Mount Baker Hillclimb
Saturday, September 11, 2010 – Seattle WA
7:00PM – News stations were tracking a low pressure system flowing into the northwest corner of Washington state. Weather forecasters noted that, though cities south of Mount Vernon would remain unaffected, areas north and east of Bellingham could expect high winds, rain and colder than normal temperatures throughout the rest of the weekend. This was less than perfect timing for organizers of Norka Recreation’s 8th Annual Ride 542 event, otherwise known as the Mount Baker Hillclimb, a 24.5 mile, 4300 foot, timed road cycling climb along beautiful State Route 542.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
Sunday, September 12, 2010 – Glacier WA
3:00AM – An email update was broadcast to all registrants. The weather forecast the night before had not been promising. The update announced that, due to inclement weather, the course would have to be altered. The finish line would be moved to a lower elevation to assure the safety of the riders. A couple of scenarios were described, neither of which was as intriguing as the anticipated climb up the final 2.5 miles to the peak at Artist’s Point, but each of which illustrated the serious nature of the hostile conditions we were about to face.
7:00AM – Race officials (and law enforcement) announced that the finish line would be moved to the Heather Meadows Visitor Center (2.5 miles short of Artist’s Point) and that the highway above would be closed. Competitors were advised to show up with the ‘appropriate gear and clothing for an enjoyable ride in EXTREME conditions.’
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
7:30AM – Wave one, consisting of 45 ‘Summit’ riders left the starting area, most pursuing the ascent for the first time. Starting waves for the Mount Baker Hillclimb are released onto the mountain in reverse order based on anticipated speed, with the slowest riders leaving Glacier first and the fastest riders leaving last. This puts every rider in the thick of one of the most competitive and challenging road races in the northwest and assures that the entire field will converge at the finishing area at roughly the same time, culminating in a large post race celebration at the summit.
7:45AM – We pulled into Glacier under a cold, drizzling cloudy sky. This would be my third attempt at the mountain but my first in these conditions. The typically energized pre-race atmosphere had been replaced by soggy, quiet contemplation as racers huddled in their cars or under the eaves of buildings to stay dry and warm until their race began. A small band (of two musicians) hired for the event matched the thick, dark morning with an organic synth-groove that expressed the tone of the day perfectly. Cold riders were filled with anticipation, anxious to get their internal ‘furnaces’ blasting and eager to start the race! At check-in we decided to change our category from ‘Competitive’ to ‘Recreational-Fast’ which would allow us to start one hour earlier than planned, at 8:30AM. We would sacrifice the speed of a faster field of riders but would save ourselves the extra hour of waiting around in the cold for our race to start.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
8:00AM – Wave two, the ‘Recreational’ riders, 102 in all, blazed out of town in a long stream of fluorescent yellows, greens and blues. Riders from this group would finish the climb between 01:39:34 and 03:31:07.
8:20AM – Eager to start the race and fueled by the excitement of watching the earlier starting waves leaving the line, the remaining riders geared up and queued quickly for the start of our wave.
8:30AM – Following a brief pre-race meeting and at the sound of the starting horn, the ‘Recreational-Fast’ wave was off in a single peleton of 143 riders! The Ride542 course is divided, by most who attempt it, into 2 segments, the first consisting of ‘the approach,’ 14 miles of rolling hills (2 of which are rated climbs) escalating along the Nooksack River for a total vertical gain of 1000 feet. The second segment of the course is ‘the big climb,’ a 10.5 mile, Category 2 behemoth climbing an additional 3200 feet at 5.7 percent to the finish line at Artist’s point. Individual strategies for top performance abound. Depending on who you ask, the key to a personal record on this course ranges from ‘strategic pacing and drafting during the approach,’ to ‘minimizing weight and executing proper spinning technique on the climb.’ Arriving at the starting line 10 pounds lighter than I was last season and more fit from over a year of consistent (triathlon) training and racing, my personal strategy was a balanced combination of both, with flexibility built in for changing race conditions.
- Image courtesy of Norka Recreation
8:37AM – The immediate rise in elevation out of Glacier had already spread the peleton into a long, loose group of riders, each guaging their output (and that of their competition) in light of the inevitable suffering (for all) to come. Here, at mile 2, laid the first of 3 rated climbs for the day. The next mile, rated ‘Category 4′ at 5.7%, would fracture the peleton into several groups, the first of which would consist of approximately 20 riders. The second group, slightly larger in number, is where I would spend the next 5 miles, cautiously monitoring my heart rate and perceived exertion and weighing the risk of keeping up with the benefit I was gaining from the pace and draft of the group.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
8:55AM – At mile 6.5 our chase group encountered and was quickly dismantled by the second rated climb of the approach, a ‘Category 3′ hill climbing 3.2 kilometers at a 6.6% grade. Some took advantage of the changing terrain to put a lead on their competition. Others backed off, knowing that this was just a taste of the ‘real’ climb ahead. The chase group thinned to a long line of riders and then quickly splintered, leaving each rider to face the balance of the course alone.
9:00 AM – The ‘Competetive Tandem’ wave, consisting ot 2 teams of 2 riders each, left the starting line.
9:14 AM – Four continuous miles of nearly level grade lie at the foot of the ‘big climb.’ I was 2 miles into this plateau and able to settle into a swift and constant pace, managing heart rate and sensing the condition of my legs and how prepared they were (or were not) for the work ahead.
9:21 AM – At mile 14, I sailed across the bridge spanning the Nooksack and planted myself firmly at the base of the ‘big climb,’ 16 km of Category 2 madness rising at a relentless 5.7% to the peak at Artists Point, 4200 feet above the starting line back in Glacier. I felt confident, after nearly an hour of hard riding, that I was here in better condition than I had been last year but I had left a lot of what I brought out there on ‘the approach.’ Would I have enough to make it to the top in good form? Only time, sweat and a fair amount of suffering would tell.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
9:30AM – 104 of the area’s top competitive and recreational cyclists were unleashed from the base of the mountain with a vengeance. The field included Morgan Schmitt and Adrian Hegyvary, both racing for the ‘UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis’ team. Adrian would go on to win the overall competition with an earth-shattering average speed of over 18 miles per hour!
9:40 AM – I was 3 miles into the truncated 8 mile ascent and settling into a manageable pace. I could feel strength and stamina that had been absent in previous years but was still concerned about crossing into an anaerobic state (which I have determined through regular testing this season to be at a heart rate in the mid to high 150′s.) Over the course of the next mile, I adjusted my gearing, cadence and heart rate and was thrilled to find that I was able to maintain balance without dropping to my lowest available gear.
9:58 AM – With 5 kilometers left, markers had been placed noting the remaining distance to the finish. I struggled to do the conversion (from kilometers to miles) as I ticked off the first two markers. With 3 kilometers to go, I picked up my speed some. Our wave had crossed over into the tail end of the recreational field and I felt motivated by catching and passing the other riders as I climbed.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
10:04AM – Passing the 2 kilometer mark, I began unloading stored energy into my leg muscles. At 1 kilometer I opened it wide, stood on my pedals and poured out everything I had left.
10:10AM – A makeshift finish line, consisting of 2 parallel rows of road-cones, about 15 soggy (but reasonably enthusiastic) spectators and a single video camera recording the race’s official results, had been hastily relocated from Artist Point to its current position adjacent to the Heather Meadows Visitors Center. I wasn’t even aware that I’d crossed it until, following the cones, riders were led through the center’s parking lot, where an incredible array of snacks and fuel for the return trip had been carefully arranged. Riders were scrambling to rack their bikes, grab some food, hop indoors to warm up and to change into dry clothes (if they had brought them… I hadn’t…) and to hit the road before their cores cooled to the point where they couldn’t be easily reheated. We followed suit, grabbed our bikes, and headed back down as quickly as possible.
10:40 AM – The ride back to Glacier went much better than expected. With high speeds and very little pedaling, it took several miles to warm back up but we survived, coasting down the long switchbacks and reaching the base of the ‘big climb’ in about 20 minutes. The first few pedal strokes at the base were tough. My legs felt thick and cold for the first mile or so but eventually loosened up and I was able to push through the series of rolling hills leading us back into town.
- Image courtesy of Tim Chandonnet Photography
11:40 AM – We rolled into Glacier precisely 60 minutes after leaving the visitor center and had time for a quick lunch and a couple of cold beers at ‘Graham’s,’ one of the handful of restaurants in town.
12:30 PM – A short 4 hours after starting our race, we were racked, loaded and headed back home. During previous years, better weather conditions had made it easy to waste away the whole afternoon trading stories and talking about past and future races. Today we had been up the mountain and back so quickly that it barely felt like we had raced at all.
Conclusions - Based on this years results, my average speed for today’s 8 mile climb and the remaining distance between the abridged finish line at Heather Meadow and the summit at Artist’s Point, I’ve calculated that I’d likely have finished the full-length course in just under 2 hours. I am thankful to race organizers this year on two fronts. The first is that they held another stellar event in spite of very challenging and volatile weather conditions, making rider safety their first priority. The second is that, by shortening this year’s course, they left me with another year’s worth of eager anticipation, looking forward to that long, steep 2.5 mile climb to the summit. I’ll be back in 2011, lighter and faster from another year’s worth of training and ready, hopefully, to break the 01:45:00 barrier.
