Logistics:  Registration for this race was at the Bronco Trailhead. 
This trailhead is about 30 minutes past the turnoff to Bartlett Lake 
(1:15 total from my house in NE Mesa). The road turns to dirt and 
there are a couple of low water crossings between Bartlett and Bronco.
 Note this is the same road that is used on the Humboldt RR.
Warm-up for the TT is at the Bronco Trailhead, then you have 
to ride about 15 minutes over a very rough dirt road to get 
to the TT start.  HLHAP transported race wheels to the start line 
so you didn't have to ride your nice wheels over the crappy road.
 
Note that it is much cooler and windier at Humboldt than anywhere 
else in the continental US.  The temperature at the trailhead was 
10 - 15 degrees lower than when I left my house in Mesa;  it was 
cloudy at Humboldt where it was clear in Mesa; and the wind was 
blowing 20 to 30 mph vs. maybe 10 at Mesa.  
Luckily, it would be tailwind on the climb.
 
The Course:  A 3.7 mile hill climb at an average grade of 11%.
  The first couple miles is probably closer to 6 or 7%, followed by 
a very short (1/4 mile?) downhill section.  The final mile and a half 
or so is brutal - it's got to be 15%+.  The pavement is poor all the 
way up the mountain, but at the speed you are riding, it doesn't 
make any difference.  The course is closed to traffic; it's really just 
a narrow service road for the observatory.  
 
Race Strategy:  What strategy?  The ride should take between 
20 and 35 minutes.  Ride as hard as you can. Including on the flatter 
sections if you don't want to give away valuable seconds.
 
Race:  My warm-up went poorly; I'd had my first bad week 
of training on the bike this week since before race season started.  
Three straight weeks of multiple race days and/or intensity on the 
weekends had worn me out.  But I wasn't totally locked out; my HR 
would stubbornly rise towards LT, but I couldn't hold it very long.  
I was sure that I'd be able to push harder once the race started.
 
Riders were sent off every 30 seconds.  I was the second rider off, 
and caught the first rider off in about 3 or 4 minutes. I struggled to 
stay focused and keep the intensity high - I kept catching myself 
"taking breaks" when the gradient would ease off.  I pushed myself 
down the flat portion and began the switchbacks to the summit. 
I glanced behind me to see a rider in blue fairly close behind me,
and an HLHAP rider getting close as well.  Not a good sign.  
I really wanted to be the first rider to summit, so I turned back the 
road and tried to push harder.  Before I expected it, the 1K to go 
sign appeared, and I tried to take it up one more notch, but there 
wasn't any more to be had.  I checked below me; the HLHAP rider 
was a couple switchbacks below me, but I couldn't see the rider in blue. 
200M to go.  I tried to get in the drops and sprint, but it was too steep.  
I grabbed the hoods, got out of the saddle and finished the ride. 
I checked my watch - about 21:30.  The rider in blue must have been 
hidden by the switchbacks, because he appeared next, and finished 
what appearedto be about 20 seconds after I did.  Not good - he had 
to have started at least 30 seconds back, meaning of the two riders 
that finished I was in second place.  Next came the HLHAP rider - 
Scott Price.  He said he finished in around 20:30.  Now there were 
3 riders at the summit, and I was in third. Pretty impressive.  
At this pace, I would finish in dead last.
 
After a few more riders finished, I grabbed the sweatshirt that Trina had 
graciously brought to the summit for me and cruised back to the bottom. 
I swapped back to my training wheels and rode the dirt back to my car. 
By the time I had done that, put up my bike and changed clothes, 
HLHAP was back with the results.  I was tied for third overall 
(nobody else beat me), but the two riders that beat me weren't in 
my category, so I won the 45+ race.  Not bad, considering that 
I didn't feel very strong all day.
 
-Craig Long