The Everest Challenge: A Hillclimbing Odyssey
Greg Drake

report filed June 2003, Bishop, California

The Everest Challenge is so named for its total of 29,035 feet of climbing covered in two days. It is the California / Nevada State Climbing Championships and surely tests one desire to pedal up an incline. The title has been held for the past two years by Chris Walker, a Southern California rider whose legend is known by anyone racing a bike in the last decade. To win the title you had to beat him.

Stage 1

      The first stage started quite slowly as we had an 8 mile neutralized start to the base of the first climb of the day, a 22 mile monster. The grade only averaged 5% but the altitude at the top more than made up for this fact. At 10,250 feet, Mosquito Flat is the highest paved road in the Sierras.

      The slow pace continued until we were three-quarters of the way to the summit. Our group of 25 starters was still largely intact so I decided it was time to create a selection. I wanted to see who the main contenders would be for the rest of the race. I also knew we had a 22 mile descent and figured the less riders the safer it would be. I went to the front and slowly ratcheted up the pace for a about a mile and looked back to find our pack whittled down to 4 guys. Chris Walker, the two-time defending champion, Drew Miller from Arizona, winner of the Tour of the Gila last month and Ron Hudson also hailing from Arizona, a pro with the SportsBook.com team.

      We continued to the top with Walker, Miller and myself taking even pulls with Hudson largely sitting in. It was already getting quite hot (100+F) and at this point Hudson decided to remove his helmet. By the top we had several minutes on the rest of the pack and it looked to be a four-man race at this point. Hudson sprinted for the King of the Mountain (KOM) line at the summit which none of the rest of us was interested in.

      Miller, Walker and I dropped quickly back down to Round Valley. It was several miles of flat to the bottom of the next climb so we rotated through at pedestrian pace, each knowing that the race was not going to be decided anywhere but the steep slopes of the mountain. Hudson, gapped on the descent, bridged back up to us just before the next climb up to Pine Creek.

      While not as long at only 8 miles, the second climb of the day to Pine Creek had an average grade of 7%. Chris Walker began pressing the pace on the lower slopes. I began rotating through to keep the pace high and discourage any attacks as did Miller. Hudson still attacked the group a couple times but no one responded so he sat up and filed back in. We crested the top intact.

      Walker hit the gas on the descent opening up a gap on Miller and myself. We worked together to keep Walker within sight. At the bottom we began slowly rolling to the last climb of the day, a beast that made the first two look like a warm up lap.

      The final climb to South Lake was 20.4 miles with an average grade of 6%. The difficulty lied in the fact that there were extended sections of a 9% grade on the lower slopes and the last mile had solid grades of 15%. I was a bit worried about Walker at this point as he had been frisky on the last climb so I made a point of marking him carefully.

      As the climb pitched to the 9% grades we had been on the bike for over 5 hours and covered 90 miles of hard road. I was worried about a flurry of attacks compromising my ability to even finish the stage. I decided to try and neutralize this possibility by going to the front and setting a hard tempo. There was a slight tailwind so I didn't feel any disadvantage. After pulling for a couple miles I looked back to see Miller and Hudson gapped by 150 yards and Walker glued to my rear wheel.

      I told Walker we popped the other guys and that it was time for him to pull through and do some work so we could consolidate our advantage. He claimed he had nothing left and could barely hang on. I scoffed and told him I knew who he was and what he had done at this race in the past (spanked everyone). I kept waving him through - still keeping the pace high but he refused to lead.

      Suddenly Hudson bridged back up to us and immediately attacked. I wasn't too worried as it was about 10 miles to the finish and a lot of climbing left. Miller then bridged back to Walker and me and indicated his concern with Hudson going up the road. I got on his wheel as he made a push to catch the new leader.

      As we pressed up the road I eventually glanced back and saw that Walker had cracked. This gave me resolve until Miller launched up the road to catch Hudson. As I went to match him I realized that I myself was in some difficulty and beginning to cramp - not a good place to be with a couple thousand feet of vertical to the finish line. Battling with Walker had cost me.

      I emptied my pockets and shoved everything in my mouth washing it down with the remains of my water - The closer to the finish I got the steeper the course became. I did everything I could to keep Miller and Hudson in my sights but eventually lost them. I kept looking back to make sure Walker wasn't staging a late inning comeback, pressing my advantage and knowing that every second today is one more he'd have to make up on me in the next. He was the one I'd have to go through to get the title as the two guys in front were from out of state and not eligible.

      In the end I lost over seven minutes to Miller in the last 5 miles. He placed first in the stage after Hudson was DQed for riding most of the day without his helmet (none of us said anything - he simply didn't put it on before crossing the line in front of the USCF official). Walker came in 2:38 behind me. The official results had Drew Miller in first, me in second at 7:08 back and Chris Walker in third. After much protest, Hudson was reinstated and allowed to race the second day but was assessed a crushing 20 minute penalty. The stage was set for the finale on Sunday

Stage 2

      This stage was much shorter than the previous day but the last climb would more than make up for this. My main concern was making sure I kept my advantage over Walker so I could wrest the State Championship title from him. Walker holds the record for the day two course and actually made up over 7 minutes on Miller there last year. Needless to say, I was worried.

      The pace up the first mountain was brisk but comfortable for the leaders. The climb was 9 miles with an average gradient of 8% only topping out at 7800' of elevation. We popped all but a couple riders down on the general classification who were doing their best to stay up with us - They were trying to move up into the money list. A group of five of us stayed together over the top and descended quickly to the bottom on wide open roads hitting speeds in the mid-50mph range. One eager opportunist (in 10th place or so) attacked the downhill as hard as he could and was clocked by the USCF official at 65 mph on the steeper sections of the descent.

      We rode tempo to the next climb across the valley for an 8.5 mile climb up Death Valley Road with a gradient of 5%. There was a slight tailwind so I made sure we kept a decent clip, just fast enough so no one would be resting. Walker was also a bit more active here as well with some surges to test our legs. Miller was quite content to let us do our thing and Hudson was along for the ride - out of contention on GC but ready to throw down on the last climb. We caught the escapist descender near the top after he maxed out his lead at over 5 minutes (he later had to be driven to the finish line because he went so far into the red from the effort). Again, the four of us crested together and rolled to the final climb.

      The climb up to the Ancient Bristlecone Forest measures out at 21 miles with an average grade of 6%. The difficulty here is that there are extended rollers in the first 7 miles in the 9-12% range that absolutely sap your energy - and you're not even halfway done. Walker immediately began laying down some heavy pace at the front which I matched. Every time he slowed down I'd get in front and make him continue to work.

      This eventually popped him off my wheel but again Miller and Hudson capitalized and took off up the road. I made no effort to get on the train as I wanted to stay within myself. I held a 100 yard gap on Walker for a couple miles until we eventually bridged back up to Miller and Hudson. We climbed the next few miles together until we hit a roller and my inner-thighs seized with cramps. I backed off a bit letting a gap form and got back into a rhythm I could sustain.

      I kept the three leaders in my sights as we approached the steeper sections of the climb with only 5 miles to go. Miller and Hudson dropped Walker whom I could see alone up the road. This continued until we reached the hardest section of the climb: the last 2 miles average a straight 10% grade and never levels off even in corners. Walker finally went out of sight around a switchback and I began to lose hope as it seemed he had made the time up on me.

      At the 200 meters to go sign I sprinted with everything left in my legs and crossed the line 2:30 behind Walker to keep my overall lead on him by 8 measly seconds after 206 miles of riding and 29K feet of climbing. Hudson ended up winning the stage and a KOM jersey (and wore his helmet all day long - even when it got hot:-). Miller kept his overall lead on GC and won the event, I won the title and enough cash to cover the hotel, food and gas.

      Overall it was a heinous race course, compounded by sometimes oppressive weather conditions, with seriously tough competitors: For a test of my resolve to climb I couldn't have asked for more - I'll certainly be back hoping to improve my performance a great deal. Kudos to Tom Reid for the fantastic job organizing this mammoth event. Also a huge thanks to the wonderful volunteers who cooked for us at the finish line both days, waiting on us hand and foot, literally shoving food in our faces to make us eat and generally treating us like royalty.

      Interesting side note: I left Bishop after the awards BBQ and it was 96+ degrees in the mid-afternoon. After cresting Tioga pass and driving through Yosemite a little while later the temp dropped to 39 and I was caught in a full-on hailstorm that left the road completely covered in an inch of icy pebbles. Then back down to lower elevations and 85 degree temps and dry road. Talk about a day of extremes.

-Greg Drake