Stages 1 and 2 of my personal Stage Race Weekend--Mileage to Date 905

A little background.................Beginning in 2003 when I first started triathlon and multisport I would build a good portion of my personal life around my racing schedule. This, in hindsight, is a bit backward and I wanted to have fun and do some different things and not be overly worried about racing during the sabbatical. 

Earlier in the week I did the CU Short Track race because it was fun. I also talked to Amy and Matt and they were headed to Boulder to do a 21.3 mile hill climb road race. I made the suggestion that we do the hill climb, come to Breckenridge, and the next day bike Mount Evans. All of this knowing that I had paid to race in the Firecracker 50 MTB race on July 4th. Ultimately I decided to have some fun, do something new, hang with friends, and then do the Firecracker 50 with low expectations and treat it as a fun event versus some stressful bike race. Once I decided to do what I wanted and have some fun it was amazing how much stress disappeared!!

Stage 1: Mike Horgan Hill Climb (http://www.boulderracing.com/)

I rolled out of Breck early to make it to Boulder for some warm-up and prep time and met Matt and Amy in the parking lot. After about 20 minutes of going up and down a hill on a nearby street I queued up with my Category 4 (45+) group of 47 riders.

Lining up

 The whistle blew and we were off. This being only my second road race I was in a learning mode vice lead the pack mode so I opted to stay in the middle of the group and be safe.

Rolling out

 The race was a gentle climb out of town (the link above has the profile) for about 4 miles and the group was warming up and waiting for the turn on to Magnolia Road. For me, and those reading, that are not from Boulder, this road has a tremendous reputation for how steep it is and how popular it is for hill training.

Okay, back to the racing, and at the 4 mile mark we took a hard left on to Magnolia and in less than 100 yards the road took a radical turn and the gradient went from 4% to 12% and our group began to fracture--Kyle, if you are reading it reminded me of Toothpick. I was gasping and struggling to keep the bike moving forward. About 30 seconds later the Women's Category 1-3 racers, which included Amy, came up next to me and dropped me like I was standing still. Amy, and 6 other elite women, pushed up the hill and I was "chicked" times 7!!

Amy on the Grid

This 8-12% gradient went on for 4 miles and I had to slalom to keep moving forward and not tip over. My legs were burning and heart rate was sky high but I was not last!!

Hilltop Finish

 At the top of the first climb the pavement turned to dirt road (very Euro) and we had rolling terrain and gentle climbing for the next 8 miles before back on the pavement and a fast descent toward Nederland, CO. At the bottom of the hill we turned upwards for several more miles to the finish and a this point I actually felt like I was racing. I passed a few people and pushed hard across the line. In the end I was 35th of 47.

 

Amy wins Cat 3 and 7th overall woman

Amy of course had a great race and won her category. Her mother and step-dad met us at the top along with Matt and Lucy the dog. Anecdotally, one of Amy's schwag's was a packet of Veloshines (http://veloshine.com/), and for anyone that knows this woman keeping a bike clean is not one of her strong suits ! ;)

Amy and her schwag, mom Betty, and Matt

Betty and David

JOCMO: A first ever hill climb race and forgetting how much it hurt as soon as you finish.

Post race we went back to Breck to my sister's house where my brother in law Michael, nephew Will, and the neighbors were prepping for a block party and barbecue. Savvy nephew Will found the TDF on Versus so we got caught-up on the first day of the Tour, sat outside as the sun was setting while enjoying adult beverages, great food, Angie's gluten free brownies, managing 4x dogs going crazy, and ice cream of course courtesy of Matt. 

 
Stage 2: Mount Evans Hill Climb Training Ride

Prior to the start of my sabbatical I had read about the Bob Cook Memorial Mt. Evans Hill Climb Race (http://www.bicyclerace.com/) and it motivated me to at least do the climb on the highest paved road in America.


Me, Matt, Amy, were up early and after pancakes and coffee we drove the 45 minutes to Idaho Springs. The climb starts in a parking lot just off of I-70 with a gentle grade. The weather was wonderful with clear and sunny skies.

Mt. Evans above the treeline (Rick Oshlo photo)

The ride up was in many respects much easier than the previous day. The gradient was 3-7% and much more rhythmic. The first half of the ride was conversational with a lot of chit chat of cycling, family, food, racing, and if Matt and Amy's dog Lucy was being trained by Michael.

Looking West from 14,130'

 For the flatlanders reading this our efforts to snake our way up the mountain were moderate until we crested 11k. At this point everything became harder. We did not slow down by more than .5 to 1 MPH but the psychological impact of the thin air, no trees, and other cyclists already heading down made the last 4-5 miles very hard. It seemed as though the switchbacks would not end.

The Summit--we did not feel the love for hiking the last 100' in bike shoes

When we were within a mile from the top Matt started to have some altitude issues. He was tiring, becoming dizzy, feeling sleepy, and his Queen's English was morphing in to a cockney mumble. All those things that come from oxygen deprivation to the brain. We all made it and after a few snapshots at the top, some water, we were ready to head down. Matt did not wait because he was not feeling well and had to get to a lower altitude fast.

Matt and a friendly tourist who had never been this high (she's not alone!)

My second Fourteener*

 In the span of 4 days I made it above 14k on two fourteeners and did not reach the summit. Today, unlike on Quandary Peak, it did not bother me much and I did not feel like walking up a cement path just to say I made it.

Amy and Matt with the Front Range in the background

The descent off Mt. Evans is not easy by any stretch. The road has seams and frost heaves, wind chill from the altitude, no guardrails, tourists in cars, and mountain goats. 27.5 miles down hill is exhausting and stressful and when we made it back to the car we were smoked.

Other Moment: I did not think anyone could have as much of a Starbucks jones as my Dad but I think Matt tops him. He starts to shake every 4-5 hours without his Americano Grande and when we finished the ride he was in rough shape and a shadow of himself. In this instance Amy and I couldn't agree more that we needed a jolt.