Elevation

It starts at 4,500 feet above sea level, ends at 8,000 feet and lasts only ten miles. The Snowbird Hill Climb is an annual race that tests a cyclist's leg and lung capacity.
I and a friend left Thursday for Salt Lake to race the Snowbird Hill Climb happening on Saturday. Although I grew up in the area and skied Snowbird many times, this would be the first time I would race a bike up Little Cottonwood canyon.

We arrived Thursday evening and Friday morning, I went for a "warm-up" ride up Emigration Canyon, a local favorite. I was also hoping it would help acclimatize my lungs to the thin air. While it wouldn't make a large difference, it helped me mentally to know that I could still ride the canyon and not feel like I needed an oxygen tank.

Saturday morning arrived and we drove to the Walgreen's parking lot below the mouth of the canyon where all the riders were doing some last minute registrations, getting their numbers and posturing with their shiny rides. There were almost 500 registrants in the race, both "citizen" and "categorized" riders.

The first three miles acted as warm-up, climbing the mostly gentle grade to the mouth of the canyon. Once we passed into the canyon, the large group of riders began scattering themselves along the race course. I was feeling good and kept a sustainable pace throughout the race, passing slower riders along the way. It proved to be a steep climb and got even steeper as we approached Tanner Flats. Once beyond the Flats, the finish line was in sight and I sprinted the last 50 yards with another rider to finish it in about 1hr:08min.

We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the race and will have a better idea next year on what to expect and hopefully improve our times. While not quite as fun as skiing down the mountain, racing up it was just as satisfying.

Note: once we finished, we picked up some lunch and went to the top of Tanner Flats to watch the sixth stage of the Tour of Utah and witness pro riders suffer through last climb of the stage and race.