2 R.A.C.E. Events this weekend!

Neal Road Uphill Time Trial - Saturday, Jan. 15th - 9:00AM

Chico Airport "Practice" Criterium - Sunday, Jan. 16th - 1:00PM & 2:00PM(assuming no wet pavement or rain for the Criterium).

Hi Everyone!! Just a reminder that the next event in the 2011 Butte Hill Series is this Saturday morning - Event #4 - The Neal Road Uphill Time Trial - Saturday, January 15th at 9:00AM! This one will be held rain or shine!! Registration will open at 8:30am, with the 1st rider taking off at 9:01am - and we will go in 1-minute intervals. The Start/Registration area is at the bottom of Neal Road - very near the intersection with Hwy. 99(look for me and the R.A.C.E.mobile at the start) - and the race ends at the top of the road(near The Skyway). The Neal Road course is approximately 8.3 miles in length, climbs approximately 1,400 feet, and is considered a Category 5 Climb in the Series. For a map of the The Neal Road Uphill Time Trial course, please visit:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Neal-Road-TT-Course

AND,

Sunday, January 16th - Chico Airport "Practice" Criterium - 1:00PM (As & Bs) & 2:00PM (Cs and Kids Races) - Registration opens at 12:40pm on Convair avenue at the Chico Airport - with the event starting promptly at 1:00pm. For the time being, we'll be using our standard Airport Criterium course starting/finishing on Convair Avenue. Category "A"(Advanced riders), "B"(Intermediate riders) and Women's Category riders will go for 40 Minutes PLUS 3 laps - Women's Category picked separately. We may combine fields if the turn-out is pretty low. Might offer 3 or 4 Point Primes......but NOTHING like we did during the summer time. Category "C"(novice) & Juniors will go 20 minutes PLUS 3 laps. The idea is just to get use to cornering again, having riders around you on a circuit, working on some skills, get use to Rodney yelling at you and ringing that cowbell, and maybe open the legs up a bit. Must sign in and wear a helmet in order to participate. RAIN OR WET PAVEMENT WILL CANCEL THIS EVENT. HELMETS ARE MANDATORY!

For a map of the Criterium course, please visit the following link:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Tuesday-Night-Airport-Criteriums

CURRENT OVERALL STANDINGS IN THE 2011 BUTTE HILL CLIMB TIME TRIAL SERIES AFTER 3 EVENTS:

Category "A" Overall Standings:
1. David Albrecht 69 points
2. Tim Olson 38 points
3. Rich Thurman 36 points
4. Mark Wolford 28 points
5. Ben Wentland 26 points
6. Aren Timmel 17 points
7. Gary Towne 15 points
7. Tyler Honeyman 15 points
9. Brad Foster 13 points
9. Kris Blee 13 points
11. Anthony Ferretti 11 points
12. Luke Wentland 7 points
13. Sean Dugan 5 points

Category "B" Overall Standings:
1. Patrick Clark 63 points
2. JJ Coughlin 58 points
3. Randy Will 33 points
4. Chris Devine 19 points
4. John Touchette 19 points
6. Daniel Law 17 points
7. Steve Chollet 15 points
8. Alex Roberson 13 points
9. David Dura 11 points
10. Boyd Sears 9 points
11. Don Curtis 7 points
12. Chris Marking 4 points

Category "C" Overall Standings:
1. Rick Carhart 59 points
2. Skip Lees 46 points
3. Greg Hollis 19 points

Women's Category Overall Standings:
1. Teresa Kludt 46 points
2. Diann Harger 23 points

Mens 50+ Category Overall Standings:
1. Mike Ruffner 69 points
2. Ryan Hiner 55 points
3. Byron Fountain 35 points
4. Mike Trowbridge 19 points
5. Steve Chamberlain 17 points
6. Gary Folwer 15 points

Juniors Category Overall Standings:
1. Aliya Traficante 65 points
2. Garrett Marking 23 points
3. Chris Lambert 17 points

2011 BUTTE HILL CLIMB TIME TRIAL SERIES INFORMATION:

Hi Everyone! It's that time of year again - The 2011 Butte Hill Climb Time Trial Series bicycling event will start up on Saturday, January 1st with the Humboldt Hill Climb Time Trial!! This Series will visit various parts of Butte County, with the climbs and 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 bicycle shop at the time. And, of course, there is now that 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 COULD cancel the events. This is a FREE Series, so just come on out and take advantage of these great climbs and gain some good fitness(and fun!) for the upcoming cycling season!!

25 events - 260 Miles & 62,000 feet of total climbing - held over a 6-month period from January through June 2011!! Bound to be a very challenging and memorable Series. Sure - there will be pain and suffering - but it's the good kind!!

Note: The Chico Hill Climb Time Trial Series will be back in the Fall/Winter of 2011 - starting the first weekend in September with the Cohasset Hill Climb TT!

Build-up: The Butte Series will go from January 1st, 2011 through June 2011. This Series follows a progression over 6 months - starting with the "easier" Category 5 climbs early in the year to get your legs ready and all warmed-up.....building up to Category 4 climbs....then Category 3....then Category 2.....then Category 1.....and ending with the biggest Hors Category climbs in June. This should help you take advantage of those springtime miles - and get you ready for those hilly summertime Centuries, rides and races!!! It should also be noted that we are using a NEW Point Categorization for the Butte Hill Series(see below).

How does it work??? Below are each of the 25 Events in the 2011 Butte 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 5 being.......let's not say easiest.......let's say........not quite as hard as Category 1! Points will be awarded to the finishers in each Hill Climb Time Trial - the folks with the most points at the end of the Series wins the overall title in their respective categories........along with the coveted Butte 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!!! Remember - I have all types of riders out there........from people who can climb Humboldt Road in 13 minutes(record pace!)......to me(I take 41 minutes to climb Humboldt)......and everyone in between, with all kinds of different bicycles out there!! This is a no-big-whoop Series - just go out, have fun, test yourself a bit on your bicycles, explore some new roads and climbs in the area.......and just do what you can out there!!! We are just out there to have fun, and gain some good fitness!! All are welcome to come on out!!

RESULTS: I will try my best to have results out from each Time Trial within a 24-hour period, as well as the Updated Overall Standings after each event. The results will be posted to the e-mail group, on Facebook, on Twitter and at ChicoBikedotcom.

EVERY competitor who starts and finishes an event receives an additonal 3 points PER event. It should also be noted - there may be an additional points awarded for "adverse conditons" - known as "misery points". 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 almost 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!!

The Point Breakdown for placings is as follows:

Hors Category Climb = 60-54-52-50-48-46-44-42-40-38-36-34-32-30-28-26-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (In other words, 1st place in an Hors Category Time Trial gets 60 points, 2nd place gets 54, 3rd place gets 52, and on down the line - every person who competes in the event gets at least 1 point....and it is like that for each of the Time Trials).

Cat. 1 Climb = 44-38-36-32-30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (1st place in a Category 1 Time Trial gets 42 points, 2nd place gets 38 points and on down the line).

Cat. 2 Climb = 36-32-30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (1st place in a Category 2 Time Trial gets 36 points, 2nd place gets 32 points and on down the line).

Cat. 3 Climb = 30-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1 (1st place in a Cat. 3 Time Trial gets 30 points, 2nd place gets 26 and on down the line).

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

Cat. 5 Climb = 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1

And here are the Time Trial courses, the 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, and most of them fall on Saturdays. However, that does NOT mean that they will stay there - any sort of scheduling change for an event could put it on a Sunday(very easily) and dates may be switched around or pushed until June or even July 2011. Reasons for a change in dates include snow and ice on the climbs, 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:

Saturday, January 1st - Humboldt Road Time Trial - Cat. 5 - approximately 3.4 miles & 700 feet of climbing. - COMPLETED!

Sunday, January 2nd - Centerville Time Trial (From Covered Bridge to the gravel) - Cat. 5 - approximately 6.6 miles & 1,300 feet of climbing. - COMPLETED!

Saturday, January 8th - Cherokee Time Trial - Cat. 5 - (Start at Coal Canyon Road - across from Wheelock Road - and go up Hwy. 70, turn right at Cherokee Road) - approximately 4.8 miles; 1,100 feet of climbing. - COMPLETED!

Saturday, January 15th - Neal Road Time Trial - Cat. 5 - approximately 8.3 miles & 1,400 feet of climbing.

Saturday, January 22nd - The Lime Saddle Time Trial - Cat. 4 - approximately 4.7 miles & 1,100 feet of climbing.

Saturday, January 29th - Cohasset-to-Store Time Trial - Cat. 4 - approximately 5.1 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing.

Saturday, February 5th - Pentz Road Time Trial - Cat. 4 - approximately 5.8 miles & 1,200 feet of climbing.

Saturday, February 12th - Clark Road Time Trial - Cat. 4 - approximately 7.7 miles & 1,700 feet of climbing.

Saturday, February 19th - Coutelenc Time Trial - Cat. 4 - (Just stay on Coutelenc) - approximately 6.8 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing.

Saturday, February 26th - The Dogtown Time Trial - Cat. 4 - 7.3 miles & 1,400 feet of climbing.

Saturday, March 5th - Honey Run Road Time Trial - Cat. 3 - approximately 5.3 miles & 1,900 feet of climbing.

Saturday, March 12th - Vilas Road Time Trial - Cat. 3 - (From Nicalog to the end of Vilas) - approximately 7 miles & 2,400 feet of climbing.

Saturday, March 19th - Dark Canyon Time Trial - Cat. 3 - approximately 4 miles & 2,400 feet of climbing.

Saturday, March 26th - Lunt Road Time Trial(From Coal Canyon Road) - Cat. 3 - approximately 8.1 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing.

Saturday, April 2nd - Table Mountain Time Trial (Wildflower Century Side) - Cat. 3 - approximately 5.3 miles & 1,600 feet of climbing.

Saturday, April 9th - Forest Ranch-to-Lomo Time Trial - Cat. 2 - (starts at Forest Ranch Store; ends at entrance to Butte Meadows) - approximately 13.2 miles & 2,400 feet of climbing.

Saturday, April 23rd - Lomo-to-Jonesville Time Trial - Cat. 2 - (starts at Hwy. 32 at entrance to Butte Meadows - ends at parking lot in Jonesville) - approximately 10.2 miles & 2,100 feet of climbing.

Saturday, May 7th - Lovelock-to-Inskip Time Trial - Cat. 2 - approximately 10.4 miles & 2,800 feet of climbing.

Sunday, May 15th - Cohasset-to-Gravel Time Trial (from Nicalog to the end of Cohasset Road) - Cat. 2 - approximately 9.4 miles & 2,900 feet of climbing.

Sunday, May 22nd - Garland Time Trial - Cat. 1 - approximately 16.5 miles & 3,500 feet of climbing.

Saturday, May 28th - The Pulga Time Trial - Cat. 1 - approximately 17 miles & 4,500 feet of climbing.

Saturday, June 4th - The Hwy. 171 Time Trial - Cat. 1 - approximately 18.1 miles & 3,100 feet of climbing.

Saturday, June 11th - The Oro-Quincy Time Trial(Mass Start) - Hors Category - approximately 21.8 miles & 5,900 feet of climbing.

Saturday, June 18th - Toomes Camp Uphill Time Trial(Mass Start) - Hors Category - approximately 17.5 miles & 5,600 feet of climbing.

Saturday, June 25th - Jonesville Time Trial(Mass Start) - Hors Category - approximately 35.5 miles & 6,200 feet of climbing.

25 Climbs, approximately 260 total miles, and about 62,000 feet of total climbing, held over a 6-month period from January through June 2011(if dates need to be changed, we could go into July 2011). Consistency will be key to winning the Overall Series. This should provide you with plenty of good climbing and get you ready for some great Century riding, the Death Ride and some spring/summer races!!

PARTICIPANT CATEGORIES: The following categories will be offered for the Series(see below). The winner in each category will receive the 2011 Butte Hill Climb Champion Trophy, along with Bragging Rights.........as well as any stuff we can get to give away as prizes. The Top 3 in each category will receive trophies:

Category "A" - Advanced.
Category "B" - Intermediate.
Category "C" - Novice, and slower climbers(like myself!)
Women's 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!).

***In addition - The rider who has the MOST points in the Series at the end will receive the "Grand Champion's" Plaque as well.

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. However, please note - if nobody, or very few folks are in one category, we may eliminate that category. and add an additional category where the numbers allow it(these COULD include tandem categories, fixed gear category, Clydesdale category, or any other age Categories). At the end of the Series, we will have an Awards Ceremony at an establishment that would have us invade with cycling trophies/awards!! Hope to have some 2011 Butte Hill 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 in Spring 2011! Although donations are always extremely appreciated, they are NEVER necessary to enter these events - I just want y'all out there testing yourselves on your bicycles and having a good time!!! Also, this Series and ALL of the R.A.C.E. events are not associated with any cycling clubs, so you don't have to be a member of any club to take part in any of these events!!(Sorry - get asked that question all the time). 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