Three means most difficult. Black is for down, red for up. This is another grueling hill. The gears grind lower. Muscles burn as they push and pull on the shoes clipped into the pedals.
Breathing is a chore.
The goal is to get over the top. He does all this in addition to working as a rural mail delivery person, managing a landscaping business, owning a farm and being an elder in the Presbyterian Church. He feels his involvement in biking provides an outlet for teenagers and young adults. At this race he gave away thousands of dollars worth of bicycle parts. After the expensive items were distributed he had a 9 year old girl pull name after name from a can and handed out dozens of canisters of Tri-Flow lubricant.