I wasn't sure if I wanted to do the 45+ or the 55+, but I'm sure we could work something in. The team does have some strong old fellers on it, so I'm kind of at their mercy.
I think when you learn how to take advantage of your strength you're going to be dangerous.
I don't know why they do that, to be honest. One is incredibly steep, this one is rough and loose, and the one a few weeks ago was the best of the three.
By "the steep one" I'm guessing you are referring to the Koppenburg race. That course was chosen specifically as an homage to the Belgian spring classics...I think the race used to be in April but over time it's changed. (FYI, the Koppenburg race is a circuit race with a 5 or 6 mile loop, with about 1 mile dirt, and in that dirt section is a 75 yard stretch which is at I guess 10 or 15% grade).
The other road race courses have dirt on them simply because Colorado race promoters are desperate to find road race courses they can afford. Every start time already requires a moto cop, which cost I can't remember but a couple of hundred dollars per hour. On top of that, counties have sheriff requirements when you're having an event on a county road; cities may have similar additional burdens for city roads, and state highways definitely require highway patrol. Hence the search for suitable roads close to Denver/Boulder which have minimal requirements for policing leads quickly to the boonies with dirt segments.
Promoting a road race in Colorado is very tough right now - nobody is making any money doing it. That's why our road races are getting to be fewer and fewer. Some promoters have said screw the ACA groupings I'm going to pack the fields densely so I can hopefully not lose my shirt, while other (former) race promoters have just walked away.
Hence the preponderance of office park crits. And also why it's so much cheaper to put on a CX race, where all you have to do is borrow somebody's field.
I'm long-term bearish on this problem; for small-market race environments like Colorado, I see the economics for promoting road races only getting more challenging.