Race category
Last Post 06/16/2020 07:38 PM by Frederick Jones. 26 Replies.
Author Messages
6ix

Posts:485

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05/13/2020 05:54 PM
Assuming it doesn't get canceled, I'm planning to race the Mt. Evans Bob Cook Memorial this July.  Haven't had a license since 2008.  At the time, I was a career Cat. 3. 

So what do I do here?  Can I get a one-day license and enter the Cat. 4 40+?  I wouldn't stand a chance in the 3's these days but I also think it's insulting to think I'd be in the Beginner Cat. 5 category.  Granted, it's not like there is going to be much of a pack.  The field will splinter probably within the first mile.


eurochien

Posts:163

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05/14/2020 09:58 AM
Posted By Evan Solida on 05/13/2020 05:54 PM
Assuming it doesn't get canceled, I'm planning to race the Mt. Evans Bob Cook Memorial this July.  Haven't had a license since 2008.  At the time, I was a career Cat. 3. 

So what do I do here?  Can I get a one-day license and enter the Cat. 4 40+?  I wouldn't stand a chance in the 3's these days but I also think it's insulting to think I'd be in the Beginner Cat. 5 category.  Granted, it's not like there is going to be much of a pack.  The field will splinter probably within the first mile.




It's been a long time since my last road race, but I think you can get a 1-day Cat 4 40 + license, especially if you've been out of the sport for a while. Mt Evans Bob Cook Memorial used to be one of my favorite races. I was never able to break the 2hr mark though.Hope it's gonna happen for you. The pack might stay together for a bit more than a mile, probably up until that first left bend when the real ascent begins, after that it's every man for himself!
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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05/14/2020 12:25 PM
1) It will get cancelled.

2) race the clock, not the field. You license will default to 3's and you would need to request a downgrade. Is there a Masters 3/4 field?

3) Eurochien is correct....field will stay together until that first left bend. It is actually pretty quick going up to that turn....be prepared!

I think I have told my Bob Cook race story before, but if not.....drove up to Idaho Falss that Am, got out of the car and it was 51*. I had jersey / shorts, arm warmers, a Gore Tex vest and knit gloves (the kind with the rubber dimples on the palm). By the time we got to Echo Lake, it was starting to rain a bit.....then it was sleet.....as we cleared the tree line, it turned to snow and the wind kicked in HARD. Temps dropped (not sure how much) and I was frozen solid. Could not shift my STI because my hands were blocks of ice. I wanted to quit, but the only way I was getting off that mountain was to get to the top....if I had turned around, I would have died because I could not operate the brakes.

Past Summit Lake and the wind was brutal. I came around one switchback and it knocked me off the bike. had to unclip to catch myself....luckily an official on a motorcycle came by me just then and stopped in front on me long enough to block the wind and let me get back going. Otherwise, I never could have started again and would have had to walk to the next switchback. once I was pedaling, he took off and I swear I did not know I could go that slow on a bike and stay upright (I saw 1.2 mph on my bike computer!)

Finally get to the top and I must have looked bad because a volunteer came up to me immediately to give me a blanket and get me into a van. I had to have been hypothermic.....still have no idea who took my bike or how it got back down the hill. It took me ~10 minutes to warm up enough to start shivering....and when it started, it was full-body, violent shivering.

The date was July 8.




Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
6ix

Posts:485

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05/14/2020 02:00 PM
Thanks CK. Now I'm reconsidering! Not a fan of paying $100 to suffer in those kinds of conditions. That sounds horrible.

Back when I was living in Emporia, KS in the early 2000's, I came out to Golden to do a week of training. On a whim, decided to climb Mt. Evans. Had no idea what I was getting myself into and definitely didn't dress appropriately. Getting to the summit wasn't so much of a problem but the descent nearly killed me. I had to stop Summit lake and huddle up in some shack there. Didn't stop shaking for hours. And this was in late June!!!

Now I'm wondering if I should even bother, assuming it's not canceled.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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05/14/2020 02:36 PM
6ix. I have a photo of being huddled in that same area under a shelter surrounded by torrential rain.

I rode up between thunderstorms. Some people that were just ahead of me came screaming down the mountain and yelled at me to get back down because they were getting blown all over the place. I stubbornly kept going as this was a once in a lifetime ride (had flown into Denver). With some magic I summited just when the skies were clear. On downhill I was level with clouds and lightning it seemed. Just as I got to that shelter area the skies opened up real good. Perfect timing.

I learned about afternoon thunderstorms very quickly that week but still had several other close calls. Cottonwood climb is the best memory, first adventure into gravel before it became cool.

CK - the best part is if those violent shivers happen on the downhill. Really tests your bike's stiffness. This has happened several times although not on the Colorado trip.

Yes, that race won't happen and also agree with point (2), race for time. All those different categories are just crazy.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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05/14/2020 02:43 PM
Actually looking at map, my shelter was in Echo Lake area, not Summit lake.
Like 6ix, dressed very optimistic that day, short sleeves, didn't bother to carry even a wind breaker.
Big herd of elk in valley below Summit Lake, to right on descent.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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05/14/2020 03:53 PM
Now I'm wondering if I should even bother, assuming it's not canceled.


You should absolutely do it....I was a complete idiot and din't dress / pack appropriately. It is a great rac and everybody should experience it. Yeah, you can get freak storms like that in the summer, but it is usually manageable. This one was just especially bad that happened to hit on race day....and remember, you don't have to descend if you do the race. Just get to the top!!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
6ix

Posts:485

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05/14/2020 04:22 PM
I thought everyone had to descend no matter what. My plan was to throw every warm article of clothing I have in the bag that they bring to the summit for you. Probably no pedaling on the way down anyhow so why not get warm. And I have heated gloves!!

Suppose I can always register and if the weather is looking terrible, I just won't go. The storms generally start rolling in late morning so I should be at the summit by then. If the record is 1 hr 40 minutes, the I'd be pleased with 30-40 minutes behind that.
eurochien

Posts:163

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05/14/2020 04:28 PM
When/if the weather is good the descent is a blast!
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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05/15/2020 08:22 AM
Well, I did it many many years ago, so maybe it changed....but there were no descents allowed when I did it. IIRC, they were worried about collisions in the turns between climbing and descending riders. Maybe that has changed....or maybe my memory is cloudy and they only took us down that year because of the weather?

Damn old age!!!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
eurochien

Posts:163

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05/15/2020 09:20 AM
Last time I did that race was probably 2004 or 2005, and I did it for every 7-8 seasons I raced, never shuttled down, always rode down. I used to train for it by riding from Morrison and back (6 hours). Those were the days...
Dale

Posts:1767

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05/15/2020 01:16 PM
Some goofball acquaintance of mine who spends hours and hours on a trainer, and this was well before smart trainers and Zwift, did Mt. Evans. Skinny as a rail, tactically as bright as rock, but he could climb like crazy.

Anyway when he got back we asked how he did, he was miffed that some girl kicked his *** After doing some investigation the “girl” in question was Jeannie Longo.

He had no clue. Likely still doesn’t, he’s crawled back into his basement to churn out the hours on his trainer even on days when it’s beautify to ride outdoors. Odd duck.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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05/15/2020 04:13 PM
*whew*

Was afraid Dale was talking about me for a minute there.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
eurochien

Posts:163

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06/12/2020 10:09 AM
Mt. Evans will be open this summer, but not to cars. I'm thinking to give it a go this year (not the race, just to ride it again, it's been a loong time).

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/06/10/mount-evans-summer-2020-cycling/
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/12/2020 05:45 PM
Closed to cars, but open to cyclists is a dream come true. We had that on 14 miles of Blue Ridge Parkway for 4 weeks in May, related to avoiding crowds at a popular trailhead. The riding was so pleasant and relaxed. Wildlife was much more apparent. Sometimes I would stop and just watch the birds, occasional black bear cubs (cute!), deer etc.
6ix

Posts:485

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06/13/2020 01:18 PM
They would typically close the Blue Ridge Parkway to cars during the winter months from north Asheville all the way past Mt. Mitchell. Was awesome but also dangerous because there would be a lot of debris on the road (tree limbs, rocks, bears, deep snow and a lot of black ice.) The tunnels were particularly sketchy. But I was more worried about the fact that there were times that I was probably 10+ miles minimum from any other human being. Sounds great but it's risky. And zero cell reception. Proceed with caution. Same goes for the Mt. Evans climb now. There won't be any park rangers patrolling the area. I just worry about that.

Maybe I'll just drive there some day and run it. Bring a backpack or something for all my winter-weather gear so that I don't die. And take it VERY easy on the descent.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/13/2020 05:41 PM
Yes, the BRP also closes up at the northern end in the winter, sometimes for months at a time, but that's a different experience, with debris on the road, cold, no wildflowers and little visible wildlife. 15-20 years ago cross country skiing was occasionally an option, but it's been to warm since.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/13/2020 06:55 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 06/12/2020 05:45 PM
occasional black bear cubs (cute!), deer etc.


Careful now. My kid and his friends had an up close encounter with momma bear last weekend. Instead of back away slowly they ran like hell. Teens LOL.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/13/2020 07:21 PM
Our eastern black bears, fortunately, are the opposite of aggressive. Still, we don't do stupid stuff.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/13/2020 08:18 PM
Bears are smart and know how to get in and make a huge mess. Stupid stuff includes leaving one's car unlocked. No bird feeders except during hibernation. Never leave garbage accessible to a bear. This must all sound quaint to my western fellow forumites who live with bears as potential human killers. Just ain't an issue here. That said, a black bear did kill or seriously injure an exceptionally dumb asian tourist trying for a selfie with a bear hug a few years back.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/14/2020 01:00 AM
Black bears aren’t human killers either out west. But they will fiercely protect their young (hence the careful now) and may be aggressive when surprised. A cub sighting typically means figure out where’s the mom and remove yourself from scene in short order but calmly.

The other week there was an incident of a predatory black bear attack in the interior here. But there’s only been 56 deadly attacks since 1900 so it remains extremely rare. Pretty much same deal with grizzlies (brown bears). I’ve had a couple recent rides in grizzly bear country. Some of the more remote areas remain closed until mid June to give them their peace during cub season.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/14/2020 08:14 PM
Grizzlies are scary mofos to be avoided by us two wheelers!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/14/2020 08:39 PM
Grizzlies are a fact of life around here. They’re more aggressive than black bears but will still tend to avoid humans if they can. Looks like last year there was two attacks, one of the usual mom protecting cubs, in the other case it was a mountain biker who startled bear. Both survived but biker was mauled pretty good.

Last Friday we may have spotted a grizzly in woods, at least my ride buddy thought so. Two weeks before that I was coming down a hill and heard something that I imagine a cub could sound like followed by trashing in woods. Fortunately enough downhill speed that I never figured out what that was.

Moose remains most dangerous animal followed by black widow spider, rattlesnake, cougar, polar, grizzly. Still remember almost being trampled by a moose out east many years ago.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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06/15/2020 09:34 AM
Did you guys see this clip of a 12 YO who came across a bear in Italy? Kid kept his cool!!

https://twitter.com/fox5dc/status/1265685626915106816?s=20
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/15/2020 10:43 AM
That is the way to back out although I don't think the parent is meant to be filming the entire time.

Bear getting on its hind legs couple times is just to check out what is going on and create a field of vision.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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06/16/2020 02:43 PM
We're a long ways away from "race category" but this just showed in my newsfeed...lovely read, Grand Tetons area.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/this-bear-is-one-of-the-oldest-grizzlies-in-the-wild-and-she-just-had-4-new-cubs-1.5612550
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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06/16/2020 07:38 PM
Very cool kid!


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