COLORADO SPRINGS — For a brave few, it's one more run up "America's Mountain", before it's officially time to take it to another gear.
"My back porch stares at it every day, pretty much wherever you go you can see Pikes Peak and it's staring you in the face," cyclist Miles Juneau said. "So it will be cool to stare it in the face tomorrow morning."
In a time where many sporting events had to put on the breaks, the 2020 Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb is a go for Saturday morning with the first group to start around dawn.
"Every year it's a personal challenge, a bucket-lister for a lot of people," Colorado Springs Sports Corp COO Douglas Martin said. "This year it gives us a sense of normalcy as a community, as cyclists that we're still having races; you can still compete."
Nearly 250 competitors will battle one of North America's toughest courses. Riding 12.4 miles to the summit, which sits at more than 14,000 feet.
"I think I'll do well in the first half, and then I think I'll be pretty tired," cyclist Brett Knorr said.
A true challenge for even the most gifted of athletes.
"When you get past 10,000-12,000 feet they call it the "Cyclist's Death Zone" you might feel a little drunk or dizzy but just don't do the math and keep pedaling and you'll get to the top," Juneau said.
Despite the difficulty, the opportunity is a welcome one, in a time when enjoying the little things or in this case the big moments, are few and far between.
"Just having an event that we haven't had to cancel or postpone is a victory in itself," Martin said. "I think it's going to be great, it's early morning on Pikes Peak. For the cyclists and for us but once you're there and the sun comes up, there's not a more majestic place in the country to ride your bike."
