Words: BSC master wrench and Terrible 20 mastermind Andy Achuff
Photos: Shanna Parkin & Dave Johnstone
Video Editing: Rob Parkin Video
It all started with a video on the Internet.
“Have you seen that movie of those guys in Pittsburgh? Where they race up all those stupid hills? That looks SO hard…I wish there was something like that here…”
Well, now there is.
The Terrible Twenty took shape over the winter and early spring, with input from a crew of Victoria’s most dedicated finders of obscure routes, scenic spots, and — crucially — crazy hard climbs. After several rides to check out potential candidates and some long hours in Google Maps, the route came together. After a few emails to potential sponsors & volunteers were sent away, things really took off.
Relish threw in a few gift certificates, Bows & Arrows sent along some amazing coffee, Joele at Shimano put in some cool prizes (plus supplied Shimano action cams for video footage), Brent at Velofix kicked in a few prizes (Brent also came out to cheer and cart around food & water for the rest stop & finish), while Broad Street Cycles threw in some super cool pro-tour hats. A great group of volunteers made this crazy event shine — huge thanks to all who signed up to run all over Victoria and score all of the finishes.
The weather in February in Victoria can be very unpredictable, and even though there would be an extra element of hard-man credit to have done the ride in the freezing rain, it was a great relief to end up riding on the first warm sunny Sunday of 2015. That also meant a few more riders than expected showed up: we rolled out with a group of 39.
After signing on at Broad Street Cycles, and a quick volunteer conference, the group headed off for a few hours of fun & suffering. The climbs in the Terrible Twenty were picked for variety as much as severity, and ranged from tight, single lane sidewalks, through horrible, beat up pavement, to wide open, scenic roads. But they’re ALL brutally steep.
After an easy roll out and up Johnson St towards Oak Bay, it was game on. Terrace Ave kicked things off with a hard right turn into the bottom of the climb. A cruise down through Rockland & along Foul Bay Rd to Sylvan Lane-Denison Rd. A rip up Gonzales Park was followed by a re-group and noodle towards Goverment House & Lotbiniere Ave — we powered up the narrow, slippery road to Rockland Ave. We headed through Fernwood to Haultain, then the short, hard punch up Mt Stephen Ave.
Next up, we hit Summit Ave to Smith’s Hill Reservoir. A traffic induced standing start from the bottom of Cook Street led to some serious popping & cracking as while easier gears were scrambled for under full power. We ripped down the west side Cook St, and spun through to Tolmie Ave — long and straight with a wicked double pitch at the end. Slither down the dirt/mud path across Cook St, and onto the Cedar Hill Golf course chip trail. A slog across the muddy, freshly chipped trail leads to the hardest non-counting climb of the day, and on through the Golf Course to Derby Ave. Climb #7 is a straight shot up Doncaster Drive. With a downhill lead-in, we hit the bottom at well-over 50km/h, but with grades hitting 12%, powering over the top sounds easier than it actually is. Rail the corners down to Jennifer Rd, and on to Cedar Hill Cross Rd for a date with the looming Mt Tolmie.
A lesser known way up Mt Tolmie, the crazy steep Glastonbury Rd, joins up with Mayfair Dr about half way up. With the climb flattening slightly near the finish, riders unable (or unwilling) to keep with the acceleration up the steepest pitch could claw back into contention, leading to several photo finishes.
Next, a swoop down through Camosun College, the Uplands, and along Beach Drive to Gyro Park for a rest stop. Strategies are discussed, the points standings are tabulated, and everyone fuels up for the rest of the ride. The fact that we’re not quite half-way yet is really starting to sink in to everyone’s legs.
Back on our bikes, and onto the single lane walkway of Tudor Ave. Short, steep & one lane wide, positioning going in is everything. A quick roll along Telegraph Bay Rd, and up Arbutus Rd to a finish line unexpectedly far up the hill…
Winding back into Cadboro Bay, and up a Victoria standard, Sinclair Rd. Re-group, and then across U Vic via the Mystic Vale gravel paths. Some twists & turns, and climb #12 (for double points) is a new one invented just for this race. Twisting up from Garnet Rd to Shorncliffe Rd, it’s a deceptively long haul to the top. Back onto pavement & gravel for the longest section of the ride without a climb, we head down Blenkinsop Rd. No climbing, but thanks to Regan Pringle putting down the power at the front, it’s no recovery section, as the field splits in the crosswinds. A brief chance to catch your breath at the lights, then the sprint up TreeTop Heights.
Bombing down (thankfully) dry roads to Royal Oak Drive, it’s across to Emily Carr Drive and on to the the Crownwood Lane climb. Crossing Quadra and then a noodle around the west side of Christmas Hill leads to the penultimate climb of the day, Nicholson St. After hanging in for 19 climbs, I played my race director card, handed the whistle over to Parker, and climbed in the car to meet everyone at the finish.
A warm sunny Sunday atop Mt Douglas found the hotspot packed with walkers, cars, dogs, and — apparently — Boy Scouts pulling Scotch Broom. Out of the chaos, the podium was delivered & set up, a finish line decided on, and the racers slugged it out one last time. Andrew L’Esperance pulled clear of the group to take the climb and seal the overall win, with an extremely close photo finish between Cory Wallace & Parker Bloom ensuring Parker the second step on the podium. Exactly what I had asked the crew of volunteers to take on became clear as Gillian calculated the final points standings, and we sorted out all the finishes from hastily scrawled lists and cellphone videos.
After 63 km and 1430m of riding & racing, the final results were:
1) Andrew L’Esperance
2) Parker Bloom
3) Andrew Mcartney
4) Rob Parkin
5) Cody Canning
A very solid field of women showed up to suffer alongside (and in a lot of cases, in front of) the men, with Norco Factory rider Haley Smith taking the overall in front Rocky Mountain’s Andreane Lanthier-Nadeau.
1) Haley Smith
2) Andreane Lanthier-Nadeau
3) Megan Rathwell
4) Emilie Thy from Dodge City Cycles
5) Shannon Baerg
Huge thanks to all the volunteers, racers, and sponsors for supporting the ride!
