The trick with Swami's is having enough power to get over trash truck hill (San Elijo Rd). It's about a 3 minute climb, a right turn, a minute of false flat followed by a 45 second kicker. That's where the majority of the riders get shelled. From there it's mostly fast with a few punchy rollers. If you're positioned well you can tuck into the group and hang on. It also really depends on who shows up. There have been times where I've arrived at the church and I realized that we had less than 15 people in the front group. Other times you'll see 30-40 riders hanging on.

Don't forget that there are 2 different rides. The Swami's team ride starts at Nytro at 8:15 and the 'real' Swami's ride starts at B&L at 8:15 then rolls past Nytro at ~8:25-8:30.