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Thanks to all for a successful 2019!
| week | day | climb | previous years | comment |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Montebello | 1995(1) 1996(1) 1997(1) 2006(1) 2007(1) 2008(1) 2009(1) 2010(1) 2011(1) 2012(1) 2013(1) 2014(1) 2015(1) 2016(1) 2018(1) | The Traditional Launch |  |
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| 2 |
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OLH | 1995(4) 1996(X) 2006(2) 2009(2) 2010(2) 2015(7) | The Reference Climb! |  |
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| 3 |
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new! or: 2015(6) (Bohlman), 2009(5) 2018(2)(Montevina) | Double Trouble! |
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| 4 |
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Bonny Doon | 2010(7) | Santa Cruz delight! |  |
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| 5 |
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new! | Sacred climb of the hummingbird |
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| 6 |
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new! | Talk dirty to me. |  |
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| 7 |
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Portola State Park | 2010(3) | Through the redwoods |  |
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| 8 |
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Palomares | 2011(5) | Dovish affairs |  |
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| 9 | Nov 24-Nov 30 | Mt Hamilton | 1995(8) 1996(9) 1997(9) 1998(1) 1998(7) 2006(7) 2007(9) 2008(9) 2009(9) 2010(9) 2011(9) 2012(8) 2013(9) 2014(9) 2015(9) 2016(9) 2018(8) | The Traditional Finale! | |
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Andy's commitment to run ULKHC expires after the 2020 series. Whether he'll renew his commitment then is up in the air.
If you've been a happy participant of Low-Key, and would like to see its continued existence, please consider taking over the reins from Andy, and grow a new generation of volunteers to carry the Low-Key banner!
LKHC vanished into thin air; it was as though, somehow, everyone had more important things to think about and do. There was a dark depression. 2017 passed gloomily, and then . . .
Andy Crews couldn't stand it anymore, and took matters into his own hands, and announced the Ultra Low-Key Hillclimbs!
Operating without the apparatus of that dedicated group of volunteers, without funding, essentially taking Low-Key back to its roots, though with modern high tech GPS and Strava, he organized a series of Self-Timed Hillclimbs. In general, the rules are: ride whenever you like on the day of the climb, time your ride either on Strava or with a stop watch, and we'll record whatever you say your time is. Usually we meet at 10:00, and start the climb together at 10:10. No registration required, just show up.
We like to think we're in an interim phase, keeping the Low-Key spirit alive, until perhaps Dan and the Low-Key volunteer team come back out of retirement, or until a new volunteer team forms.
Sorry, folks! We require all riders wear helmets during the climb, and we follow the USA Cycling rule against ear buds or other head phones. Rock to tunes before the climb, perhaps, but we need riders to pay attention to what's happening during the climb.
An email list is our primary communications channel: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/low-key-hill-climbers.
We also have a Low-Key group on Facebook. It's the place to be for facebookie type stuff.
In Ultra Low-Key, nobody is there with a stopwatch, nobody to shout your number to with your last breath. You can ride with the group, or ride solo anytime that day.
If you are a member of the Strava LKHC Club, we'll get your time from there at the end of the day. If you aren't a member, or maybe don't even use Strava, you can time yourself with a stopwatch and communicate it to Andy or Frank at the summit, or by email or on Facebook.
For Ultra Low-Key, scoring has been greatly simplified for now, to the detriment of fairness and the Low-Key tradition, but hey, this is Ultra Low-Key!
Detailed scoring information is available for those who want to know the nitty-gritty!
In ULKHC, all climbs are self-rides, whether you're with an ad-hoc group or alone. It's up to you to judge conditions and the safety of the climb. There is no organized event, so please show respect for all other users of the road or trail. If you need to come to a complete stop to yield right of way, let us know for score adjustment: nobody should feel the need to take undue risks or incourtesies due to this series, and any reports of irresponsible behavior, on or off the bike, will result in scores being disqualified.
Low-Key is all about a group of friends riding up a hill together. It's like any other informal group ride, except we time you to the top and report the results on our web site. But we have no road closures, no lead vehicle, no follow vehicle. We are traffic, sharing the roads with other traffic, following the laws and courtesy which applies to traffic. This includes riding to the right of the road when practicable, and not crossing double yellows to pass riders or to get through corners faster. We're each responsible for our own actions out there, on and off the bike, both as users of the road and as courteous visitors to the neighborhoods we pass through. "Ceci n'est pas un race".
Ultra Low-Key maintains the same philosophy, except every ride is self-timed. You're just out on an informal bike ride, alone or with the ad-hoc group, climbing the hill at whatever pace you want to and are able to.
Like virtually any other solo or group ride in which you participate, your participation in Low-Key Hillclimbs or Ultra Low-Key Hillclimbs is at your own risk.