Sundance Hill Climb

[AuntieK]

So today's race was a suffering 8.9 mile hill climb with between 6-8 percent grades the WHOLE climb. This climb is actually one of the climbs the pros will use when they come for the Tour of Utah next month.
Anyway, I came in third! I made the climb in an hour and 13 min. with an average speed of 7.2 mph. The girl who came in first is a PRO mtn bike racer. Apparently when you switch over to road racing, they make you start at the bottom, thus she was racing Cat 4.
It was a mass start race, so we had to start at the back of the pack behind the Cat 1-5 men, masters men, Pro-Cat 3 women. So basically, we watched the faster pack leave us in the dust. Or should I say tar and gravel--they had re-chipped and sealed the road in the last couple of days, so if you weren't sticking to the tar, you were throwing gravel all over your legs.
Since it was a hill climb, no tactics were needed, except fight like crazy not to get dropped (or passed by too many of the citizen men )!
The scenery was beautiful and really kept me going when the pain set in (lower back was not happy).

[yellow]

Good going! Now you get all rested up for your NEXT event, ya hear?

I hope your race today started early. I did a verrrry long ride today and the heat in the afternoon was something (I started at 6:15 am). Did you do Porcupine last weekend?

[Lifesgreat]

Yay AK!

That is a terrific result! Congratulations! I wish I could have been there to cheer you and Spinster, Mistress of Pain on. How did she do?

[Brandy]

Good job AuntieK!

[AuntieK]

Thanks, everyone!

Yellow, yes it started early enough...at around 9. It was only about 56 degrees up there when I got there at 8 to get my number. But by the time I reached the top, it had heated up another 20 degrees or so.
I am concered about the heat for the TT on Thurs though.

Lifesgreat, I thought the Spinster WAS the Mistress of Pain! She was the only female racer I knew there on Saturday, so whoever MOP is, she wasn't there.

[Eden]

Good for you AuntieK! - I wonder - there was a pro - mt. biker chickie that showed up to one of our early stage races this year up here in WA. She was an Idaho gal so she couldn't claim the state championship medal, but of course she won the cat 4 race.