End of Season Race Report
By Dan Vinson

"What Starts in Vegas, Ends in Vegas (Well . . . Almost)". It has been a long 2006 racing season - starting with the Nelson's Landing Stage Race, held out of Las Vegas and ending nearly 8 months later after completing 68 races. My original plan was to do the Ontario G.P. and then end the year with the Vuelta Baja California in Mexico. The form was good and I was looking forward to the race, but unfortunately Baja was cancelled at the last minute. So, I did Ontario, shut down the riding for the most part, but then decided later that I might as well complete the season in Las Vegas at the Mt. Charleston Hillclimb Road Race. That was to be my last race until I was cruelly talked into doing the Everest Challenge by two of my teammates.

The Ontario G.P. was a lot of fun. We (Kahala LaGrange) started out aggressive. I countered a move early and went off the front solo and got a pretty big advantage. After 4 laps and two primes, Christian Valenzuela and Rigo Meza bridged to me. A few laps later more riders bridged including teammates Jorge Alvarado and Kayle LeoGrande (who was wearing his newly earned Stars and Stripes jersey). After a while, we had about 12 riders total in the break. We worked together until there was no threat of being caught by the peleton who was now over a half lap back. Then, we started attacking each other and riders in the break began to fall off the pace.

As we were about to lap the field, Alvarado attacked followed by Nate Diebler (SoCalCycling.com). I went next and most of the riders in the break worked their way to the front. My teammate in the field, John Tzinberg, put in a massive attack with me on his wheel to launch me off the front. The field was strung out and the hurt was on. Alvarado countered the move and got a gap, but was pulled back. It ended up coming down to a sprint. We rounded the last turn at high speed and Kayle LeoGrande (Kahala LaGrange) jumped hard early and held everyone off for the victory. Christian Valenzuela took 2nd with Rigo Meza rounding out the podium in 3rd. I was just behind in 4th with Jorge Alvarado close by in 5th. A fun race indeed!

Next up was the Mt. Charleston Hillclimb Road Race (17.5 miles / 5500' Elevation gain). The climb averaged just under 6% in gradient and was pretty steady all the way up. Also, there were very few turns in the road and much of the time you could see a mile ahead of you. Although we were lined up in categories (Pro 1, 2's first, etc.), it was a mass start event. I was surprised to see hundreds of riders on our wheels once the gun was fired for the start. That didn't last long though. A few riders attacked and got a gap. The pace picked up at the front of the field with Chris Walker and I setting tempo for a little while. A mile later, there were only 15 riders in the lead group. A few miles after that, the pace picked up even more and there were only about 9 of us left. We caught the riders off the front and continued the hard pace.

There were more accelerations and three riders - Jorge Alvarado (Kahala LaGrange), Chris Walker (Labor Power), and David Framas - pulled away. Andy Bestwick, Ryan Gibson, and I were not that far behind, and sat on the wheel of Greg Leibert (racing in the 35+ category) as he motored along in time trial mode. We were keeping tempo and even closing in on the leaders, but Leibert's pace was a bit too much and the rest of us fell off the pace. Towards the end of the race, Alvarado and Framas got a gap over Walker. Leibert ended up catching Walker and winning the 35+ division. For the Pro 1, 2's, Jorge Alvarado powered to the victory, with David Framas placing 2nd. Chris Walker rounded the podium in 3rd. 4th - Andy Bestwick; 5th - Dan Vinson; 6th - Ryan Gibson. All in all, it was a pretty fun race to end the season - or so I thought!

The Everest Challenge Stage Race claims to be "the hardest two day USCF race". Well, they are right. The courses are extremely challenging - three "super climbs" each day. Based upon the race distances, length and gradient of climbs, and the altitude, you would be hard pressed to find a tougher race in terms of terrain. It is home of the California/Nevada State Climbing Championships. For many riders, the completion of the race could be equated with a runner finishing their first marathon. Considering the altitude, even stages of the Tour de France can hardly rival the climbs encountered at the Everest Challenge.

Stage 1 - Bishop to South Lake (104 miles/15,465' climbing). The three climbs of the stage are: 22 mile climb at 5% grade with pitches up to 12%; an 8 mile climb at 7% with a max of 11%, and 20.4 mile climb at 6% with a max grade of 17%. So, over 50 miles of climbing! The race started neutral, but heated up quickly once we hit the first climb. Thurlow Rogers (Sonace) attacked early and went solo about 1/3 of the way into the first climb. The pace in the group quickened and the field began to dwindle. Soon, there were only about 10 riders remaining at the front, including a couple strong Master riders. By the top of the first climb at an elevation of 10,250 feet, Thurlow Rogers had over 3 minutes on the chasers who included: Chris Walker, Jorge Alvarado, Dan Vinson, Eric Jeppsen, and David Yakaitis. We chased on the descent and hit the second climb (8 miles, 7%) pretty hard. Yakaitis fell off the pace, then me, and then Jeppsen. I tried to keep the rhythm going, but it was tough. At the top, Rogers still had just over 3 minutes on the chasing duo (Alvarado and Walker), with me another 4 minutes back.

We had to cross a valley before hitting the third and last climb of the day, which was terrible because there was a headwind the whole way. I went pretty slow, just cruising and hoping to make it to the finish. I finally hit the last climb and saw the "Elevation 5000 feet" sign, which really sucked since the finish was still about 18 miles away at an elevation of 9835 feet! I was 5th place on the road and there were huge gaps between riders, but I started moving slower and slower. At one point I was riding so slow that I witnessed the evolution of mountain life. About half way up the climb I started cramping and had to stop riding for several minutes. I was able to get back on the bike and continue, but only after being passed by a couple riders. Towards the top, I stopped cramping so bad and was able to pick it up a little. Ahead, Thurlow Rogers held everyone off to win the stage in just under 6 hours. Jorge Alvarado placed 2nd and Chris Walker was 3rd. I finished 7th with a time of 6 hours and 44 minutes. At the top, vulnerable, I offered to sell my bike for $5. There were no takers. It was a tough race!

Stage 2 - Big Pine to Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (68 miles/13,563' climbing). The three climbs included: 9 mile climb at 8% grade, max of 12%; 8.5 mile climb at 5%; and a 21 mile climb at 6% with pitches up to 15%. So, 39 miles of climbing with the last 3 miles averaging over 10% gradient! The previous evening, I was so tore up from the race that I didn't know if I would even take the start. The plan was to go hard early and try to set something up for Jorge Alvarado who was sitting in 2nd place. We started quick and hit the climb. At the base, Walker did a little acceleration and I just kept on going solo. I slowly increased my advantage to over a minute as I traversed the steep slopes. I looked back and the chase was evidently on as riders were splattered down the entire mountain. They caught me about 2/3 way of the mountain, and by the summit there were only 5 of us left including: Rogers, Walker, Alvarado, Vinson, and Jeppsen.

Rogers attacked on the descent with Walker on his wheel and they got a gap. No matter how fast we went, Rogers and Walker continue to pull away. At the bottom, they probably had around 40 seconds on us. I did some real hard turns on the flat section between climbs to pull Alvarado back up to the leaders, but it was arduous. We hit the climb and went pretty fast on the early slopes, still chasing. About half way up the climb, Alvarado took off and bridged the rest of the way by himself. Jeppsen and I slowed and went tempo the remainder of the second climb. I recovered on the descent and then hit the final 21 mile, 6573' climb, ending at an elevation of 10,100 feet! I paced myself, slowly, and rode with Jeppsen for a while until he picked it up a little and went up the road. Later, he had to back off and I passed him about half way up the climb. Up ahead Rogers got a small gap over Walker and Alvarado. With 3 miles to go, Thurlow Rogers punched it and began to pull away and crossed the line for his second victory in two day. Jorge Alvarado placed 2nd with Walker in 3rd. I finished next in 4th place. The Overall G.C.: 1st - Thurlow Rogers; 2nd - Jorge Alvarado; 3rd - Chris Walker; 4th - Eric Jeppsen; 5th - David Yakaitis; 6th - Dan Vinson.

Alright, well that's a wrap on the 2006 Cycling Season! Until the next time. . .

Dan Vinson