Four Speed Theorists made the long drive to Revelstoke for the Mt. Revelstoke Steamer Hill Climb. The trip was truly epic. Here's one play by play:
Friday Night: Drive to Revelstoke, with the added bonus that we (Mike G. and me) can catch the entire Stamps-Esks game on the radio (for the under 25 crowd, "radio" is like an iPod, but someone else picks the playlist). Find the Cheeky Beaver Chalet, and most importantly, find the Village Idiot for apres-drive refreshment. Ask Mike about the dude with the drullet...
Saturday: Contrary to weather reports, Saturday is partly cloudy, warm(ish), and not windy. Do a 20 km easy spin, eat, pre-drive the course, watch Michael help a young guy install value extenders on his new 303s (the guy wound up in 3rd) and watch Napoleon Dynamite. For supper, we head down to the Woosley Creek Cafe, a really nice place that serves fantastic food. The ambiance was great, and it looks like the place for a candlelit romantic dinner. We weren't interested in a romantic dinner: Mike ate his food, I ate mine, and we made it quite clear to the waitress that we were NOT sharing a dessert under any circumstances...
Sunday (Race Day): Environment Canada nails the forecast. Rain, rain, and more rain. Drop bags at the start, head back to chalet, and ride back to start. The race is straightforward enough: ride uphill for 27 kms and hope to pass more people than pass you. After riding for ten minutes I didn't even notice the rain: I was too busy trying to breathe. The course is fantastic, with a nice, steep ramp right at the very end. Think five Norquays stacked on top of each other, with no letup at the top. Get into the chalet, find warm clothes, watch Jeff Perron from RMCC shake to death in front of the fire, and shuttle down. Clean up, back to the Idiot for awards, and then drive home.
Now for results. Remember, it's business; it's not personal:
Darcy G: 1:31.33 (25th overall, 17th in age group)
Mike G: 1:32.41 (29th overall, 20th in age group. The wrong age group... )
Carlos S: 1:37.35 (35th overall, 11th in age group)
Kailee B. 1:45.17(42nd overall, 3rd in age group. PODIUM!!!!) [Note: Kailee's the only ST who actually won money.]
Oh, and Kailee's chauffeur finished in 1:17.68 for 7th overall and 5th in group.
It was a great race. Good atmosphere, great town, and fantastic accommodations. Give this race a go next year if you fancy your racing with 1600 metres of elevation gain.
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3 comments:
Looks like Darcy beat me to the blog on this one, but let me be the second to say how much fun the race was.
OK.. So it was fun in that leg burning, lung bleeding sort of way that Tom Kenny always writes about. Nonetheless...
The climb starts off with a 7% grade. Right off the bat I started questionning why I was doing the race. My mind wanted my legs to move faster, but I couldn't seem to turn the cranks and harder. From pre-riding the bottom portion the day before I knew it wasn't that bad all the way. So I continued on. It was pretty mellow until the 10km mark when things started getting tough. The wind, the rain, oh and the hill were all taking a toll on me. But then I was passed by a guy on a single speed bike. I knew at that point, I had to go on. I put my head down and just kept pedaling. Kilometer 20 came and went.. Shortly after that, the count-down markers started.. 5km to go.. 4km.. And each time I approached a sign I hoped that they had forgotten one in between and that miraculously I would be 1km closer to the top than I expected. Sadly, it didn't happen. BUT it was a mildly fun game to play while doing the climb. Finally the parking lot and the 1km mark to go sign. You see, they trick you by making you think you've reached the top at the parking lot, but then they point you towards this winding path that leads to the finish. A long straightaway, followed by a right turn, then a left turn, then a 8% pitch to the end. At the top they send you back down the winding path to the parking lot, where there's a cabin, with a fire, chili and home baked goods. Man, do those taste good after the climb.
If you get a chance to do the race, I highly recommend it! It's really well organized, low key, super challenging and an all around awesome event to end the road season! Congrats to Mike G, Darcy, Carlos and Dallas on their finishes!
This is stamped on my calander for next year. From all accounts it should be an epic good time.
Robert
Nice work.
Congrats on the awesome climbs!
Frank's course record still stands.
http://calgarytriandbike.blogspot.com/2010/09/winning-woolstencroft-holds-on-to-his.html
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