BaseCamp athlete Shawn Petersen shared his experience at the 2025 Huffmaster event in Maxwell, California.
Checking in after my first race of the season!
Huffmaster, Maxwell, CA - Done and dusted!
I was excited (and a little nervous) about the age group start (50-59) and wasn't sure how I'd stack up. My goal was to stay in the top 20 until the first big climb—which turned out to be wild since we averaged 22 mph for the first 35 miles. Somehow I hung in, managed to drop a handful of folks on the climb, and just kept grinding for the rest of the race.
I still have a lot to learn about riding in a paceline, but I fueled well and kept pushing. Started cramping in the last mile and had to sit up, which cost me my group of eight. I recovered and chased, but couldn’t quite close the gap. Cost me a potential top 10 finish.
Final stats:
🏁 14th out of 60 in my age group
🚴♂️ 90-mile long course
⛰️ 4,000 ft of climbing
⚡ 19mph average
Plenty to improve, but feeling good about the start to the season!
Huge thank you [to my coach] Brig Brandt for all the encouragement and support!
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