In the words of Aesop Rock, holy smokes! I did my hill sprint workout today on Ilchester Road in Ellicott City, which is the course for this Saturday’s hill climb time trial. It’s only .9 miles long, but it is brutal. The first section, especially, at an 18% gradient. Every competitive cyclist must be somewhat of a masochist. Who in their right mind would subject themselves to such an ordeal?! It’s a silly little race, but I really want to win. Climbing was my specialty during my AZ racing career and I haven’t seen a gradient like this since I was negotiating the back side of Gate’s Pass on a regular basis.