Cat's Hill Criterium brings back several memories when I was racing as a junior and senior P1-2 in the early 1980's. I first experienced Cat's Hill as a 14 year-old spectator watching Wayne Stetina and Greg Lemond duke it out in 1978. Nicholson Ave,'s
steepness, the screaming descent, and numerous spectators left an imprint on me that lasts to this day. I started bike racing as a junior in 1980 and first participated in Cat's
Hill the following year.
1981 brought a series of successes. I won the Pinole two-man time trial with Dave
McLaughlin (future 1985 Cats Hill runner-up), finished second to him at the Fort Baker
Criterium in a breakaway, and added two more road race victories in the month before
Cat's Hill. I also partnered with Steve Gray (now Adyashanti) at the inaugural Breaking
Away Friday Night at Hellyer Park under the new lights earning 2 nd place in the 25 mile
Madison event. With these results I knew that I had the fitness to win Cat's Hill, the race
with which I watched in complete awe just a few years prior.
I was eager for the 1981 race, but the anticipation was mixed with nerves. Big crowds
promised energy, but also the possibility of falling short in front of everyone. I took
comfort knowing that the 1980 junior winner just rolled off the front of the field and
finished alone. "We'll see how it goes," is the normal refrain I tell myself at the start line, especially with a race that I know is going to be hard. After the race started, I found myself handling the hill better than I had expected and no one was being overly
aggressive at the top of the climb.
I learned quickly that taking the Nicholson turn rather
tight put me on the left side of the climb where the pavement was flat and the rear wheel
would not sputter under the load of standing up. Taking the turn too wide resulted in
landing on the right side causing the rear wheel to skip on cambered pavement.
About ½ way through the race I felt comfortable enough to push it over the top of
Nicholson and through the deceiving false flat around the top of the park. By the last
corner I had a slight gap over the field. It was not enough of a gap to win, but the gap
seemed to hold steady.
I kept going and the gap slowly grew with each lap. I
remember Fritz Knochenhauer (Cycle Pro/Talbot's Bike Shop) standing just past the first
turn who provided gap times that kept me motivated.
I do not remember how many laps I managed to stay ahead but was long enough to
pick up two primes and make the closing laps feel like an endless march. Fritz's gap
times combined with race announcer Bruce Hildenbrand keeping the crowd engaged
made Cat's Hill one of my dearest bike racing memories.
Even though I participated in
subsequent Cat's Hill P1-2 events, the 1981 race is one that I do not forget.
I am
grateful to both Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club and San Jose Bike Club for their
dedication in sustaining this iconic race for over half a century and I look forward to
hearing and witnessing many more Cat's Hill inspired stories.
