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.