Records fall at Mount Baker Hill Climb
Jensen, Goldstein set new course records
GLACIER, WA- Over 650 cyclists came out to ride in the Mount Baker Hill Climb presented by Sanitary Service Company today and were treated to the kind of weather north-westerners aren't allowed to talk about outside the region. Brilliantly blue skies, warm September temperatures, and sunny panoramic views of the Cascades made for a day that no one could complain about, no matter how much they suffered on the bike. And suffer, many did.
This year's edition of the Hill Climb featured men's and women's fields that would ensure an exciting, if not record-breaking event.
"We're expecting several world-class athletes this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw men's times around 1:14:00 or 1:16:00" said Charlie Heggem, the race's director.
Either one would be considered the course record as Heggem set a challenge time of 1:20:00 when he created the race. Last year's winner and pre-race favorite, Ian McKissick (BMC Professional Cycling) narrowly missed the mark last year on his way to a convincing victory. No one had ever gotten so close to 1:20:00, and due to a scheduling conflict McKissick could not attend today's race.
That would leave the record-breaking in the men's field up to 2004 Mount Baker Hill Climb champ Kerry Farrell, living cycling legend Ned Overend, 2005 champion Nick Clayville and his Hagens/Berman teammates including professional triathlete, Adam Jensen. And with McKissick a no-show, the next most likely pick for the day's winner seemed to be Clayville.
It appeared evident that the Seattle-based Hagens/Berman team came to the Baker Hill Climb with one goal in mind: setting a course record and splitting the $4,000 award that went along with it. At the start line in glacier Clayville lined up at the front of the 250-strong Competitive group with four teammates in full time trial gear. Their plan seemed obvious to spectators: pace Clayville and Jensen to the base of the climb as fast as possible. And that's just what they did.
From the gun the pack was dominated by the HB Express and within the first mile, gaps began to form. Doing the lion's share of the pacemaking was Dan Harm, an Olympic track team hopeful for 2008.
"I felt really good," said Harm, and added "Right now I'm training exclusively for the Pursuit on the track and so my body is really used to the time trial position".
His training must be working as he never seemed to let off the gas. He and his three other pacemakers shattered the field within the first 10 kilometers of the race, leaving only themselves, Clayville, Jensen, and a handful of other riders to battle on the slopes of the climb up Mount Baker. But if they had any hopes of dropping their main competition with their blistering pace, they would be out of luck.
Also in this select group were Ned Overend, 2004 champ Farrell, and Western Washington University's Chris Parrish who finished 12th in this race in 2005. Parrish and Farrell looked comfortable during the early stages of the run up to Artist Point, but former UCI World Mountain Bike champion Overend seemed to be looking his age at times. He appeared to struggle on the flatter parts of the course, but would not let go of this group.
"I didn't think there'd be that many guys going that fast at the [start]," said a youthful and hyper-fit Overend, adding that "I didn't have that good a warm-up, but I sucked it up on the flats and once we got to the first two-mile climb I could recover." And it was a good thing because had he not been able to do so, he might have been shelled as soon as the lead group of eight hit the base of the final 18 kilometer climb.
As the leaders began their ascent to Artist Point, Harm took his last pull in hopes of setting up Clayville for the win. But as Harm dropped back it was Clayville's lesser-known teammate Adam Jensen, from Missoula, MT who would put in the first big attack of the day. And with that move, eight riders became five.
The lead group; now Jensen, Clayville, Overend, Farrell and Parrish seemed content to work together for a short period of time as they all assessed the situation at hand. However, as the quintet continued up the mountain, the three team-less riders sat back to let Clayville and Jensen do most of work. It appeared evident that each of these five riders had their minds on the money.
"I think [Jensen] did the lion's share of the work," recalled Clayville at the finish. "Adam was just flying, and I knew I didn't have it today, so I just tried to set tempo as best I could."
When Clayville decided to play it smart with about 5 kilometers to go, Jensen and Overend began to really go at each other unleashing a series of strong attacks. The other three could only do their best to withstand the barrage, time and again clawing their way back to the group. Then with one more attack by Overend, Parrish fell off the back, as did Farrell.
"My goal was to stay with the lead group as long as I could," said Parrish.
Parrish continued, "When [Adam and Ned] started attacking I couldn't match them, but I was able to gain back up slowly. But after the third or fourth attack with three or four K to go I just couldn't match it and went my own pace."
Parrish's presence in this select group was a surprise to many, as he focuses more on mountain bike racing. But his strength showed today, as did his sensible racing tactics. Parrish also noted that he was using this race to prepare for Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals next month. But as a mountain biker, Parrish revealed that it was bitter-sweet to ride with one of the all time greats.
"It was awesome," Parrish said when asked what it was like to ride with Overend. "I met the guy yesterday, and he just loves the sport and it was great to ride with him. But he's 52 years old, and I didn't want to get beat by a guy 30 years older than me."
So it was down to Jensen and Overend, with Clayville slowly slipping away. And at three kilometers to go Jensen put in one more attack that Overend couldn't match. And with the summit just beyond the final two switchbacks, Jensen finally had the gap he had been working for.
"I'm a triathlete," said Jensen when asked about his attacking style, "So I don't do drafting. I hate drafting, I hate people drafting me, and I knew I could ride it by myself". And that's exactly what he did for the last three kilometers, extended his lead to 25 seconds by the time he crossed the line. When all was said and done, Jensen had beaten the course challenge by 1:40, setting a course record of 1:18:20. Clayville would roll over the line in fourth place, eventually having succumbed to Farrel's famous big-ring mash, with Parrish close behind in fifth.
The women's race, was less explosive as the handy work of the Hagens/Berman Express had fractured the group so badly. However, it was no less exciting. Since this race was a mass start, the Competitive women became spread apart over several groups. But Team Symmetric's powerhouse Leah Goldstein made the most of the day, soloing in for the victory.
Rebecca Much who was riding in a Hagens/Berman kit for the day did her best to hang onto the train Dan Harm was powering but ended up overcooking it. She recovered to finish second on the day, but with the Competitive group so split up, she had lost contact with Goldstein early on. So with Much out of the picture, Goldstein was able to power to a nearly uncontested victory. But despite the lack of fireworks diplayed by the men's group, Goldstein's finish was no less suspenseful.
With five kilometers to go, it looked as though the Canadian might not beat the time challege. But she was able to up her pace and as she made the last right-hand turn and pedaled toward the finish, the crowd began to cheer loudly. The sounds of screeming spectators got louder and louder with each of Goldstein's pedal strokes. And as she rose from her saddle in an all out effort, the clock ticked down. The crowd erupted as she crossed the line and the sound was deafening. The time clock read "1:29:58"; a new women's course record that was worth $4,000. But despite the money, Goldstein had other prizes on her mind.
"It was hard because it was the last race of the season, but it was such a fun race! Now I can go home and have a piece of cake."
Such a treat would be a fitting prize for Goldstein as she made her victory look so easy. When asked if she had to work hard to get away from anyone, a smiling Goldstein said "no, I just kept pace at the main climb and I just rode my race. I really didn't have a hard time".
Goldstein added "I just rode tempo and it was fine; I managed to ride away from my competitors". And she rides away from Mt. Baker $4,000 richer.
