August 2005

Smiley:
Just thought I'd let you and the crew know how I did on the Mt Washington Hill Climb race, the highest point in the eastern U.S.

I finished 4th in my age group and the bike worked flawlessly on the combined dirt and asphalt 7.6 mile 4727 ft climb. As far as I could tell, I had the only Rodriguez in the race. There were several Bike Fridays, and I left them in the clouds, well behind. Most of the racers were on stripped down ultralight road bikes. My finishing time was 88 minutes, just a little behind Tyler Hamilton's 52 minutes.

The Ultimate Travel Bike may not be the perfect {racing} machine, weighing a bit more {at 23 lbs} than my carbon Trek 5900, but it made traveling to New Hampshire a breeze, and the set-up and take down are easy after you do it a few times. I am planning a repeat visit for the 2006 race, and hope to win my age group next year.

The 1 inch road tires worked great, and the gearing also worked out well, as I needed the 28-32 combo for the 22% grade at the finish. See enclosed photo.

Sincerely,
Joseph P Dillard, M.D.
Billings, Montana