Again in August, Pete Stetina broke from his typical race schedule to deal with a distinct sort of problem. Earlier within the yr, he had set his sights on the Mt. Washington Hill Climb, with the aim of claiming the course document, one which his father had held for 17 years. One of many hardest hill climbs within the U.S., and arguably the world, this problem was not simply private but additionally meant to function a becoming exclamation level on Pete’s lengthy and profitable racing profession.
A climbing specialist in his World Tour days, Pete spent months coaching particularly for this problem, dropping weight and making a climbing-specific frankenbike. He was very clear and public about his intentions and seemingly fairly assured in his capacity so as to add his identify to the checklist of legendary document holders. However issues don’t all the time work out precisely as we deliberate or hoped, even for extremely educated professionals and intensely fierce opponents like Pete Stetina.
The brief movie Feeding the Rat most likely began with the intention of chronicling the glory of Pete Stetina’s record-breaking Mt. Washington Hill Climb. It became an introspective take a look at a aggressive bike owner dealing with failure and dealing with the uncertainty of his future as he winds down his skilled biking profession. We will’t think about the choice to retire is a straightforward one for lifelong aggressive athletes like Pete.
Whereas Pete could also be driving off into the sundown of his skilled bike racing profession, we doubt this would be the final we see and listen to from him. The Lifetime Grand Prix and numerous different races will look somewhat completely different with out him there, however we look ahead to seeing what challenges and occasions are subsequent for one among highway and gravel’s best.
peterstetina.com
