Support vehicles began driving up the Mt. Washington Auto Road at 5:00AM as planned, but at 7:00AM race organizers called a meeting of all race participants – an unusual occurrence. A gentleman introduced himself as the director of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. He explained that he had been the director for 20 years and that he had been working on the mountain for another 7 years. With his credibility clearly established, he announced that the race - with great regret - had been cancelled. Temperatures at the summit were reported at 33 degrees with 60 mile per hour winds. Visibility was less than 25 feet. Race volunteers were falling over.
Normally, the event would be rescheduled for the next day, August 19. However, the gentleman explained, temperatures were expexted to drop into the 20s over night, winds were expected to escalate and ice was expected to form. Bottom line: No Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in 2007.
Coincidently, both days of Newton's revenge, the overflow race for the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, was cancelled in early July.
Some participants showed disapointment, while most showed relief. The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb claim's to be the most difficult hillclimb race in the world. The Auto Road rises 4,640 feet over 7.62 miles for an average gradient of 11.53%. The Hillclimb features two, one-mile dirt road sections with grades reaching 18%. The final 300 meters of the race rises at a rate of 22%.
Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is epic - but not in 2007. It will be remembered for what was not.
Iban Mayo of Suanier Duval has reportedly tested positive for EPO use during the rest day of the Tour de France. Mayo is but another casualty in the war on doping proclaimed by the UCI and the ASO.
Vinokourov's B-sample was also confirmed as positive for a homologous blood transfusion, and he was sacked from his Astana team.
How Mayo, Vino and Moreni thought they could get away with such infractions escapes the editor of Cycling Commentary.
The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team reigned supreme at the 2007 Tour de France.
Not only did Alberto Contador win the Yellow Jersey and the Best Young Rider Competitions, teammate Levi Leipheimer finished a career best 3rd for his first-ever podium position. Both Leipheimer and Contador won stages giving Discovery Channel two stage wins along with two podium positions.
Discovery Channel also won the teams competition, as Yaroslav Popovych finished 8th, giving Discovery three riders within the top 10.
Lance Amstrong proclaimed that this was the greatest tour ever for the Discovery team and its predecessor, the US Postal team. Hopefully, this will help solidify its quest for a new title sponsor.