2010 Chico Hill Climb Time Trial Series!!!

Hi Everyone! So, we are starting up the 2010 Chico Hill Climb Time Trial Series next month! The Series will visit various climbs around Chico - and Butte County(see events and tentative dates below). There was a similar Series done years ago here in Chico - 1981 or 1982 - by Tom Devol and Jeff Smith, who owned Cyclesport bike shop at the time. And, of course, now there is the almost-famous Low Key Hillclimb Series in the Bay Area every fall. In any case, we decided to have our own and revive the old Hill Climb Series.......with a few route changes. Below is a list of the tentative events with dates. It should be mentioned that these dates could change depending upon other events going on. And, of course......the weather! Rain will NOT cancel - but snow and ice will.

16 events - 28,000+ feet of total climbing - held over a 4-month period from September through December 2010!! Bound to be a very challenging and memorable Series. Sure - there will be pain and suffering - but it's the good kind!!

Note: The Butte Hill Climb Time Trial Series will be back in January 2011 - starting with The Humboldt Hill Climb Time Trial on January 1st, 2011!

How does it work??? Below are each of the 16 Events in the Chico Hill Climb Time Trial Series. Each climb has been given a rank based upon feedback from some well-known riders in the area (and climbers in particular - yes, I know - everyone is different, but this is just a low-key have-fun series, so no big whoop). Hors Category and Category 1 climbs are the hardest, with Category 3 being.......let's not say easiest.......let's say........not quite as hard as Category 1! Points will be awarded to the top finishers in each Hill Climb TT - the folks with the most points at the end of the Series, wins the overall title in their respective categories........along with the coveted Chico Hill Climb Champion Trophy. Never done a Time Trial before?? No problem - it's just you against the clock.....go your own pace and just do what you can out there!!! There are ALL levels of riders out there - from Pros, to guys like me who take 2 days to climb Humboldt, and everyone in between.......so, just come on out and test yourself, and go your own pace!!

RESULTS: I will try my best to have results & photos out from each Time Trial within a 24-hour period, as well as the Updated Overall Standings after each event. Sometimes life gets in the way, but I don't foresee that happening this next Fall/Winter(unlike the Butte Hill Series!). The results will be posted to all of the e-mail groups & database, on Facebook, on Twitter and on my blog.

EVERY competitor who starts and finishes an event receives an additonal 3 points PER event. It should also be noted - there MIGHT be an additional point(s) awarded for "adverse conditons". One year, we had an absolute freezing cold downpour of rain at the Centerville Time Trial and I awarded everyone 2 extra points for "adverse conditions"........but, again, this is a BIG "might" and the conditions would have to be atrocious. ANY person who helps me start the riders off at the events receives an additional 3 points for volunteering - I usually only need 1 or 2 people, and can always use the help.....and you can still race the event - just be the last one out of the starting gate and you'll be good-to-go!! AND - any rider that finds my missing R.A.C.E. cat, Cricket, will receive a 10-point bonus and my undying gratitude. ;)

The Point Breakdown for placings is as follows:

Hors Category Climb = 40-36-34-32-30-28-26-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (In other words, 1st place in an Hors Category Time Trial gets 40 points, 2nd place gets 36 and on down the line - every person who competes in the event gets at least 1 point).

Cat. 1 Climb = 30-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (1st place in a Cat. 1 TT gets 30 points, 2nd place gets 26 and on down the line - every person who competes in the event gets at least 1 point).

Cat. 2 Climb = 24-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1(The winner of a Cat. 2 climb gets 24 points, 2nd place gets 20 points and on and on.)

Cat. 3 Climb = 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1

And here are the Time Trial courses, the very tentative dates, and their listed difficulty category. Starting times for the events are normally consistent - 8:30am registration opens, 1st rider off at 9:01am. **PLEASE NOTE - These dates are extremely tentative. Reasons for a change in dates include snow and ice on the climbs, other events going on that same day, a change in the R.A.C.E. calendar or Rodney being ill or out-of-town, etc. So, take the dates with a grain of salt....for now:

Sunday, Sept. 5th - Cohasset-to-the-Store TT - Cat. 2 - approximately 5.1 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing

Saturday, Sept. 11th - Honey Run TT - Cat. 1 - approximately 5.3 miles & 2,100 feet of climbing

Sunday, Sept. 26th - Forest Ranch TT (A Chico Velo event!) - Cat. 1 - approximately 11.2 miles & 2,400 feet of climbing

Saturday, Oct. 9th - Neal Road TT - Cat. 3 - approximately 8.3 miles & 1,400 feet of climbing

Saturday, Oct. 16th - Pentz Road TT - Cat. 2 - approximately 5.8 miles & 1,200 feet of climbing

Saturday, Oct. 23rd - Table Mountain TT(Wildflower Century side) - Cat. 1 - approximately 5.3 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing

Sunday, Oct. 31st - Centerville TT(From Covered Bridge to the gravel) - Cat. 3 - approximately 6.6 miles; 1,300 feet of climbing

Saturday, Nov. 6th - Clark Road TT - Cat. 2 - approximately 7.7 miles & 1,700 feet of climbing

Saturday, Nov. 13th - Coutelenc TT(just stay on Coutelenc) - Cat. 2 - approximately 6.8 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing

Saturday, Nov. 20th - Cherokee TT(From Coal Canyon Road) - Cat. 3 - approximately 4.8 miles; 1,100 feet of climbing

Saturday, Nov. 27th - Vilas Road TT - Cat. 1 - approximately 7 miles & 2,400 feet of climbing

Saturday, Dec. 4th - Garland TT - Hors Category - approximately 16 miles & 3,400 feet of climbing

Saturday, Dec. 11th - Pentz Road LONG Course TT - Cat. 1 - approximately 10.8 miles & 1,800 feet of climbing

Saturday, Dec. 18th - Cohasset to Gravel TT - Hors Category - approximately 9.4 miles & 2,900 feet of climbing

Sunday, Dec. 26th - Canyon Oaks TT - Cat. 3 - approximately 6.7 miles & 1,200 feet of climbing

Friday, Dec. 31st - Humboldt TT - Cat. 3 - approximately 3.4 miles & 700 feet of climbing

16 Climbs, approximately 28,000+ feet of total climbing, held over a 4-month period from September 2010 through December 2010. Consistency will be key to winning the Overall Series. Above distances and climbing are approximates only.

PARTICIPANT CATEGORIES: The following categories will be offered for the Series(see below). The winner in each category will receive the Chico Hill Climb Champion Trophy, along with Bragging Rights.........as well as any stuff we can get to give away as prizes:

Category "A" Men
Category "B" Men
Category "C" Men
Women's Category
Women's Category "C"
Womens 50+ Category
Mens 50+ Category
Juniors (Looking at 10 to 16 years of age for this particular Category, but may be changed depending upon who shows up!).

As usual, sandbaggers are strongly discouraged (A Sandbagger would be a Category "A" rider entering a Category "B" event). Also, if there are a lot of folks in one particular category, we may split those up into sub-categories, if needed. In turn, if nobody - or very few folks are in one category, we may eliminate it and add an additional category where the numbers allow it(these COULD include tandem categories, Trail-A-Bike category, mountain bike category, or any other age Categories). At the end of the Series, we will have an Awards Ceremony at a local establishment or at another R.A.C.E. event. Hope to have some Chico Hill Climb Time Trial Series T-shirts to give out as well, but will be dependent upon my extremely limited budget.

One note - Any rider caught giving grief to the Promoter, the Timers or the Starters of these events will be automatically disqualified from - not only the event - but the entire Series. So, do what ya always do, and just have fun with the Series - it's no big whoop, we're just out there having fun and getting some good fitness!!! (No no - we've never ever had a problem with getting grief - just wanted to state it so it will continue to just be a fun event for everyone involved!!). AND - Helmets are MANDATORY!

This Series is FREE - so come on out and take advantage of some, or all, of these Time Trials this Fall/Winter 2010! Although donations are always appreciated, they are NEVER necessary to enter these events - I just want y'all out there testing yourselves on your bicycles and having fun!!! Hope to see you out there - and I will have more details, maps and information as we get closer to the events.

Rodney........
R.A.C.E. - Rodney's Amateur Cycling Events
Chico, CA