Santa Barbara - peaceonabike

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

Four years ago, retired pro cyclist, Phil Gaimon, invited me to race in the Hillclimb Worlds Championship in Santa Barbara. “It will be fun,” he said. I went but knew everything was against me.

Pacific Ocean – West Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Earlier in 2018, I had a memory-loss head injury. I had a knee replacement. And I was carrying way too many pounds. If that wasn’t bad enough, I rode two of southern California’s toughest climbs, Palomar Mountain and Mount Baldy, the previous two days. I had no legs left.

What happened that day was that I finished dead last in the world. We went in waves by age group although these were individual time trials. I got dropped by my group before reaching the base of the climb. So I truly was racing the clock.

I think had I stayed with my group I may have been able to win a 2-up sprint at the end. But it doesn’t matter. I am the world’s worst hill climber.

Today was not the ideal day to attempt a do-over but it was the only day I had. I left the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel in Agoura Hills precisely at sunrise and drove to Santa Barbara. It was farther than I thought but had always been my plan to ride here no matter what. So I would make it happen.

It was a beautiful sunny day although a little on the cool side. I wore arm warmers at the start knowing they would be coming off. And I had a technology failure. I’m not sure how it transpired but it did.

I needed to do two things before this trip. The first was to find the hillclimb segment on Strava from four years ago and “star” it so that it would show up in my Live Segments on Wahoo when I rode. The second was to “pin” the route so that the route would show up. Alternatively, I could create one from scratch.

I do not remember doing the former. But I did find the route and edited it to remove two miles of riding back and forth in Santa Barbara. And then I needed to sync this with my Wahoo, which I did around midnight before leaving for LA. I think.

Actually, I thought I synced this and checked to see that it was there. When I reached Santa Barbara I turned on my Wahoo and did not see the route. And I certainly did not remember the turns we took from the oceanfront to the start of the climb.

However, on my Wahoo app on my phone, the route was there. I don’t know why or how it’s on the app but not on the Wahoo computer itself. So I looked at the map and tried to remember the turns I needed. This would be a mistake.

Some did look familiar to me. But every canyon road looks the same after a while and I was climbing. But it didn’t feel right. I stopped. I tried to find out where I was and could see that I was not on the right road. I went back down, turned, and thought I was on the right road until I came to the intersection of Coyote Road and Mountain Road. It wasn’t right.

Gibraltar Road (for real – here’s a sign)

I had to ride back DOWN Mountain Road to get to the start of the climb. But it was a pretty road. Along the way, I passed a house that I didn’t really notice. I noticed the mailbox. It was a piece of art – a cyclist with deliveries in the rear. I would learn this house was owned for 20 years by comedian Steve Martin.

This was Steve Martin’s house for 20 years

I got to the start of the climb and thoughts about abandoning the day came over me. I did not have all day to ride because I would have to return the rental car by 2:00 p.m. in El Segundo.

“Delivery in the rear,” Mailbox sculpture in front of Steve Martin’s house

Without a map, I was playing in my mind how I could time the climb. I knew that I could ride it and once it’s uploaded to Strava the data will be there. But I would like to know how I was doing.

I decided that I would make it a Lap. And then I could display Lap data which would include time and distance. I would switch to kilometers knowing it was a 10 km ride. And I would have to average 6:00 per kilometer to finish in 60 minutes.

My time, which got me dead last in the Hillclimb Worlds, was 1:12 (one hour and 12 minutes). I wanted not only to beat it but beat it by enough that it would be clear it was not the worst time in the world.

And thus I started. Whether it’s a canyon road or a cliff road, it sure is pretty. To my surprise, the Live Segment popped up so I would not have to resort to a mishmash display of lap data.

The Live Segment data displayed includes distance remaining (10.0 km), time elapsed, prior best time (1:12:23), time ahead or behind, and provides an ETA for the pace one is riding. Just to punish you, it also displays a graphical representation of the entire climb that is color-coded by section depending on the steepness. (Avoid the red)

Almost from the start, I was ahead of my pace. I expected that. Then I started to focus on the ETA. The first time I looked I was on a 58:00 pace. Good, I wanted to continue that. Based on my experience over the weekend at Phil’s Fondo, I seem to improve more significantly on the lesser grades. When the road really gets steep, the 2022 Barry does not seem significantly better than the 2018 Barry. I could see the second half was steeper than the first.

In fact, I went through the first five kilometers in 28 minutes and I knew that double that was 56. Yet my ETA had slipped to 1:00. It also knew there was real pain ahead.

I gave it my all. My bike was a little clunky. Shifting wasn’t right since I landed at LAX and rebuilt the bike. I did not have access to a pump. Normally that would be OK but since my Saturday flat was refilled with CO2, it bleeds faster. My tire was low. And I did not have perfect rolling resistance as my rear brake rotor was out of true and rubbing.

The last kilometer seems to be the steepest. My ETA was showing 1:00:30 and I was getting it down to 1:00:10. I was watching the countdown to 0 meters remaining and it came and went. It was -4 then -20 and so on. I’m not sure when the climb ended and if it ever displayed my final time. I was deprived of seeing PR displayed on the screen.

It would not be until I finished the ride and uploaded it that I saw the “official” Strava time. And Strava time is official whereas Wahoo time is not (although it is usually the same).

But screw the disappointment of not breaking one hour. I shaved off 12 minutes. That’s huge. But I wasn’t even close to the best of the day. It looks like five of us rode and I was 4th. But all are younger and I’m doing OK for tackling this climb.

Hillclimb Worlds – Proud to wear these socks (now)

In terms of speed, at Hillclimb Worlds, I averaged 5.1 mph. Today was 6.0 mph. That’s 18% faster (than a turtle). But 18%!!! I’m happy.

DISTANCE: 10 km
TIME: 1:00
WEIGHT: 177 lbs.

THE TWITTER VERSION

LOGISTICS

And a word about the logistics of this trip. I wanted to minimize car rental costs which I did in two ways. First, I did not rent at LAX. The additional fees heaped on the rental cost are best borne by business travelers. Go offsite somewhere.

I rented offsite at Enterprise Car Rental in El Segundo. I avoided the LAX fees. Many places allow you to return vehicles to a different location. Three years ago, Enterprise charged $100 to return the car to LAX. I didn’t even inquire this time.

I arrived Thursday but didn’t need a car until Friday when I drove to Agoura Hills. I made my reservation for 2:00 p.m. Friday returning on Monday at 2:00 p.m. A three-day rental was enough.

I took a free shuttle from the airport to the Hilton Garden Inn – El Segundo. On Friday I went for a long bike ride (70 miles) and finished at Enterprise Car Rental. I put the bike in the car, drove back to the hotel, and picked up my stuff.

The car was inadequate based on its description as a midsize SUV. It would not hold my bike and my bike case. I asked and the staff (Marissa, actually) at the HGI, told me that I could check it there. I also asked if when I return if I could take their shuttle and they said of course.

I returned the car today at 2:00 p.m. and the Enterprise staff took me back to the hotel. I picked up my bike case, tore down and packed my bike, then took their 4:00 shuttle to LAX. Keep in mind I stayed there on Thursday only, having to stay in Agoura Hills, Friday through Monday.

So a 3-day car rental. No additional shuttle charges to or from hotels. I am quite pleased with how that worked out.

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

Sometime this week I had a dumb idea. Or three. Ride Palomar. Ride Baldy. Ride the Hillclimb World Championships. On three consecutive days.

If I was serious about putting up a good time I would not have ridden Palomar Mountain and Mount Baldy the day before the championships. Those climbs take everything out of you. But here I was.

My day started at 5:30 a.m. and I went to breakfast at the Homewood Suites in Oxnard at 6:00 a.m. Except breakfast was at 6:30 a.m. So I went to Santa Barbara without breakfast, worried more about checking in on time and not missing my start time.

Got my number on and timing chip on my fork

While serious cyclists warmed up on trainers, many of us seemed to ride on East Cabrillo Avenue. When your group was called we had a police escort for about five miles to the beginning of the climb. I would think that’s enough of a warm up.

I lined up with 11 other cyclists; 10 men and one woman. I didn’t say a word to anyone. Someone asked me if I had ridden this before and I told him I hadn’t. Okay, one word (no). He told me had once before. I didn’t ask him about his experience. Or ask for advice. I wasn’t too conversational.

We rolled out with a police escort and at first I was in the middle of the group. But the road turned up and I decided I wasn’t going to keep their pace before the actual climb began. And I’m sure Baldy and Palomar had something to do with it. A gap developed and I was in the second group of two. And then they passed me and I was by myself. I was dropped before the race began.

There was a guy on a hybrid bike and I was sure I’d see him on the climb. I didn’t. Groups were staged every 15 minutes. The first group was 70+ and Clydesdales (190 lbs). When I registered I could have registered as a Clydesdale but was hoping I weighed less than 190 by today. It wasn’t arrogance that I refused to register as a Clydesdale but wishful thinking. I was in the second group (ages 60-69).

Behind us was the 50-59 group and behind them was the 40-49 group. By the time I reached the official start I had already climbed 1,000 feet. Talk about a warm up.

The route is beautiful. I had thought about stopping for a photo op but decided to keep the phone/camera in the pocket. I thought I was about two minutes behind my group but I would never see them today. Any of them. Even the guy on the hybrid. And the two tandems.

Got passed by the guy in the Speedo. Our ad for VeloGuide. (Believe his name is Pat.)

Then it was ride at my own pace and wait to be caught. It was a 10 km climb and about 6 km to go the first of the fast 50s went by. Pretty much 27 of their 28 riders passed me. Without about 3km to go the fast 40s came by. Looks like 15 of their 24 that started 30 minutes behind me caught me (although all had better times).

I was suffering. Too much climbing the past two days. No breakfast. I was pretending I was in the early break and was called back to wait for my team leader. One can dream.

It was hard. I never thought of quitting but I didn’t have the power and have too much weight. My power to weight ratio is skewed towards weight.

I was passed by men. By women. By a guy on an ElliptiGO. By a woman on an upright cargo bike (although I think she had an electric motor and she wasn’t racing). By a guy wearing only a Speedo.

After I finished, there wasn’t much to do at the top. No activities were at the finish line. Just turn around and descend. I took my time descending. I was recording some riders and wanting to see the pro men. I thought there would be a moto escort so I was surprised to put my phone down after taking some photos and look up and see Phil Gaimon and Peter Stetina flying around the corner uphill.

Now I am left to reflect. If your goal is winning then only Phil was a winner today. Or Phil and Aimee Vasse if you want winner by genders. We are all losers. Some second losers. Some, like me, 175th loser. DFL. In the world.

I am also reminded that I didn’t try and failed. You only fail if you don’t try. (Things losers say)

I rode because I could. Because seven months ago I could not pedal. Because five months ago I woke up in Ohio with no clue how I got there. Because nine years ago I was battling cancer and every day is a blessing so do something epic. And ego more than anything kept me from registering as a Clydesdale. Who wants to admit you are carrying too much weight? But if I had, I would have finished on the podium. Damn me.

From Phil Gaimon (Facebook Page). Credit: John Mahoney

ABOUT GILBRATAR ROAD (from The Complete Guide to Climbing, John Summerson, 2007)

Total Elevation: 3,560′ (1,085 m)
Length: 10.2 miles (16.42 km)
Average Grade: 6.6% (11%)
Rating: 2.40 (Cat 1)
100 Toughest US Climbs: #57

Gibraltar Road is a difficult and scenic climb with great views of the Channel Islands out in the Pacific Ocean. In Santa Barbara, take Mountain Dr. up the hill and stay on Mountain Dr. by turning left at the reservoir. After another 2/10th of a mile turn right on Gibraltar R. which takes you all the way to the top along a very twisty route. The top is along poor pavement and the climb ends (unmarked) by the building with antennas on your left.

The actual race was contested on:
Total Distance: 6.14 miles (9.88 km)
Total Elevation Gain: +2,593′ (790.35 m)
Avg Grade: 8%

EDIT/EPILOGUE – These were “open” championships, i.e., no qualifying necessary. One needed only to sign up and ride. I had met Phil Gaimon, the organizer, 10 years earlier at Mount Washington, New Hampshire. I had been diagnosed with cancer and his dad was dying of cancer. It’s not that we kept in touch over his pro cycling career but he contacted me in the summer and asked if I would “race” in the World Championships. My only condition is that I was permitted to finish – a DFL was okay, a DNF was not. And the way the race was structured, this would be no problem.

I had been diagnosed with an adrenal gland tumor and my endocrinologist told me that would affect my metabolism. I was gaining weight in part because of this tumor and in part because cancer took my prostate and my body was not producing testosterone anymore. But mostly because I liked to eat.

I had knee replacement surgery in February, a traumatic brain injury in May, and was overweight. I did not belong but dammit, Phil asked me to register. So I did. The adrenal tumor and prostate cancer are not excuses – just challenges. And I will (have) overcome those to be in my normal weight range for my height. Bring back the Worlds and I will ride again but next time I can’t register as a Clydesdale.

Tag: Santa Barbara

Hillclimb Worlds Redemption Tour

Hillclimb World Championships