Uphill challenge Metro cycling team finds success on Lookout Mountain time trials By Matt Gunn gunnma@mscd.edu Photo by Leah Bluntschli • bluntsch@mscd.edu Metro cyclist Peter Schimpf reaches the finish of the Lookout Mountain time trial, a part of the Colorado School of Mines Oredigger Classic April 8. He finished the four-mile climb with a time of 24:06.

   Driving up Lookout Mountain Road is a pleasant way to spend 25 minutes en route to Buffalo Bill’s grave. Throughout the 2,100-foot climb, the two-lane road offers scenic views of Golden.
   As a cycling race, however, Lookout Mountain is not so much about the scenery or the museum at its summit. The four-mile time trial is a test of a rider’s perseverance when confronted with steep grades and everyday tourist traffic.
   “It was extremely painful,” sophomore Corey Davis said. “I set a goal to run it in under 30 (minutes), and I did it. Overall, it was one of the better races I’ve seen this season.”
   The April 8 time trial was a chance for 181 men, 52 women and nine children to compete against the clock and against each other in a race to Golden’s most prominent peak.
   The top finisher was Tom Danielson, a member of the vaunted Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Without breaking a sweat, the 27-year-old Fort Lewis College graduate destroyed the course record of 18:02 by a full two minutes.
   In the collegiate ranks, Metro made its first appearance at the event. Antonio Molina finished 12th in the Collegiate-B category with a time of 21:36. Club president Ben Stein climbed the mountain with a time of 22:08 and earned 17th in the same division.
   Christie Kiley was Metro’s top finisher, taking 2nd place in the women’s Collegiate-B category with a time of 25:02.
   The Lookout Mountain course began with a series of short, steep inclines. Midway through the race, cyclists were able to recover and gain speed across the broad face of the mountain before a series of nearly vertical switchbacks took them to the finish.
   “ I loved it,” Stein said. “I loved every minute of it.”
   Aside from passing cars, the only sounds from the race were the whir of tires on pavement accompanied with the labored breathing of the cyclists.
   Riders fought through pain to maintain a rhythm, shifting gears and standing on their pedals to constantly adjust for their ideal pace.
   The effort left a number of cyclists dry heaving after crossing the finish line.
   “ It all comes down to training,” said University of Colorado cyclist John Wilson. He finished 13th in the Collegiate-B category with a time of 21:43, and said he planned on transferring to Metro next year.
   The event finished with a criterium through Golden the next day. Stein finished third, and Davis took 11th in the short road course.

“ I loved every minute of it.”
Ben Stein