Everest Challenge Day 2

The best laid plans...
My plan today was to make the race hard from the word go. The block head wind  down  canyon down canyon block head wind made my tempo just hard on me, every one could just sit on me happy and sheltered. I was happy when a random guy attacked and the GC leader followed, I knew it was a fools move, but it did get some other folks animated. We chased the GC leader Up the second climb and his gap grew on us, his break away companion blew up sky high and was never to be seen again.
On the start of the final climb I attacked trying to get into the top 3. The little rollers and hot stagnate air sapped my strength and I was in a bad way. I ate a bunch of gel dumped the remnants of my water bottle on my head and started singing an old Slapshot song. I was no longer attacking but defending the ground I had.

Fininshed 5th on the road and 5th on GC. (double nickels on the dime)


*This was also a note sent to some a few feinds

Everest Challenge Day 1

I’m not sure what to make of today. We started off crazy easy for the first few miles then we stopped and pissed, fucking casual... We started Up the first climb to South Lake and a big guy (this fellow makes Blevins look small) went to the front and proceeded to rip the legs off the Pelaton. At one point he got into the drops like Marco Pentani and proceeded to lay waste to the group never to be seen again. At this point I was on the back foot, sitting 9th on the road and well into the red zone. I got my shit back together and when on the hunt.I passed one guy on the Screaming descent. I caught another guy part way up the Pine Creek climb. On the final climb to Mosquito Flats I caught a waif of a climber near the base, he sat on me all the way up the climb(we also had the pleasure of fighting a block head wind), and he attacked w/ 500m to go and got a few seconds on me. I’m not surprised by this as he did no work in the wind and I was more concerned about time and didn’t really try to dispatch him (maybe a mistake but I was thinking about tomorrow and closing the gap to the top 5.

We will see if my thinking was correct.

The worst part of the day was the hot and windy ride back to the car. SUCKFEST!

*this was written as a note to a couple of friends

Hero Worship!

Piss and Vinager

This weekend was my Everest challenge lite. Saturday Mt Evans; Sunday Pikes Peak hill climb.

Mt Evans was Fucking Brutal this year! Windy as hell. We started off fast but I didn’t realize how fast, we split the group 3miles into the race(most years the selection is made at 7miles at the big left hand switchback). At 4 miles a very strong guy, who is more than capable of winning, attacked no one wanted to chase so I did the donkey work bringing the selection back up to him. I continued to work bringing back the attacks when I blew up. I recovered a bit got my shit together and went back on the move catching others as they popped, dragging a few with me along the way. At summit lake I drilled it, only one could fallow me. It so happens it was the squirreliest Mother fucker in our group. The wind above tree line was a bastard and meant drafting actually helped. We dodged citizen riders giant ass pot holes. I dragged him too much, but I wasn’t concerned with my passenger I wanted places back. Citizen riders made a clean sprint impossible and I got pimped on the line by fractions of an inch. 1min faster than last year in worst conditions but only good for 9th. Surprised how fast the group was.

Side note: I didn’t know most of the guys in the top 10(maybe 3), most the guys who I usually battle with in these climbing races blew up the first few miles. A friend who is a very talented climber said he was over threshold 5min into the race and he was sitting in.


Today was the Pikes Peak Hill climb. I really like this course. It’s steep lots of 10% + grades. With in the 1st mile I went in a break away with two others, one guy I race with a lot and know he can TT but hates surges so I wanted to get rid of his asap. So armed with my spastic climbing style I popped him off the back. I wasn’t worry about the guy on my wheel because every time I would surge he would lose 10m and have to chase back on, he only went to the front once and when he did he slowed. At about 8miles in I was confident I would win today but my rear quick release came loose (probably from yesterdays descent), and my tire got jammed, 2nd Place attacked. After getting my bike sorted out I went back on the attack and was making up ground. With a little over 1K to go 1 was 30m behind. He looked back and jumped the wheel of a guy from another CAT I went for it but... I guess that's bike racing. Never felt so shitty about a 2nd place.

2012 Race Results

Deer Creek Canyon TT- 6th
Mount Evans- 4th
Pikes Peak- 3rd
Cottonwood Pass TT- 2nd
Mike Horgan- 8th
Dead Dog RR- 14th
Guanella Pass- 14th
Sunshine- 9th
Superior Morgul RR- 14th
Deer Trail RR- 22nd
Cobb Lake- 9th
Maverick Classic- 4th
Tour de Park City- 9th
Tour Del Sol- 25th in RR(27th GC)
Everest Challenge- DNF (11th after day1)

Team Body Sinc 3rd place overall in Colorado Climbing series.

Some Faves fromlast year.