Race Report: Low Gap Long Course – Ukiah, California
Race: Grasshopper Series race #1 – Low Gap long course – Women 60+
Date: January 25, 2026
AVRT long course racers: Juan Carlos Delgafo & Matthias Hoffmann (M50-59), Kathleen Bortolussi W60+
Top Result: Kathleen Bortolussi 2/4, Matthias Hoffman 26/87, Juan Carlos Delgafo 83/87
Course: The long course is advertised as a 95% unpaved gravel course, with ~63 miles and 6700ft gain (per Strava your distance and elevation can vary but is close). The ride starts with a 15 mile (2644ft) climb up a semi-paved road (some broken pavement, some dirt) before turning into fire road, some double track, and a few paved roads. Feed zones at mile 21 and the same one again at mile 42. You traverse through some private forest land and if you like the forest this is a course for you. The finish descends the same road as the start for a mostly screaming downhill.
This year it was 32 degrees at the start and there was some ice on the road, so as all age group women pulled up to the line they told us we would be neutralized for the first 7.42 miles. There was no one in front of us to neutralize the group and as we crossed the timing mat, we stayed neutralized for less than ¼ mile. Last year there was a good field in my age group but having placed second in the series to Jennie Phillips, my eye was only on her. She beat me last year at this race by 20 minutes so anything close would be an improvement. She and another woman took off at the start and with my asthma and the cold temp I had to ride my own pace. Last year it was 29 degrees, so this race was better already. You spread out quite a bit, and the goal is to stay focused, watch your lines, and keep up your speed.
At the first rest stop I grabbed my pack, decided to try the random gel (not something I usually do), but after waiting for over 2 minutes to use the porta-john, I felt it was worth the risk. At mile 23 I passed the woman in my age group who took off at the start, and at mile 41 on a technical downhill I passed Jennie Phillips. What? I was passing Jennie, I was stoked. Then we came into the aid station at mile 42 and I wanted another one of the Maurten Gels and I wanted to use the bathroom. As soon as Jennie saw me stop getting a gel, she took off, so no bathroom-stop for me – game on!
I caught up with her within a few hundred yards, and we had an 8-mile climb before the rolling 15-mile descent back to the start. We started and I was keeping up, we chatted a bit, and then the race tactics ensued…you know, could she talk and ride, how was her breathing, etc. I was on a 2x, and she was on a 1x, and as the miles ticked by, I thought if I could stay with her to the descent maybe I could beat her. Then I started to feel like I was approaching my limit. 5 miles to go, 4 miles to go….2 miles to go to the summit of the climb, and at 1.7 to go I popped. She slowly rode away and out of sight. I thought maybe if I bomb the descent I’ll catch her. I tried. In the end, down to the 100th of a second, she beat me by exactly 1 minute. I was happy with my improvement and happier to have actually been part of the race. Congrats to Jennie she was a fun competitor.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17178699433
Nutrition: ½ almond and jelly butter sandwich, 2 Maurten Gel 160s (given out at the race), 1 caffeinated & 1 decaf Gu, 1.5L water (.5L with watermelon flavored Dripdrop electrolyte mix). It was a 4:40:33 race so I like to stay fueled. Picked up my hydration pack at the first rest stop, and I think this mix of food worked well. No bonking.
Thank you for reading, Kathleen