You got the genes, talent and youth going for you. I say go for it next season!!!!

Maybe chris, marco and Tim top 3 next year:thumb:

and I'll be first in the Walker cat.:thumb::lol:

I knew I shouldn't have eaten the second slice of pizza... I thought, it's vegetarian pizza so how bad can it be. J/K.
I came in at 21:17... a marginally better time and I've gotten in the training rides but not by much. I need specific training to get past this plateau I've hit. Next year, sub-20.

Category: W4
Place: 6
Field Size: 22
Time: 21:48

Happy New Year to all! It feels great to be writing my first race report for 2009! Last year’s San Bruno Hill Climb was my first sanctioned race, so I had a good benchmark for this year. Last year the weather was sunny and cool – a sharp contrast to the damp cold fog that greeted us this year. I had a good warm up on my trainer, but we were shivering waiting to start in the staging area.
The W4s were staged in the second wave after the M55+. I was gaining time on the 5th place finisher but couldn’t quite close the 8 second gap. Dense fog clouded the approach to the finish and then it was too late to go for the sprint. My "goal" was 22 minutes, so I was happy with my 21:48 – knocking 2 ½ minutes off last year’s time. It was a spectacular way to start the New Year and share the event with BikeForum friends and team mates. Congrats to all of you who participated!

Yeah starting all the way in the back (in Cat 5) sucked for sure. Next year I should be a cat 4, I think, so that would be better.

Hey, just saw this. I recognize a lot of you guys from the parking lot. Did this with some of my UCSC pals, got 3rd in E4s with 16:52. Good fun, hope to make it a staple race in new years to come.

Hey, just saw this. I recognize a lot of you guys from the parking lot. Did this with some of my UCSC pals, got 3rd in E4s with 16:52. Good fun, hope to make it a staple race in new years to come.

That was a great experience!
come ride with the group sometime!:thumb:

Hello,
just want to share the pics from san bruno hill climb

http://public.fotki.com/kid-kulaki/san-bruno-hill-climb/

Thanks for sharing!

Hello,
just want to share the pics from san bruno hill climb

http://public.fotki.com/kid-kulaki/san-bruno-hill-climb/

Cool!!

2 of me 1 Tim and 1 Henry

Hello,
just want to share the pics from san bruno hill climb

http://public.fotki.com/kid-kulaki/san-bruno-hill-climb/

Cool!!

2 of me 1 Tim and 1 Henry
:lol:

your welcome guys! those pics are before we race.

Scotty in #14
Mary Ellen and Rich in #16

The girl in #77 is the State Road Race and Criterium Champion. She was a mentor at the Early Birds.

How does this climb compare to Old La Honda? The stats look very close. Are times usually pretty close?

Well there's no 12% on OLH unless you hit the inside of a switchback. I think OLH may be slightly easier (for me at least), except for the flat/downhill part where SBM goes through the parking lot.

I think OLH is slightly harder than SBM due to fewer portions where the grade lets up.

My time (with a cold) on SBM was a little less than 1.5 min better than my best (to date) up OLH.

I think OLH is slightly harder than SBM due to fewer portions where the grade lets up.

My time (with a cold) on SBM was 1.5 min better than my best (to date) up OLH.

Thanks for the replies. Hey, just curious- what is your best time up OLH? I am guessing mid-low 20s for you?

21:20 iirc (was part of a longer ride).

I've done 22:xx a bunch of times. Seems to be my consistent time for OLH as part of a longer ride.

Looks like a great event! Thanks for sharing the info and pics. Maybe I'll give it a try next year. Do any of you have a map of the route? (www.mapmyride.com or something?) I live close enough I could go try it out sometime for "fun".

edit: I think i found a map. does this look right? http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/brisbane/257121759

That's the route pacificaslim. If you decide to give it a try, let me know when and I can maybe take you on a loop I do.

More PICS!! From Norcal Cycling News' flickr page

Ruth at the line:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/3160965854_3ee93c07af_o.jpg

Me (near the finish):
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/3158091971_f3823536c3_o.jpg

Pete:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/3158943326_0229e28755_o.jpg

Mary Ellen:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/3158944014_e274476850_o.jpg

Tim:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/3160971370_174d6b12b5_o.jpg

Chris (doing tip toes for proper podium heights :
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/3160975416_9dcfdab1bc_o.jpg

More PICS!! From Norcal Cycling News' flickr page

Ruth at the line:
http://farm4.static.fli ckr.com/3109/3160965854_3ee93c07af_o.jpg

Me (near the finish):
http://farm4.static.fli ckr.com/3265/3158091971_f3823536c3_o.jpg

Pete:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/3158943326_0229e28755_o.jpg

Mary Ellen:
http://farm4.static.fli ckr.com/3096/3158944014_e274476850_o.jpg

Tim:
http://farm4.static.fli ckr.com/3128/3160971370_174d6b12b5_o.jpg

Chris (doing tip toes for proper podium heights :
http://farm4.static.fli ckr.com/3112/3160975416_9dcfdab1bc_o.jpg

Pete, those sock match perfectly! Where do I find a pair?

Pete, those sock match perfectly! Where do I find a pair?

Capo/forma SportsBasement, also just got matching brake pads!:thumb:

Haha, just noticed that. Pete is a great kit coordinator.

I like my pic, because I turned on the power right there and you can see the chain slack at the bottom... oh an my calf looks cool too ;)

Those are great pictures, I like the ones of Ruth, Pete and Mary-Ellen; no mistaking grit and determination there.