``A Saturday In Hell''
Paris Roubaix... the Hell of the North. The raging peloton blasts over the mud-filled
pavé of northern France.... tires slipping on the slick, broken, ancient roads....
another rider is down..... tires designed for more modern surfaces fracture on
the disheveled cobbles.... team and media cars careen recklessly past the suffering
riders....a war of attrition, mud, and blood.
Okay, so Hicks wasn't that bad.
Still, recent rains and overcast skies with a noteable lack of road maintenance and
two sets of strategically-placed cattle guards conspired to make today's course a bit
more challenging than the profile alone promised. Add the road-race-like pack
raging over the early miles, local drivers with less than a mother's patience, and
conditions were more like "La Pascale" than "La Low-Key".
Nevertheless, the hills arrived soon enough, and imposed order on the raging
masses. The first slopes, approaching the dam on Hicks at mile 3.0, shred those more
"anaerobically challenged" (c'est moi) from the lead group. After 1.6 more miles
of frenzied flatlands, the party was over.... the grades of Hicks had arrived.
Still, the course had some chaos in reserve -- approximately half way
up Hicks' 740 vertical feet, on a section of road worthy of Hicks' 14%
average grade, is the first of two cattleguards in today's offering.
Most (like TNT's Roxeanne Robinson) ignored their fear, trusted their
momentum, and safely crossed. At least one rider (me?) lamely
dismounted and slinked across on foot, only to be immediately passed
by an entire pack of thicker-skinned participants.
Then, Loma Almaden... Less hellish than some had promised, but more
challenging than others had claimed ("no worse than Page Mill," Bill
"I have a granny gear" Bushnell assured me), it provided a suitable
close to the day, as legs softened up by the sustained grades of Hicks
were forced to drive on through the mist, feeling all of Loma Almaden's
740 vertical feet.
But, by now most of the Low-Key regulars are accustomed to such rigors,
and the summit was gained without too much concern. Even Loma Almaden's
cattle guard wasn't much of a challenge after the one on Hicks' steeper grade.
And so there was a festive air at the finish, as riders knew the
worst of the 1996 Low-Key Hillclimbs was behind them. Only Hamilton
remained. Hamilton, with more than twice the climbing of H-LA,
is much more leisurely in its attainment. Those who have survived
so far know it will be conquered, and thus can savor the experience.
It will be a good Thanksgiving...
Some notes for this week:
-
Mike Podgorski (TNT) spun his chainring-like 32-spoke rear cog up the
hill to finish in a solid second place. Is there a lesson here?
-
Ed Miller suffered three flats during his climb, and yet forged on
to finish!
-
One rider had a bike bearing a striking resemblance to a suspension bridge...
and yet was able to hold onto the lead pack through the opening miles.
-
Tracy and Liz were the first male and female to finish..... again.
Results are in!!!
Rob Schott's report is in!!!
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