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Ned Overend-Bob Cook

May 23, 2010
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2 1:51:41. 0:01:21 21 overend ned 55

2 place 1:21 behind a 23 year old..

Wow

mw05hamilton3.jpg
 
Mar 10, 2009
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If you really want to be humbled, consider that when Ned won the race in 1985 and 1986 his times were 1:49:22 and 1:49:53 respectively. Twenty five years later his second place time is 1:51:41.

There is a reason why many Durangatangs still call him the champ.

By the way, Mt Evans Hill climb ties with Passo del Mortirolo in rankings (according to an equation used by climbbybike.com). It is 27.4 miles long (43.8km) climbs 6915 feet (2108m) and tops out at 14,130 ft (4307m)
 
Obviously Ned is an amazing athlete. I have raced against him several times in both road and mtb events. However, while this is another great result for him, doesn't it say just as much about the lack of depth in the US fields now?
 
May 7, 2009
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Apolitical said:
Obviously Ned is an amazing athlete. I have raced against him several times in both road and mtb events. However, while this is another great result for him, doesn't it say just as much about the lack of depth in the US fields now?


It's the trans-fats in our food supply...
 
May 23, 2010
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Apolitical said:
Obviously Ned is an amazing athlete. I have raced against him several times in both road and mtb events. However, while this is another great result for him, doesn't it say just as much about the lack of depth in the US fields now?

Yes it does..Once you take out the 1st tier Americans who are in Europe and the 2nd tier who are trying to please their sponsors at some backwater american stage/crit race there are few left that want to suffer Mt Evans..
I don't know why the BCMHC isn't promoted more.. I'd make it the USPRO championship instead of Greenville. Then send that jersey wearing animal to the tour de france.. Alp d'huez ???pfffft
 
anderlini

redtreviso said:
2 1:51:41. 0:01:21 21 overend ned 55

2 place 1:21 behind a 23 year old..

Wow

mw05hamilton3.jpg

And what about Giuliani ANDERLINI who won in the above 55 category, all alone, no opposition apparently, in 1:54:xx s. On that climb being alone is a serious handicap compared to pack racing.

I guess it is the same Anderlini who used to shine in the Maratona dles dolomites and other such events.
 
May 7, 2009
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It's a &*$#@ hard race, that's for sure. Not great for spectators, though.
Also, I believe the State Patrol had a cap of about 1,00 racers a few years back (?).
The current number of starters is a bit higher, though.
 
Deagol said:
It's a &*$#@ hard race, that's for sure...........

Of course any race is as hard as you want to make it, but, as hillclimbs go that one is actually easier than most due to the gradient : as it is not very steep you do not tend to overextend yourself as happens on really steep slopes.
 
Apr 9, 2009
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Le breton said:
Of course any race is as hard as you want to make it, but, as hillclimbs go that one is actually easier than most due to the gradient : as it is not very steep you do not tend to overextend yourself as happens on really steep slopes.

Agreed. I raced it in '90. It's the altitude that's the killer, not the grade. If you go over your limit at 13,000 feet, not much you can do except stop.
 
Mar 10, 2009
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Le breton said:
Of course any race is as hard as you want to make it, but, as hillclimbs go that one is actually easier than most due to the gradient : as it is not very steep you do not tend to overextend yourself as happens on really steep slopes.
Except for the fact that the race starts at 2303m and finishes at 4307m. To put the altitude in context, Stelvio (24.7km; 7.5%) tops out at 2758m, Galibier (35.5km; 5.7%) at 2645m, Colle dell'Angello (21.3km; 6.8%) at 2744m, Col du Tourmalet (18.6km; 7.5%) at 2115m, Plan de Corones Kronplatz (12.85km; 8.5%)at 2273m and Alto de Sierra Nevada (30.0km; 5.8%)at 2510m

And the really steep ones? Zoncolan (10.1km; 11.9%) at 1730m, Mortirolo (12.8km; 10.3%) at 1854m, and l'Angliru (12.9km; 9.8%) at 1570m.
 
May 7, 2009
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In all honesty, I have not done any riding in Europe, but I have done some steep stuff at lower altitudes (Flagstaff -with a %15 grade-near Boulder, CO as an example). To look at it only as a question of steepness in not the whole story.
Benpounder is correct, the body does not function well abouve 13,000 feet (at least mine doesn't).
To call this race "easy" seems insane to me. I know it's not the steepest climb out there, but geez ....
 
Deagol said:
In all honesty, I have not done any riding in Europe, but I have done some steep stuff at lower altitudes (Flagstaff -with a %15 grade-near Boulder, CO as an example). To look at it only as a question of steepness in not the whole story.
Benpounder is correct, the body does not function well abouve 13,000 feet (at least mine doesn't).
To call this race "easy" seems insane to me. I know it's not the steepest climb out there, but geez ....

I entered the event a little over 10 years ago, coming from sea-level ( most competitors seem to live year round at 1500-1800m a.s.l.), I was well trained. Of course, I would have done better if before the race I had lived one month at a substantial altitude, probably would have been 3% faster.

Clearly your body is not as efficient at such altitudes, but it's a hillclimb, a steady effort, no stop and go that would be murder at such elevations if coming from sea-level. Consequently if you pace yourself correctly, it's just like any other hillclimb of similar duration ( which are hard to find as the Mt Evans climb took me roughly 20% more time than Galibier or Val Thorens -- in Europe I can only think of Mulhacen in the Sierra Nevada, btw I guess they must have raced that last week-end, and that must be considerably harder as the end, between 2700 and 3400m. is steeper than lower elevations 700m-2700m).

During that Bob Cook race I was never aware of the altitude as I adjusted my effort to the possibilities of my muscles.

More than Ned Overend, I am impressed by Anderlini's performance at age 57, 1h54! geez that's 5 min faster than Jeannie Longo in her prime (î.e. at age 40 :))
 
May 7, 2009
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Le breton said:
IDuring that Bob Cook race I was never aware of the altitude as I adjusted my effort to the possibilities of my muscles.


Hmm, that is interesting. I don't have the best preperation, granted. I have done the race the last 7 years (I think) and always feel light headed and spent at about 13,00 feet.
 
Jun 19, 2009
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Everyone has their altitude limits, so it is just a matter of knowing what they are and then adjusting the effort at those altitudes. Mt Evans seems to be so much about knowing the course and where to put in the efforts. If you do over exert yourself on it, expect to have some serious repercussions.

The fact that Ned can continue to produce those sorts of times is amazing. I was somewhat surprised to now see Tom Danielson there as I know he was around Boulder training the previous week.
 
May 7, 2009
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ploglet said:
The fact that Ned can continue to produce those sorts of times is amazing. I was somewhat surprised to now see Tom Danielson there as I know he was around Boulder training the previous week.


+1 on Ned.

I assume you mean to NOT see TD ?
Amazing how fast those guys can climb at that altitude...

Another side note: I have climbed several of CO's 14ers and have never had the same problem hiking at that altitude as I've had riding a bike at "race pace" at the same altitude. I know my race pace is faster at lower atlitudes and not that fast compared to the serious racers.
 
Jun 18, 2009
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Apolitical said:
Obviously Ned is an amazing athlete. I have raced against him several times in both road and mtb events. However, while this is another great result for him, doesn't it say just as much about the lack of depth in the US fields now?

Well, this is basically a local race. There aren't a bunch of guys traveling to go do a hill climb. Keep in mind though, the guy who finished almost a minute down on him was top 10 in the Tour of California. That guy is seriously amazing, pure badassl
 
131313 said:
Well, this is basically a local race. There aren't a bunch of guys traveling to go do a hill climb. Keep in mind though, the guy who finished almost a minute down on him was top 10 in the Tour of California. That guy is seriously amazing, pure badassl

Still, CO used to be a hot bed for cycling, particularly the Denver/Boulder area. I used to race up there often. The P/I/II fields even when the top riders were gone were in the 80+ range. Not to take away from Ned (or any of the other riders), he is an amazing athlete, but there were only about 20 guys in the P/I/II field of which 3 were under 30.
 
Deagol said:
Hmm, that is interesting. I don't have the best preperation, granted. I have done the race the last 7 years (I think) and always feel light headed and spent at about 13,00 feet.
Out of curiosity i went back to my heart rate file for the event.
In the 1st part to Echo lake i was (except for the 1st few km in the pack) at almost the same heart rate as in the Val thorens climb ( same year, 1 month earlier). Then sometime after echo lake, i let it slide down about 5 bpm. Reason : there was nobody catching me and nobody i could catch , i.e. no reason to go all the way out. Plus maybe just being cautious.
 
May 7, 2009
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Le breton said:
Out of curiosity i went back to my heart rate file for the event.
In the 1st part to Echo lake i was (except for the 1st few km in the pack) at almost the same heart rate as in the Val thorens climb ( same year, 1 month earlier). Then sometime after echo lake, i let it slide down about 5 bpm. Reason : there was nobody catching me and nobody i could catch , i.e. no reason to go all the way out. Plus maybe just being cautious.

I never use an HR monitor, so I don't know what mine was. I can say that many of the people I could hang with lower on the course just zipped by me at about 13,000 ft. It's like I slowed down 60%. Many others passed on the upper switchbacks. I felt like car running on fumes.
I think I also bonked at about that point in the race this year, too.

Anyway, I would love to be able to ride some of those climbs in Europe, if even just for the scenery. The Stelvio one has caught my attention for years. I love the way the roads were built using hand-placed (?) stone retaining walls, instead of being cut into the hillsides as they are over here.
 
Jun 23, 2010
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The highest speed I've ever attained on a bicycle was descending Mt Evans. Starving college student, no road bike (sold for food), just some 26" slicks on my MTB. Riding up the weather was so ferocious... Mix of blue sky, harsh rain, ice, huge clouds flying past so fast I felt like I needed to duck behind a rock before they hit me! Headwinds so stiff I barely made forward progress even with MTB gearing (24x28 in those days)! Feeling so freezing cold that I wondered if curling up behind a rock would be a better death than being blown off the road into some vast chasm... Coming down, huge tailwind, hit 65 MPH, and the wind was still pushing me, no breeze on my frozen face! Quite grateful to get back below treeline! And then sweating again by the time I made it back to Idaho Springs!