2009 Everest Challenge
An account by Kurt Garbe:
There is training and there is training. Riding back to back centuries with Lemmon repeats is easy… Yes, easy. Everest is the same mileage as our Lemmon training was, but there is an extra 9,000 ft of elevation spread around the climbs!
| FIRST CLIMB | Mosquito Flat (10250′) |
| 22 miles long, ave. grade 5%, max. grade 12%, total elevation gain 5825′ | |
SECOND CLIMB |
Pine Creek (7425′) |
| 8 miles, 7% ave. grade, 11% max. grade, total elevation gain 3000′ | |
THIRD CLIMB |
South Lake (9835′) |
| 20.4 miles long, ave. grade 6%, max. grade 17.5%, total elevation gain 5410′
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Elliot sailed into infamy blowing by his fellow Aggressors before the end of the first 20 mile climb. He succumbed to a knee problem half way up the day’s final climb. He was roughly in the top 10 at this point, but was forced to abandon.
Don had wheel issues that manifested themselves between the 2nd and 3rd climbs. In true General fashion, he soldiered on before the fear of descending on said wheel (broken spoke, and a flat that only happened when trying to pump it up: still not too sure about tubulars….) and extreme weather turned him back half way up the final climb.
Khrash punished his fellow master’s riders before succumbing to stomach problems and severe weather half way up the final climb. He was easily the strongest of our team save Elijet.
Yours truly, lacking common sense or a quit button fought into the headwind, rain and final ramps that hit 20% (the race bible said 17.5, but it was a wall!) and arrived, completely shattered, at the top of the final climb. To save face and champion the Aggress spirt, I kicked the crap out of a fellow descender and hit 57 mph on the way down… Yes, I am a slow learner too.
FIRST CLIMB |
Glacier Lodge (7800′) |
| 9 miles long, ave. grade 8%, max. grade 12%, total elevation gain 3900′ | |
| I took the summit first with Khrash arriving shortly thereafter. Don kept it smooth and steady. Tough warm up as you could see miles up the climb.
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Waucoba Canyon (6545′) |
| 8.5 miles long, ave. grade 5%, max. grade 7%, total elevation gain 2600′
Khris dropped me at the base and soloed on to summit first, waited for me at the summit with Don still coming along steady and sure. This is the easiest climb and the only one remotely resembling Lemmon with its steepness (or lack thereof). |
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THIRD CLIMB |
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (10100′) |
| 21 miles long, ave. grade 6%, max. grade 15%, total elevation gain 6160′
. This was the mother of all the climbs: HC all the way. Hot at the start. Khris said he’d pull the plug after two rounds, but he tackled it anyway. We swapped ‘leads’ and fought extreme heat, serious sweat, too few gears and ourselves as we literally fought for every foot of the bottom half of the hill. Khris would turn back with 15 K to go. What a bad ass MF! Knowing I had to finish what I started (or lacking any real sense), I pitched myself against the hill and the final three miles that averaged 15%! It was beyond brutal. My bottom had developed a severe allergy to my seat, and I had to stand for much of the day! I fought and I won against myself and gravity. I have the fucking medal and I’m damn proud of it. It cost me more than all the other medals I have combined. After chillacking at the summit and eating the tastey nibs, THE GENERAL COMES ROLLING UP LIKE HE’S JUST HAD A WONDERFUL SPIN AROUND TOWN!!!! He floated the climbs and passed countless riders in the final miles. What an animal! He actually enjoyed it!  |
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