Mt. Evans 2008

I went out to Colorado for my summer vacation and took part in the Mt. Evans Hillclimb as one of the "fun" events. I'm proud to say that I finished the event as the East Tennessee Master's 35+ Mt. Evans Champion. I ran into Steve Bacon of Bike Zoo on the start line and managed to make it to the top ahead of him, hence my championship designation. The weather for the event was terrific, sunny and warm. As we started, at around 7,200 feet, I felt pretty good. I lasted a mile longer with the peloton than I did 2 years ago, making it six miles with the bunch rather than five. At this point I executed a successful reverse attack and watched the locals ride away from me. I hooked up with a few other guys and we stuck together up to mile 14. We got to mile marker 14 in approx 1 hour 5 minutes. Not bad for someone with limited red blood cells. The second 14 miles were not as successful for me. My group of 4 shed 1 at about mile 15. The remaining three of us stayed together until we hit treeline at 11,500 feet. Then one fellow took off and left two of us behind. Us two stuck together and discussed training with wives and kids at home between gasps for breath. Finally with about 5 miles to go I couldn't maintain contact any longer and let the local go. I carried on solo chugging my way up to the top, glad that I had a 26t cog to keep the legs spinning. The final switchbacks were very deceptive and seemed to take forever but I finally made it to the finish line at 14, 140 feet. I was feeling a bit loopy at this point and was glad they had race volunteers who were very clear about giving the racers directions about putting on cold weather gear and getting down the mountain. My finishing time was 2:40:25 placing me in the 41st position. I was a bit disappointed because this was 2 minutes slower than my last attempt, despite my feeling better and having a lighter bike. I guess age is catching up to me. Anyway this was a challenging ride that I recommend folks try at least once if they have the chance.