WOW, what an event! KP, Emily, and I competed in the WNC hill climb yesterday evening up in Black Mtn, NC. I have to say, this was the absolute most disorganized event I have ever raced in. Parking was 3 miles away from the start, no one knew where registration was, and for that matter, where the actual climb was. We were redirected and then redirected over and over. All 3 of us were starting to get frustrated. There was even talk that this was a trail climb and that our carbon road bikes wouldn't be of any use. And, the rotary man who was directing riders was talking about the shuttle that would take riders back down the mtn. Shuttle? How steep is this thing?
We finally did manage to find the climb. Even though the 3 of us were the first to get to registration, of course it was not open yet. So, we decided to go ahead and warm-up because the race was going to start in an hour. We rode the actual climb during the warm-up. The climb was listed as 3 miles at 6-7% grade. Well, we got to 3 miles and just kept riding, up and up. The actual climb is 3.5 miles at 4-5%. I informed a race director at the top that the course was really 3.5 miles, and his response, "Well, whatever it is. ". Now, at least to me, there is a big difference between 3 and 3.5 miles when you are giving an all out effort. Not to mention there was a ton of gravel at the top that people were busy kicking off the road because they didn't have a broom to sweep the finish area.
So, back down the mountain we went.....to registration where there was now a very long line. It was a good thing we pre-registered because unlike most races where preregistering doesn't get you very far, at this event, you actually got bumped to the front of the line. I got my number and asked the official what my start time was...." I don't know, whatever was listed on the internet", great answer. :). The 3 of us warmed up for another 20 minutes or so and then KP yelled at me that there was a delay of 15min....,... At this point, our warm-up had become so choppy between stopping and starting and registering.
So, to the event. The course was absolutely beautiful in the middle of nowhere. It was a stretch of 10ft wide smooth pavement with picturesque mountains in the background. The TT was tough because you could either use the big ring or the little ring, a judgement call for sure because the course was not very steep. Emily and I little ringed it, and KP smoked it in the big ring. And, thankfully, at the top they had managed to find a broom and sweep off all the gravel.
In the women's 4 event KP won with a time of 15:28 and Emily placed 2nd with a time of 16:45 out of the 4 competitors in the event.
In the women's 1, 2, 3 event, Cara Applegate placed 1st (16:09), and I placed 2nd with a time of 16:14 out of the 5 racers in this category.
So, why did I drive 2 1/2 hours to TT for 16min. in the most disorganized race I've ever competed in? I'm not sure. But, what I do know, is that after it was all said and done, I had an absolute blast with 2 of my fellow teammates. Yesterday I was reminded that one must adapt to uncontrollable conditions, the poorly marked course, the delayed start times, the course that was not quite adequately described. You must adjust quickly, go with the flow, and focus on the race ahead. There will always be gravel in the road, it is how you choose to deal with gravel that will determine your success. Sweep it to the side and race on.
With the NO-a** hole team rule, we thought we would take a BAD A** pic at the end of the race. Kp's face is super intense, haha.........
Road Race
