Mt. Baker Hill Climb

September 6, 2003.

 

The inaugural Mt. Baker hill climb saw riders from across Washington and British Columbia tackle the 24.5 mile route from Glacier to the top of Artist’s Point on Mt. Baker for 4300 feet of climbing. The winners would establish course records and set the benchmark for the climb.

 

With the weather cooperating and the promise of an epic day in the saddle, racing began with many riders unsure how they would stack up against this scenic ski hill. All would be tested on the unrelenting climb, but with stunning views and warm temperatures both racers and recreational riders could enjoy breathtaking views and great support from those who cheered riders on as they climbed the mountain.

 

In the competitive division, with a strong Saturn for Seattle and Symmetrics contingent, it was no surprise when the attacks began well before the riders arrived at the base of the day’s main climb, Mt. Baker. As soon as racing began the Saturn for Seattle and Symmetrics teams began sizing each other up, with several accelerations to test the waters before the main climb.

 

On the final climb before the run into the base of the hill Symmetrics guest rider Fred Hodgson, taking to the road after a season of mountain bike racing, decided enough was enough and set a torrid pace that saw the pack shatter. Following Hodgson’s acceleration Brad Issel (Symmetrics) and Trever Mays (Saturn for Seattle) attacked, with Matt Usborne (Symmetrics) bridging across shortly afterwards.

 

The motivated trio worked together for a few miles, with Mays dropping back to the chase group and teammates Issel and Usborne going on alone just before the main climb of the mountain began. Issel and Usborne forged a 45 second lead heading into the base of the mountain setting a steady tempo and riding together for the first two thirds of the climb. As the climb began wear on the riders, Usborne “Just kind of rode away” according to Issel. Usborne would finish in a time of 1:27:04, with Issel second in 1:29:38.

 

Behind the leaders Hodgson set pace, with only Sean Vanhorn (Aurora Cycles), Trever Mays and Mick Walsh (Saturn for Seattle) able to keep pace. In the final miles Vanhorn and Hodgson established a slight gap, with Vanhorn outsprinting Hodgson at the line at 1:31:02 and 1:31:04 respectively.

 

The women’s race saw Marg Fedyna of British Columbia set the standard with a blazing 1:39:12 ascent. Following closely behind in second was Rachel Fox (Glacier Ski Shop) in 1:41:21, with U19 rider Karen Amundson (RAD racing) rounding out the top 3 with a time of 1:50:04.

 

The recreational division saw riders take on the climb theoretically in a much more relaxed environment, however judging by the times of men’s winner Omar Shokeir 1:44:10 and women’s winner Carolyn Daubeny who tackled the mountain in 204:53, it seems even the recreational division saw some hard riding and great climbing.

 

 

Mt Baker Hill Climb2003

Competitive Division

MEN'S RECORD: 1:27:04

WOMEN'S RECORD: 1:39:12

SINGLE SPEED: 1:48:23

OVERALL Place

Name

Age

Time

Team/Hometown

 

Women under 19

 

 

 

3

Karen Amundson

17

1:50:04

Rad Racing/Seattle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women 20-29

 

 

 

2

Rachael Fox

25

1:41:21

Glacier Ski Shop

6

Kari Bolton

22

2:02:38

Seattle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women 30-39

 

 

 

1

Marg Fedyna

38

1:39:12

BC

5

Leslie McCullough

34

1:58:22

Subway/Bellingham

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women 40-49

 

 

 

4

Martha Walsh

43

1:52:35

Saturn of Seattle

6

Total Comp Women

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OVERALL Place

Men Under 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name

Age

Time

 Team/Hometown

3

Sean Vanhorn

17

1:31:02

Aurora Cycles/Seattle

14

Kacey Chamberlin

18

1:40:09

Saturn of Seattle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men 20-29

 

 

 

1

Matt Usborne

26

1:27:04

Symmetrics/BC

4

Fred Hodgson

25

1:31:04

ORYX/BC

6

Trever Mays

21

1:32:34

Saturn of Seattle

12

Troy Jackson

25

1:39:06

WWU/B-ham

15

Ryan Rickerts

26

1:40:40

WWU/B-ham

17

Celeo Guifarro

22

1:42:20

WWU/B-ham

23

Tom McCarthy

22

1:48:30

Ottowa, ON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men 30-39

 

 

 

2

Brad Issel

31

1:29:38

Symmetrics/BC

8

Jon McCarthy

30

1:34:27

Symmetrics/BC

10

Konrad Binder

36

1:38:27

Windbag/ Seattle

19

Kent Devries

39

1:46:12

Jack's Bicycle/ B-ham

20

Chris Mellick

35

1:47:54

WHIMPS/ B-ham

21

Bryan Grubbs

32

1:48:05:01

ABC/ BC

27

Scott Alderson

37

1:51:57

Bellingham Velo

29

David Peterson

36

2:01:27

Bellingham

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men 40-49

 

 

 

5

Mick Walsh

41

1:32:09

Saturn of Seattle

7

Alex Berde

43

1:32:47

Bellingham

9

Jeff Cummings

41

1:37:15

Bellingham Velo

11

John Kodin

48

1:39:00

Bellingham

13

Nick Carlson

41

1:39:37

Bellingham Velo

22

Henry Pfeffer

40

1:48:05:63

Bellingham

24

Alex Pfister

44

1:49:23

Everson

25

Pete Theisen

42

1:49:36

Bellingham

26

Todd Cowdery

42

1:51:34

Bellingham

28

Kevin Cunningham

43

1:53:14

Symmetrics, BC

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men 50-59

 

 

 

18

Richard West

55

1:45:43

Bellingham Velo

DNF

Kevin Fiske

53

DNF

Saturn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Men 60-69

 

 

 

16

Franz Hammer

66

1:41:15

Saturn of Seattle

 

 

Recreation Division

MEN'S RECORD: 1:44:10

WOMEN'S RECORD: 2:04:53

 

OVERALL Place

Name

Age

Time

 Team/Hometown

1

Carolyn Daubeny

38

2:04:53

UBN/ Vancouver

2

Barb Rappaport

50

2:12:37

Bellingham

2

Total Rec Women

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OVERALL Place

Men 20-29

 

 

 

2

Andrew Francis

27

1:48:23

Bellingham

6

Nicholas Silva

28

1:57:38

Oak Harbor

21

Jason Sears