If you have the goal of becoming the best at anything, nothing will stop you. Just look at who I found camping next to me in the Walmart parking lot at the Scranton Electric City Classic. Scott McGill is one of the most talented young cyclists in the USA. He gave me the tour of his mini van and how he spent the night before the hill climb competition.
So next time when you say: "I can't afford to go race because of the hotel costs" just do what Scott does, camp next to me :)

Also in this video: What is the best bike for a short hill climb sprint? Road bike? Cross Bike? The city of Scranton PA has some of the steepest roads in country. So when I heard about a hill climb competition including a rough cobble stone section I had to go.