Mt. Evans Hill Climb

Last Saturday I raced in the Mt. Evans Hill Climb in Idaho Springs, CO. The race started at 7,555 ft and ended at a lung-searing 14,130ft. So almost 7,000 ft of climbing in 28 miles up the highest road in North America. Yeah, ouch.

The women's field was pretty big: about 45 girls started. The climbing was steady, and the group broke up pretty quickly. I got dropped by the leaders about halfway up, and rode solo for the rest of the race. For the most part, I felt like I was going at an excruciatingly slow pace. Those 28 miles took a full two hours and 40 minutes. But again, the plus side was that the scenery was spectacular. If I keep racing in Colorado, I'm afraid I'm going to give up trying to go fast and just enjoy the views.

At the summit, (which I finally reached after 14 diabolical switchbacks: no joke, I could see the top for a good hour before I reached it), there was a baby mountain goat! And you know, the finish and all that- at this point I was more concerned with getting to the top without getting high altitude pulmonary edema than trying to go fast. I finished about 15th.

The descent was awesome: not all that fast, since a lot of the turns were really hairy, but it was nice not having to pedal at all. A really good ride, and as usual, I was wishing the Northwestern cyclists could have raced with me.

Axie