A July heat wave had stuck its nose into where it didn't belong – the first weekend in October – but that didn't deter the 73 riders who signed up for this year's Allen Clark Hill Climb. Or at least most of them were undeterred – there were a few no-shows who failed to appear at the start line for the 6.2-mile time trial up the east side of Appalachian Gap. Still their absence did little to diminish a nice turnout (a bit better than last year) for an event that for the last 30-plus years or so has been honoring the legacy of one of The Valley's one-time great bike enthusiasts, Allen Clark.
The time trial was a real trial in at least two respects. First, there was the challenge of pavement on the early stretch of Route 17 that made for, as Mae West might say, a bumpy ride. And once the pavement smoothed out for the second half of the ride, the upward trajectory of the hill, starting at about the Battleground, presented an aerobic tribulation putting the riders to a serious hill-climbing test. The average gradient, exceeding 10% for the last 2.5 miles or so, would likely rate as a Category 1 climb if it were included in the Tour de France.
The overall winner, Josh McDougal, from Peru, New York, proved to be uncommonly speedy on this overheated day, with his time of 24 minutes and 5.47 seconds being the second-fastest Allen Clark time ever to be recorded. That was probably to be expected; McDougal could claim a noteworthy aerobic-sport pedigree, having been a one-time national collegiate champion as a cross-country runner.
Chris Poliquin of Conway, New Hampshire, was the quickest woman up the hill, in a time of 30:40.32.
A few local folks jumped into the fray, or at least tried to. Bruce Hyde managed to extricate himself from patrolling the aisles of Mehuron's Supermarket to record a time of 33:19.14. Marc Hammond, who has never met a bicycling time trial he didn't like, powered up the climb in 41:47.38. Bob Dillon signed up with the good intent of representing the 70-and-older crowd, but was hobbled by the pre-start discovery that the battery for his electronic shifting was kaput. The unshiftable gearing would have forced him to take on the tough climb exclusively in his big chain ring, a heavy-grunting prospect that was wholly unappealing, if not undoable. Dillon bailed.
Peter Hawks, however, was not encumbered by such electronic dysfunction. Relying on a little electrical assistance – he rode a mountain e-bike – he made his way up the hill in a mighty brisk time of 31:35.33, despite a leaky front tire. Normally, riding an e-bike would be considered an Allen Clark taboo, but what the heck. Peter is 87 years old, so he deserved the extra oomph of a small motor.
The event, now under the aegis of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, with the backing of Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, raised a nice chunk of change for a good cause. Revenues will go toward improving disabled access at various venues around The Valley. So even if participants arrived at the finish all hot and bothered on this July-in-October day, at least they could feel pretty cool about having contributed to making life a little easier for those in need.
You might also like
