The James Madison University Reddish Knob Hill Climb offered the opportunity for a 11.7 mile climb rising 2,800 feet out of the Shenandoah Valley, topping out at 4,400 feet. The team arrived in the gravel parking lot amidst occasional drizzle and temperatures in the mid 50s. After a warm up under the Hopkins tent and along the wet roads, each cyclist set out to test his or her cardiovascular fitness and determination along this challenging course.

The course started up a country road with slight uphill grade, proceeding to a series of false flats and rollers alongside a creek. Despite the seeming moderate grade, the riders found themselves fighting to keep their pace along this stretch, hoping to catch those riders spaced in front of them at 30 second intervals. At mile 6, cyclists reached a dam with a small bevy of spectators shouting encouragement. From there, the grade intensified, as the climb began to wind up narrower roads with blind corners. The temperature began to drop as the riders ascended onto Reddish Knob. The road slightly leveled onto a ridge and the racers rode momentarily in a sun break amidst the fog and blowing clouds. With about 2 miles to go, the road emerged into a small turnaround area, where spectators greeted the riders again. A sharp left turn from here served as the gateway to the final effort. The climb intensified, but thankfully was interspersed by two downhill stretches, which allowed the riders to regain their speed before the next ascent. The climb ultimately banked around the top of the Knob in a clockwise fashion, revealing the finish and a 360 degree panorama to which Bloomer said "It was worth it for the view". The clouds blew chilling mist across the tired cyclists, and the temperature did indeed seem 10 degrees cooler than the start area. After taking in the expanse of undulating blue-grey hills, most headed down quickly in hopes of warming up. Some said the descent was as fatiguing as the climb, as they navigated the wet pavement, tight turns and occasional gravel for the 11.7 mile return. Hopkins cyclists represented their school admirably in all categories.

In Men's D, Eric Gou placed 5th with a time of 1:09:30, racking up 5 points for the team.

The Men's C riders featured four solid finishes, as Steven Kornweiss took 14th (1:03:51), John Lian 16th in 1:04:02, Jonathan Smits 18th in 1:04:04 and Jacob Koenig in 19th at 1:05:01. Of note, both John and Jonathan decided the course was too easy and found ways to handicap themselves for the benefit of the rest of the field: John by riding on tired of 50 PSI and losing a chain and Jonathan by giving the field a 1 minute head start...

Our Women's B riders showed strong efforts over this difficult course, both winning team points. Allie Wilson posted a 7th placed finish in 1:30:12, while Rebecca Kramer rolled in at 1:49:38 for 8th place.

In Women's A, Susanna Matsen finished in 2nd place with a time of 59:39, while Laura Hanlon took 11th in 1:09:26 and Katie Ross placed 14th in 1:11:58.

Finally, our Men's A riders steamrolled up the mountain, with Nathan Coleman taking 4th in a speedy 50:53, while Ryan Bloom took 16th in 53:27. Our recent returnee from Oxford, Toby Weatherall took 22nd in 55:51. A special thanks to Toby's family for their support and encouragement of all riders and assistance with the innumerable details necessary for successful racing.

After a quick warm down, the team piled into the cars for the 1 hour journey to Charlottesville, VA for the Jefferson Cup the following day. Go Blue Jays!