Mt. Evans race report
 

I did the Bob Hill Memorial Mt Evans race yesterday, and thought I would share my experience. First off, I had three goals going in: finish, not come in last (CAT 4 35+), and to not die. These are modest goals, but mission accomplished. I was under the weather on Thursday and Friday, and spent the last week in San Diego - sea level, so I considered not going, but I thought I would turn back if I felt really ill during the ride.

I was in the front group tucked in about 4 or 5th for the first 7 miles, then my stomach started feeling weird. I slowly moved back in the group and eventually was strung out at the back, and then on my own. I looked back and there was a small group, 10 or so, and bunch of guys on their own as well struggling up. Just after Echo Lake I started feeling better, not sure why, but I was able to establish a rhythm. I sat on some guys wheel for about a mile then marked some guys up the road and just focused on catching one person at a time. After Rogers peak, I seriously almost quit like ten times because it seemed like every time I turned a corner and thought I was getting close to the finish (forgot my computer) I would see little tiny specks, like ants, riding up the hill way off in the distance. I remember thinking right after starting back uphill at Summit Lake (I think) I'm selling my bike on Ebay tomorrow, maybe take up golf, or focus on the house. Anyways, about 2 miles from the finish I saw a heard of mountain goats, pretty darn cool. I finished, and when I got off my bike my whole back end was stiff as a board, I didn't cramp up like others did, but I was in pain for sure.

I suffered, mightily, but it was a great experience and I am definitely doing this race again.

Congratulations. That is no small ride. The upper part does seem to go on forever.

i had a great great great time yesterday.

its was my fourth time up mt evans, and by far the best weather i've had. though as usual it was freezing up top and windy on the way down.

it was my first time in the race and i'm definitely hooked.

i rode citizen, and the mass start was kinda terrifying. 350 crammed into that little pen then all clipping in and diving down the hill and doglegging right over the bad road was nerve wracking, but it thinned out pretty quickly after that. i may have to sign up for cat4 next year, even if it means a worse showing (got 5th in my age group), i think itd be more fun and a little safer.

highlight of the day was when the lead citizen group was strung out so thin that i couldnt see the guys behind me or in front of me so i had the road to myself, and i'm crankin along, feelin pretty good, puttin in a good effort, and tom danielson flies past me like i'm goin backwards. really inspiring.

i gotta say, every time ive ridden it theres always bikes at the top, but yesterday, having it all to ourselves, jsut hundreds of tired and happy cyclists, from pros to tubby weekend warriors, all talking and laughing and hydrating and devouring food and sharing the top of the world was awesome awesome awesome. i was freezing but butt off and shivering from the wind but i stayed up top for 45 miuntes, just to soak in what a wonderful scene it was.

Congrats on the high placing. It was an awesome scene on top, you are right on. I talked to probably 20 people and just hung out. I've always heard the weather was iffy up there, but yesterday it seemed perfect as you could see for miles. The ride down was a little chilly and next year I plan to put more warm clothes in my bag, and a Chipotle Burrito. :)

Badhat cross-posted to the racing forum, so I'll cross-post here. :)

AMAZING ride/race! The weather was spectacular, the riders friendly and the road relatively smooth. You guys that are close enough to make this a day trip are definitely spoiled. I have some ski hill climbs that I do on a regular basis here, but it's nothing like Mt Evans.

I kept hearing how the upper elevation does weird things to the body, but had no ill effects. I had a nice pace (for me) going up, hung with the main (35+ 4s) group for almost 10 miles. From that point I was passed quite a bit, but also did a fair amount of passing. The last couple miles weren't as hard as I was expecting and I finished pretty strong (again, for me). I'm already looking forward to next year - I now know I can dig myself a little further into the "pain cave" and still finish.

Thanks to the organizers and volunteers for a great day! :cheers:

i rode the route about a month ago just so it was fresh i nmy memory for the day, and one of the things i decided then was that i was gonna let a ton of air out of my tires for the decent. i rode up at 130psi, and when i got to the top i let out a good blast of air, got down to about 80psi, by feel.

MUCH softer descent than usual. so i guess thats my contribution. if you find the summit to echo lake portion of the descent to be a little too prostate rattling, try low pressure.

or full suspension.

results are up

here

http://results.americancycling.org/r...esultsetId=938

and on the homepage

I was lucky enough to drive support for Tom Danielson the whole way up on Saturday. The guy was phenomenal. He broke from the pack of Pros/Cat 1 & 2 at 6 miles in and never looked back. He maintained a pace of about 15+ mph all the way up, but missed breaking the record for ascending Mt. Evans -- a record he himself set some years ago -- by 49 seconds!

Here's a video that I shot while driving support, avoiding killing motorcycle judges and cyclists, shouting encouragement to my friend Jeff, and keeping up with Danielson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X13GniZRAk4 The other guy yelling was a bike mechanic. We had Danielson's spare wheels on hand, just in case.

Also, congrats to Badhat for setting a goal -- 2 hours 25 minutes -- and then meeting it! [Thanks again for the gas fillup.]