Mat-Su Valley home of Hatcher Pass cycle race, Big Lake Triathlon this weekend

HATCHER PASS — Bicyclists from across Southcentral are currently resting their quads in anticipation of Saturday’s Alaska State Hill Climb Championship at Hatcher Pass.

“It’s as steep as any that we do and longer,” race director Missy Anderson, with the Arctic Bicycle Club, said Monday.

The race is scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and begins at the Little Susitna Bridge at the base of Hatcher Pass. From there, more than 40 cyclists are expected to tackle the hill climb, which over the 10-mile course gains 2,300 feet of elevation.

The finish line is located at the Independence Mine parking area.

Last year’s winner, Anchorage’s Matt Novakovich, beat two other racers in an uphill sprint to the finish line. Novakovich completed the course in 40 minutes, 5.8 seconds, besting Josh Yeaton and Matt Jordan by a half-second.

“They absolutely amaze me,” Anderson said of the top cyclists in the state. “I don’t know how they do it.”

Not everyone will make it up the pass that quickly, and Anderson said there’s plenty of room for both experts as well as beginning cyclists.

“We have all divisions,” she said.

Interested participants can sign up for the race online at www.arcticbike.org or at the starting line. Anderson said pre-race registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Little Susitna River bridge parking area.

The cost to race is $15.

Big Lake Triathlon

set for Sunday

BIG LAKE — If a bike ride up the side of a mountain just isn’t enough exercise, local fitness fanatics can also hit the sixth-annual Frontiersman/Big Lake Chamber of Commerce Big Lake Triathlon on Sunday morning.

Race director Kathleen Cole said more than 75 people have already signed up for the race, which puts competitors through a course that begins with a 0.9-mile swim in the chilly waters of Big Lake, a 25-kilometer bicycle ride that winds through Big Lake and Houston and a 5-K run that finishes in downtown Big Lake.

“It’s a fun race,” Cole said Thursday.

The triathlon begins at 11 a.m. at the North Shore parking lot. Cole said participants can sign up through race time, with pre-race registration opening at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

“We get people all the way up until race time,” she said.

Individuals as well as teams of racers are eligible to participate. The cost for an individual tackling the entire course alone is $40, while teams can enter for $100. There’s also a $10 fee for entrants who are not members of the United States Triathlon Association.

The race is unique by Alaska standards in that it’s one of only five triathlons in the state where the swimming portion is held over open water.

Last year’s race was won by Anchorage’s Jason Lamoreaux, who narrowly edged women’s winner Shannon Donley of Anchorage. Cole said she expects Lamoreaux to return this year to defend his title, but she’s not yet sure about Donley.

“We sure hope so,” she said.

There will be a post-race barbecue and awards ceremony, with food and beverages provided by a number of local sponsors, including Steve’s Food Boy.

“We have some really great sponsors this year,” Cole said.

For more information, call Cole at 892-6993 or the Big Lake Chamber at 892-6109.

Contact Matt Tunseth at

352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com