Team MotionBased

Mt Hood Cycling Classic     With NORBA heading to the east coast and a respite in the local XC scene I decided to hit the road. I have always heard good things about the Mt. Hood Stage race and since in corresponded with my windsurfing girlfriend’s vacation, a road trip up to the Columbia Gorge was a no brainer. For those who have not been, Hood River is a cool, hip, preserved logging town at the base of Mt. Hood along the Columbia River Gorge. There is an abundance of outdoor activity from kite boarding to kayaking to mountain biking. The climate is also fairly mild, considerably less rainy than most of Oregon. I guess the coolness of the area is no better illustrated than Olivier buying a house and relocating there after a week’s visit! Anyhow, back to racing….Though, I have raced mountain bikes for several years now, I am relatively new to road racing. I just received my Cat 3 upgrade and was excited as well as little nervous. After seeing several top Nor-Cal Pro XC racers in the line-up and a couple strong climbers I faced when I was a 4, I knew it was going to be a tough race. Rain in the forecast did not help the cause. I tend to under achieve in cold, wet weather. Day 1, Circuit Race 56 miles, 6,000 feet of climbing: It was raining heavily at the start. It seemed the most popular strategy was “get to the front” for the slick twisty descent. So I guess you could say the race started fast on the 18 mile loop which basically descended for 7 miles then gradually climbed back up to the Cooper Spur Resort. The pace stayed hard throughout most of the race with several attacks from Team Chico (Timmel, Andres and Thurman) and other teams from the Northwest. I thought with almost 2K of climbing per lap the field would separate with this pace. It did a little on the last climb but there were was a pack of 24 that finished with the same time. Timmel won, but was relegated to the back of the pack for riding outside the double yellow. I finished 7th also having trouble getting around riders with the centerline rule in effect.       Day 2: Time Trial 10.5 miles, 600 feet of climbing along the Columbia River Gorge. Well, I was definitely nervous before this one for I never have ridden with aerobars before. I figured worse case scenario, I could just ride in the drops. My plan was to get my heart rate up to 170 and keep it there with a cadence between 90 and 100. It was painful and I was a little wobbly in the aero position but I followed my plan and finished 9th, 6 seconds behind Timmel and 3 seconds ahead of Thurman, but 1.5 minutes off the leader. I figured Timmel was the strongest out there and equipment and form was the edge the leaders had. Event #2 of Day 2: Downtown Criterium: Amy and I walked the crit after the TT and once again butterflies set in. It was a technical course through narrow streets, with a steep descent and off camber turns. With 90 riders to fight through, I figured all I wanted to do was finish in the pack, stay upright and conserve energy. Job done, now the Mountain stage: 75 miles with 7500 feet of climbing! I needed to make up 30 seconds to crack the top 5. Once again the rain came. I decided to put a plastic bag on under my jersey and wear knee and arm warmers (the race began with a 15 mile descent). Since most of the strong climbers were not at the top of the GC, they decided to put the smack down on the first climb to make up some time. As the moss-ridden road, winded through the old growth jungles to Lost Lake, the pack was whittled down to thirty or so. Once again the dare devils attacked on the downhill, several passing me and then slapping the slick pavement. I will admit I never felt so scared on my road bike before. I just followed Timmel and kept it together. The second climb was definitely tougher. The pack diminished to 8 or so. Unfortunately, the leader was among us. At this point I was in rough shape. I needed fuel, so I wolfed down an energy bar and two gels. It took awhile for the food to take effect and I struggled to stay with the group who had slowed the pace thinking they had dropped the field. This is where Timmel attacked. I really wanted to go with him, but I was hurting. We took this casual pace into the descent and subsequent flats and allowed a group of ten or so to catch us. In the group was Andres and Thurman, two threats. By the way, the second descent was awesome! Steep, narrow, paved service roads with huge sweeping high speed turns. The rain had stopped and the roads had dried up. Fortunately, I was able to recover on the descent, sat in on the flat section, and geared up to attack on the final 10 mile climb home. I wrote off Timmel and focused on the group I was riding with. The beginning of the final climb was windy and gradual, an attack here would not stick. I waited to the 5km to go sign, and hope I had to legs to put 30 seconds on these guys. One collegiate racer from Washington went with me and later pulled away from me. My legs were now trashed and I tried to hang on as much as I could. The group dismantled and a couple other riders began to reel me in. I ended up in fourth finishing with 4 riders. We came within 20 seconds of Timmel. The leader however, finished in the group 10 seconds behind me as did the guy who was in second. I ended up in 5th. I will take it for my first 3’s race. Nevada City Classic With the Mt. Hood Classic being my favorite road race I have done, the Nevada City Classic would be second. Both races have fun courses and a cool vibe. For the 3’s the race was a 55 minute timed raced through the center of the preserved gold country town of Nevada City. Spectators lined the streets of this 1.1 mile loop with 120 feet of climbing. I was told to have a shot in this race, I needed to be up front in the opening descent, for the pack will string out very quickly and it is difficult to pass. I arrived at the start early only to have several Squadro Vest riders shoot up to the front on the promenade lap, even passing the lead moto for a brief second. Anyhow, these maneuvers proved inconsequential. The race had an XC type start where everyone was pinned, jockeying for position. I just tried to stay near the front and even led for a lap or two to maintain position. After about 10 minutes in, several racers began firing off solo attacks. One of them stuck. I just watched Timmel, for once again I knew he was the guy to beat. After twenty minutes, the leader had 30 seconds on us. I decided to up the tempo. Then at the top third of the climb Timmel went. I dug deep to hold on but fell short. It may have been the Father’s Day round of golf I played a few hours earlier, but I think Timmel is just faster. Around the same time another rider snuck off. I decided to stick with two other guys hoping to work together. Our pace slipped a bit, so went to try and catch this racer. I felt I was reeling him in a little each climb, but he was a better bike handler and I never made up the time. You would think I would handle this fast, off camber turn well after 20 laps or so but I never felt like I got it down. In hindsight I should have tried to hang with him earlier, things may have turned out differently. Nonetheless, I ended up in 4th. Of course, Timmel caught the leader. Maybe now, he will upgrade.