Man, how do I miss something like this?
Tyler Hamilton, currently not doing any racing because it looks pretty convincing that he cheated by means of blood doping during last year’s Vuelta, won the Mount Washington Hillclimb this past Saturday. The race, which is independent of any cycling governing body, involves little of the traditional “tactics,” “strategy” and “skills” (like descending) generally associated with bike racing. It also carries a horribly overinflated price tag, and thus attracts only professionals fleeing persecution from cycling governing bodies, fat I-bankers who feel guilty about using a $6000 road bike as garage decor, youngsters trying to make a name for themselves, and Dale Apgar.
So the next time you might wonder why the hell you should pay 200+ dollars to sit on the wait list to race up an ungodly steep hill, be denied the option to descend, and be soaked for an additional 8 bucks to attend a pasta dinner that you could have thrown together for 3 bucks at the local Price Chopper, no matter what anyone tells you, it’s so convicted dopers can kick the living sh!t out of you. Think wisely before you register for next year, unless your life’s dream is to get plastered all over the side of a 6000 foot granite rock by Dario Frigo.
Cosmo, I know you love descending, but unless you had some very nice disc brakes I can’t imagine Washington being any sort of fun to go down. Whether or not it’s fun to go up I guess depends on your definition. Actually, I think even with good discs descending that mounatin would’t be any fun. Have you ever gone down Ascutney?