Mt. Evans Hill Climb - 07/21/07

Mt. Evans is one of those epic races. 28 miles in length, the race is an almost non-stop grind at a 5% grade. The race starts at 6,700 feet in Idaho Springs and finishes atop Mt. Evans at 14,200 feet while traversing the highest paved road in the US. The Mt. Evans HC, officially named the Bob Cooke Memorial after one of America's premier climbers in the 70s and 80s before dying from a brain tumor, serves as both the Colorado State HC champs as well as the FIAC National HC champs. Always a premier event, this year's installment gained an extra perk by the participation of Tom Danielson of the Discovery Channel team. Tom is largely considered one of the best pure steep terrain climbers in the world and holds the record on Mt. Evans.

The conditions were a little worse than last year (which was nearly perfect). Storm clouds were brewing over the mountain peaks, which kicked up a moderately strong wind over the entire course. While the wind always blows above tree line, normally the wind is a non-factor during the first half the race. However, today the wind was ever-present and would assuredly lead to slower (yet still impressive) times.

The team's goals was to control the pace in the opening miles. Last year, the pace would maddeningly accelerate and back off over and over again (in the 4s race). My goal was for a steady but challenging pace to be set to string things out, whittle down the pack to some degree and set Greg and me up for a great second half.

The gun went off at just after 8:15, and we rolled out of the Idaho Springs school parking lot. Andrew took a dig at the front right away. He set a solid pace that strung things out nicely and held it for a few miles. The first 5-8 guys were single file!
Finally, he got fed up from not receiving any help from the wheel suckers behind him (and rightly so), so he pulled to the side and hits the brakes. But the momentum was set - people at the front were in the groove (like lemmings), so the next couple in line kept the pace going fairly well. Then, Diran came shooting by me, headed to the very front and took up the pace setting. He strung it out for well over a mile and I saw that Andrew was sitting third wheel, waiting to take over again. About this time, a wide smile cracks my face. I could not have asked for more.

Diran finished his pull and Andrew took back over. One guy, Ben (who ended up 5th) took off, but Andrew stayed the course with a steady effort. He gave us what he could and then faded back. A few minutes later, J-Rod shot by me and went to the front to take his turn at laying it down. Beautiful!

Those three guys were pure poetry today. For the first 8-9 miles, they rode selflessly. It really, REALLY settled the whole race down and eliminated all attacks save the one by Ben. For the record, he only got 100-200m on us and then dangled out there wasting his energy. His 5th was admirable, but he was over 6 minutes off the win.

While the team took care of things up front, Greg and I sat in saving our energy for when things would really start heating up. The original plan was for us to start our own series of attacks a few miles past the ranger station, so a little over half way. But, things were turned a little upside down. At about Mile 9, the two MixOne riders were taking their turn at the front and setting a solid pace, just after J-Rod finished his final pull. Greg and I were right on their heels. I was feeling great - in control and champing at the bit for the fun to really begin. The MixOne riders decided to pull off, putting Greg and me on the front. The pace immediately slacked. I looked over my shoulder and saw about 25-30 of us all together. I also heard a lot of panting. Looking forward, I saw Ben still dangling out there about 200m ahead. As nonchalantly as possible, I shifted down two gears and put it in my big chain ring, then blasted off.

Behind me, I heard a bunch of "clunk-clunks", as others responded to my attack. I had not wanted to go that early, but I also didn't want the pace to slack. The move was meant as nothing more than to break things up and make yet another selection. Which is precisely what happened. A look over my shoulder and I saw only four other riders able to respond. Bridging up to Ben made us a solid and final group of six.

We settled in to a great rhythm. It didn't take long for six to turn into five. The effects of my attack on me reminded me that I am 38 years old. Recovering from such high intensity efforts does not come as quickly as it used to, so I did my best to let others do the work so I could settle my breathing down. We hit the ranger station at 54:35, so a fairly good clip. At this point, I felt strong and poised for the second half.

At about Mile 16, Chris Case attacked. Chris placed between me and Greg at the Sunshine HC and behind both of us last weekend at the Mike Horgann HC. A very strong and committed attack, but one that Greg and I covered easily. It served to drop the eventual 4th place rider, so the final selection had been made for the Top 3. However, another mile or two up the climb, Chris attacked again. I tried to respond but couldn't. Greg faired a little better but could not keep pace with Chris, who was riding extremely strong today. I called up to Greg who dropped back so we could work together, conserve our energy and ensure we held on to 2nd and 3rd. And, who knows, maybe we would be able to bridge back up to Chris.

But Chris continued to pull away. He tore it up today. Greg and I shared pulls, trying in vain to catch Chris. Overall I felt fine, just on the rivet with no room for upping the pace. Then, with one mile to go, my wheels came off. I had been at my limit for a touch too long and my body was forcing me to back off. Still pushing a solid gear, I had to watch Greg pull away. A quick look over my shoulder confirmed that the rider in 4th was nowhere in sight. So, no need to panic.

I crossed the line in 3rd with a time of 1:58:30, :20 behind Greg and over 2 minutes behind Chris. My primary goal was to break the 2-hour mark, so I was pleased with the result (which was also nearly 5 minutes faster than last year's race), especially given the stronger winds. I absolutely loved that race today. Aside from being whacked across the face by a 2x4 with one mile to go. Boy, did I get turned inside out at the top! At the top in the parking lot, I was a bit dazed. I crawled off the bike and took a seat within the Real Aussie Kids sag vehicle. What a great group of folks. Super supportive and hospitable of cycling in general, not just the group of fierce up-and-comers they bring Stateside for 6-8 weeks every summer (or Aussie winter, depending on your perspective).

As always, the ride down was a blast. The race unfolded near perfectly. The only thing that would have made it an absolutely perfect day would have been a victory for me or Greg. But, 2nd and 3rd ain't far off!

Oh, and on the way down I had the pleasure to have a brief conversation with the guy who prompted my "Wankers Need Not Read" post (below). Nice guy and I understood his point. However, we also figured out that I was not the Feedback rider with whom he took issue. I shrugged off his apology, stating that it's better to take issue and say something than to say nothing at all. We need to do what we can to improve the safety of our race experiences. This speaks directly to my "Wankers" post. Post any and all comments about what I write here. I encourage the feedback. Just let me know who you are so we can continue the discourse. I'm not always right. In this case, I was wrongly accused. But, no harm; no foul.

Next up, the Salida State RR Champs next weekend. This is clearly the hardest road race course on the calendar. Looking forward to it! The team has some great momentum going and there is no reason to believe it will stop before next weekend.

Ride safe,
Nate