Race Report: Patterson Pass, Men’s E3

Race Report: Patterson Pass, Men’s Elite 3

Date: August 2, 2026

AVRT racers: Wil Gibb, Jack Lund, Drew Mathews

Top Result: Wil, 5th of 15

Course: 65 miles, 3 laps. There is a ~17-24 minute climb (steep with rollers) that begins the lap, followed by a very fast descent which leads into an 8-9 minute climb (steep with rollers), followed by a long false flat downhill drag. The lap/race finishes on a 0.5 mile uphill drag kicker. 

Nutrition: Two 1L bottles with 150g Formula 369 each, two ice water bottles from Leo in the feed zone 

Strava: https://strava.app.link/dU22j5vFu5b

Recap:

Patterson Pass would be an amazing race in January – climbing through massive, rolling green hills, surrounded by picturesque windmills, waving at the cows happily grazing. Instead, the race has its reputation tainted, held during the hottest time of year. As such, this race is always about the heat. On the start line it already felt hot, and temps were expected to be over 100 degrees at the finish. Though we like to tell ourselves we are similar to TdF pros, there were no ice vests, cooling buckets, or misting fans to be found in the warm up area. Instead, our secret weapon was having Leo in the feedzone with a giant cooler filled with ice. 

As larger, non-teenagers, the strategy from Jack, Drew, and myself was to hang on during the climbs and then conserve energy on the lengthy descents and false flat downhill sections. As with all cat 3 races this year, the pace was fast from the start. We climbed the first ascent of Patterson two minutes faster than last year – surely this would be as fast as it got? The group mostly stayed together, regrouped on the downhill, and was down to a dozen riders after the second, smaller climb. 

Entering the second lap, it was clear the two strongest riders wanted separation. I realized that the guy leading this race was the same guy who passed our entire cat 3 field as a solo cat 4 last year. I got ready to hang on for dear life. We put three minutes into the time of our first Patterson ascent – five minutes faster than the cat 3 field last year, and faster than this year’s pro field. This brought the group from 12 to 5 riders. 

We did a good job of rotating during the rest of the lap – initially I was hesitant, but I figured it was probably better to get separation from the group behind for when I inevitably would get dropped. As predicted, the pace on the third climb was even faster than before, and I simply couldn’t hang. I lost about 45 seconds to the other four riders on the climb, and just kept a steady pace the rest of the way. I rolled in two minutes behind the group ahead and eight in front of the group behind. 

Despite placing lower than last year, I was still proud of my performance in this much faster race. I don’t think I wasted too much energy (which I tend to do), which allowed me to stick with the main group as long as possible. Mostly importantly, I think having Leo in the feed zone was crucial given the extreme heat, since those ice bottles allowed me to stay cool during the toughest parts of the race. 

Despite the heat, I honestly think Patterson is one of the best races on the calendar. Beautiful terrain, good roads, and not too far from home. 

Hope to see you out there next year!

Wil