Stage 1: TT
Course: 3.5 mile uphill TT with a huge tail wind.
Report: I rode a standard road bike as many others did. Although a lot of pros had road bikes with disks to try to get a extra push up the hill from the wind. My time of 9:27 was good enough for 24th of about 70 riders, but only about 10 seconds off the top ten on GC. I paced it about right I didn’t blow up on the last kicker, but then you always wonder could have I pushed it harder earlier? I was happy with my time and knew I was more of a stage hunter anyways.
Placing: 24th
Stage 2: Road Race
Course: 70 miles of endless rollers and (2) turnarounds that ended up climbing over 5,000 ft.
Report: Well the weather was not nice to me today. Just about the time we start warming up the temperature drops and the rain starts coming down. Not to mention that the wind is howling. I bundle up and hope for the best. On our way to the first turnaround everyone notices that there will be a string cross wind all day. I end up chatting with some friends near the back after jumping with a Ritta guy off the front to realize that my oversized rain cape is pretty much a sail in these conditions. As we climb up the turnaround I am still in calm collected state chatting with some Catalyst Racing riders. Then all hell breaks loose, I notice that riders at the front are sprinting down the hill as I am about to reach the turnaround that is a tight 180 that most everyone is taking at a snail’s pace. I jump hard out of the 180 and find a wheel…he’s getting gapped so I try to jump across on the decent and my wind cape is not helping at this moment. I literally did an all out sprint down the hill just to barely get back on just as we start a climb that the leaders are hammering up. I am yo-yo-ing at this point and over the top in the cross wind I totally pop, to find Jason Holden in the same situation, we work together to catch on again just to get popped in the cross wind for a second time. After blowing all my matches at mile 20 of a 70 mile race I luckily find a nice groupetto to ride with. Jason Holden (Wolf Pack), Hubert (UCC), and Richard (Catalyst) from SD and a few others complete the remaining 50mile training ride telling jokes and trying to warm out freezing limbs as the hail pounds down on us. As we rode on we say many riders pull out and riders just popping all over the course due to the insane weather and cross winds.
Placing: 48th
Stage 3: Crit. 35min (all races were shortened)
Course: Technical, narrow, and with a nice rise in it. The final turn was a sweeping 180 turn slightly off camber.
Report: On a normal day I would have bailed on the miserable road race, but I was looking forward to the possibility of a dry technical crit with a small climb in it. My kind of course. The pace from the gun was pretty quick which was nice because it kept it strung out and safe (for the most part). For the first 15min or so I just stayed up near the front making sure I could watch the moves and take the corners at full speed. One Specialized junior and a strong Helens rider jumped and I was in a good position to follow. One other rider came with as the pack sat and watched.
Everyone in the move was committed and was working well so we got a gap of 10 to 15 seconds pretty quick. People on the sidelines was thinking the break could stick, but it was still early in the race and being a stage race I knew the chances were numbered. The gap was holding but not increasing. Another rider jumped across to us and added some horsepower. This caused a chain reaction in the pack that ended up killing the break. OK so now sit in for another 15min for the sprint. I drifted back to mid-pack as the pace slowed and was supersized on how sketchy it was sitting back here. So I get the hell out of there and move up just as I get back to the top 5 or 6 riders I hear a crash behind us. The kid was OK, but glad I moved up when I did. In the last few laps my friends from Catalyst Racing were all massed at the front planning a lead out for their sprinter Matt, I fight for Matt’s wheel as the laps tick down. It shuffled a bit before the last lap and I was now second wheel as their last lead out man hits the front he ramps it up and pulls off with about a half lap to go (halfway up the climb), I am now leading it out, Matt is on my wheel and we go over the top and then down into the final turn. On the back straight a few riders hit it hard on the outside, I jump but had to slot in 3rd into the last corner. I hear a crash as I am exiting the fast off camber turn and unfortunately Matt who was on my wheel rolled a tire (but walked away without much damage to him or his bike). I give it all I had but the finish was too short and we finish in the order we entered the last turn. So I get a spot on the podium and had fun getting in a good break and staying up near all the action….but damn so close to the Win in my final Cat 3 race.
Placing: 3rd
Overall GC Placing: 33rd 36:57 back…ouch
Out of 70 starters only 37 finished the Stage Race
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