Hegg, Berglund Favored in Bicycle Hill Climb

Olympic individual pursuit champion Steve Hegg of Dana Point and former world road racing champion Marianne Berglund of Sweden are favored in Saturday’s eighth annual Turkey Climb, America’s premier bicycle hill climb, on the steep grades of Mountaingate Dr. in West Los Angeles.

The climb, which starts at 9 a.m. at Sepulveda Blvd. and Mountaingate Dr., is a mile-long uphill ride where for every five feet traveled, it’s a rise of one foot.

Hegg, who spends his winters skiing on a national level, won last year’s climb in 4 minutes 16 seconds, just shy of the record 4:14.2 set in 1982 by Tomas Rodriguez. Berglund will be shooting for the women’s record of 5:57 by Jennifer Kraft in 1954.

The name Turkey Climb is a carryover from the climb’s inaugural year in 1978 in Rancho Cucamonga where the prizes were frozen turkeys.