Gold Nugget Stage Race - Junior Heat Test Weekend - Day 1

This weekend is already shaping up to be a battle of the boys against the elements - the main element being HEAT. Today after a 4 hour drive to Mariposa ("gateway to Yosemite") we arrived in 97 degree heat and pondered what the first stage of this three-day, four-race series would be like.

The boys immediately held a conference in the pool here at the motel, and determined it would be tough, but they were ready. They turned out to be right on both counts.

After cooling off in the pool, everyone piled into the van (thanks, Blair!) and we drove the 35 minutes out to the start of the first stage, the 9-mile hill climb, in Hornitos (sounds like a snack food?). It was more remote than the start of Copperopolis, with a school and a bar, and little else at the start.

Resisting the urge to hit the bar at 4 PM, the boys checked in to get their numbers - only 27 people were registered across all the classes. Junior 13-14 was about 7 boys, and the Junior 15-16 totaled 11 starters, including Spence who decided to "race up" a class.

Registration - this is about half of the entire field.

Once they were registered, the boys had about an hour to get ready, which mainly meant staying cool in the shade and avoiding getting dehydrated before the race started.

Conserving energy, waiting for the start of the race.

It may have cooled down to "only" 96 degrees by the 5:15 PM start.

Junior 15-16 team (Spence, Bob and Bjorn) waiting for the start

Skyler represented AC solo in the Junior 13-14 class today!

As the race was "one way" up the climb, I headed out in the van, and drove to the finish - sorry, no start pictures today! Along the way I observed that the first 3-4 miles were gentle rollers, like at Diablo (the start)...


...but then it began to kick up, especially the last two miles - I really wondered how this would be in the heat, and I was in the air-conditioned van!


After waiting around for 15-20 minutes at the top, with some of the other parents, the first group, Junior 17-18, began arriving. Shortly after that, the Junior 15-16 brigade came in - Bjorn first, with either a third or fourth place finish (I think)

Bjorn arrives - really wondering HOW LONG that finish straight was?

A few minutes later, Spence rolled in - he said it was maybe the hardest race he'd done to date - very fast pace from the group on the flats, then the heat really hammered them on the way up the climb.

Spence arrives, ready to re-hydrate

Bob rolled in a few minutes later - he'd had a minor mishap with a chain problem earlier, but caught the group before the climb. Still a long, tough haul up the hill and he was a hot and tired racer...

Bob rolls in - enough of the heat...

Then Skyler made it - he came in at Third Place in a competitive Junior 13-14 group.

Skyler arrives, wondering where he can get another bottle of water...

The boys were all really tired and it was clear that this was a tough start to a long weekend of racing. But after some water at the finish, then showers at the hotel and dinner, they were feeling 100% better, and ready to do battle again tomorrow...

Recovering at the finish

So now they're in the pool (at 8:30 PM) and we'll head out tomorrow for the next TWO stages - the road race in the morning (25 or 45 miles) and the time trial in the afternoon (3.8 miles). Watch this blog for updates same time on Saturday night!

Here is a link to the race website for details of the four stages.

And here are a few more pictures.