Hey everyone, KOM starts this week, yippee, hooray! Eric wrote a great post for it last year, so I’ll be unoriginal and repost it, since it has everything you could ever need to know! Sign up your category and comment with any questions! The biggest change this year will be that we can’t use Oratory anymore, so a new, to-be-announced climb will be added, oooh ahhh! This is a great ride for all of you who are new to McGill cycling (it was mine!), so be sure to come by!
"When: This Thursday at 6:30AM. Almost always finishes in time for 8:30 classes.
Where: The base of the Houde (i.e. right here)
What: the most exciting hill climbing competition of the year. At least in Montreal
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced.
KOM/QOM, short for King/Queen of the Mountain, is the oldest regular ride for McGill Cycling, and something of a fall tradition. It’s a seven week long competition to crown the best climber on McGill Cycling. The format consists of seven climbs every week, all of which have their own flavor and suit different riders. The first person to the top is awarded 5 points, the second gets four points, and so on down to fifth place who gets one measly point. Totals are kept over the entire seven weeks, and the highest score for men (in advanced) and women come December gets to keep the MatBR Commemorative Polka Dot Jersey for the rest of the year.
However, this is not just a ride for helium-filled rocket-legged climbers. We will split into three groups, and you can use the first climb of the day to test yourself out if you want. There is a separate score sheet (and competition) for the intermediate group, and if you’d prefer not to compete at all, the beginner group will not be keeping (a recorded) score.
Note that the scores gathered this week at KOM #0 will not count towards the cumulative rankings. We’re starting one week earlier than in previous years, and I don’t want anybody to be at a disadvantage if they don’t know about the team yet or if they are unfamiliar with the climbs. We will still of course keep and post the scores - it will be just like every other KOM/QOM apart from the fact that it won’t count towards the series ranking.
As a quick reminder, a helmet and two working brakes are mandatory for McGill Cycling rides. Also you might want to check your brake pads, as there is a tiny bit of descending on this ride (note though that it doesn’t matter for the competition - we regroup at the beginning of each climb.) Also, I am happy to collect team/club fees on this ride. Please have your club fees paid before you join us for KOM on a regular basis.
On a personal note I’d like to say that this is one of my favourite parts of the whole team - and as I’ve said before: KOM is won on the climbs, but it’s lost in bed."
Let’s see if I still have a place in the Advanced group.