I checked the American Cycling Association website at lunch today. I wanted to make sure there are no changes to the Lookout Mountain HC tomorrow. There aren’t, and I’m excited to give it a go.
(But I’m extremely nervous, which is bothering me. I shouldn’t tie any “self-worth” into this race, or any race. I’m not a climber, I know I’m not a climber, and it’s a stupid bike race anyway. But on the other hand, if you’re not nervous, you’re not ready.)
But I digress from the point of this post.
While I was on the website, I looked at next weekend’s race, the Sunshine HC in Boulder, CO. There was a link to the race website, so I took a gander.
Here’s what I read.
SUNSHINE STATS:
Total Elevation Gain: 3226 feet
Average Ascent Grade: 7.6%
Maximum Ascent Grade: 23.1%
Start Elevation: 5509 feet
Finish Elevation: 8426 feet
“Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder?”
Wayne’s World, 1992
Yep… you read it right, “Maximum Ascent Grade: 23.1%.” Woohoo, that’s going to be sweet. I love this kind of a challenge. And to add to the fun, the last 3.5 miles of the 9.14 miles course are dirt. (Seriously… this is going to be a blast!)
One small problem – I have a 23-11 casset on my bike. It would be ”most helpful” to have a 26-12. I think it’s time to buy a new cassette and upgrade my drive-train in the process.
Here’s hoping for a strong tailwind. :-)
