Race Report: 2026 Berkeley Hills Road Race - 50+ 3/4

AVRT racers: Shai Traister

Date: 4/18/26

Top Result: Shai 4th

Course: 3 laps of Berkeley Hills. Main kickers are Mama Bear, its babies, and Papa Bear

Nutrition: 2 1 Liter Bottles with 150g malto/fructose.  Protein cookie, 1 gel

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18163292775

Race Recap:  
Lap 1:
Uneventful early pace until the main climbs—the Mama Bears—which the field took fast but controlled. Nothing crazy yet.

Lap2:
A crash went down behind me on San Pablo Dam Road. I didn't see what happened, but the field kept moving so I did too. The pace ramped up immediately on every bump, and by the time we hit the main climbs, the pace turned savage. Only six of us survived the selection.

Lap3:

Some riders in the group wanted to push hard to keep the dropped riders from coming back. I didn't bite. My logic was simple: if they got dropped on lap two, they'd likely get dropped again. No point wasting energy. They eventually did make it back.

At the last Mama Bear, an SJBC rider attacked hard and opened a 5–10 second gap. It felt like the right moment to chase, so I went for it and closed the gap. But the effort left me gassed, and when he didn't push on the roller before the final bump, the six of us came back together. The others dropped again—just as I'd expected.

Fast descent into Papa Bear. One rider went early, opening a gap before the climb even started. A Dolce Vita rider chased and I latched on. We closed it quickly at the bottom of the climb, and I figured we'd settle here—it was just the start, after all. The rider in front disagreed. He kept the pace blistering the entire way up. I made the call to let it go and manage my effort instead. Two riders passed me, then passed the Dolce Vita rider to finish 1–2. I tried to chase, but the legs had nothing left. Power fell apart and I couldn't recover.

Rolled across for 4th.