A week in the heat: Cascade Cycling Classic, July 20-25, 2010, Bend, OR

For not being a 'road racer', I have a few stage races under my belt this summer. Since I had never done Cascade, I figured, 'why not?' It is one of the big NRC races in my backyard. I had no excuses, no conflicts, free place to stay, friends to visit, so this was the year to do it. I got hooked up with Touchstone Climbing out of CA to guest ride and one of my 'teammates' from Nature Valley was also guest riding. How bad could it be? Other than the forecast change of high 70's to mid 90's, it was a great event. Here is how it went for me.

Old Mill Prologue, Tuesday p.m.: Silliest, shortest race I have ever done. 4+ minutes of fun. I ended up 24th, so much better than I thought after taking the worst lines ever around corners and using my brakes way too much.

Stage 1: McKenzie Pass Road Race, 72 miles, Wednesday: This was a beautiful course. I witnessed the scariest crash I have ever seen. I was too far back when the climb started getting amped and missed the acceleration and was just within feet of the pack. Then had them in my sights forever trying to close the gap with no success. I was finally joined by a group and we rode together to the finish, not chasing, but just riding. We lost a lot of time this day, but lesson learned. Be at the front when a climb starts. Finished 30th. But Emily, my teammate, was in the top 10. I was now working for her.
Stage 2: Skyliners Time Trial, 16 miles, Thursday: My third TT this year on a TT bike. No expectations. Kendra had made me do some intervals on my borrowed TT bike the week prior. It must have paid off. I got passed, so I was pretty certain I didn't do very well, but I finished 17th.


Stage 3: Cascade Lakes Road Race, 72 miles, Friday: I had learned my lesson on Wednesday. I was determined not to get dropped. Well, the attacks right out of the parking lot and trying to chase exploded me. Dropped, but this time got back on with some work, no problem. Then I participated in the 'chase' after some got away. I was just doing what I was told. Then the last climb was brutal. I stayed for the first section, then it shattered. I was part of that shattering. I got with a good group that kept pushing to the end. We lost a couple of minutes. Not too bad. I was 28th across the line, and Emily stayed where she needed to be, climbing like a mountain goat.
Stage 4: Downtown Bend Criterium, 50 minutes, Saturday p.m.: This was not an exciting crit. 4 corners. Lot's of braking, a few crashes. I stayed safe. Finished with the pack. I had a horrible start, as it did not roll fast off the line, and I lost my balance, had to clip out, touch my other foot down, but stuck. It was not cool. Oops. I finished 32nd.
Stage 5: Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, 52 miles, Sunday 1:10 p.m.: I was dreading this race. It was in the 90's by the time we started, I had heard it was really hard. I was scared. But I was fine. I mustered through the 3 laps, almost got hit by a truck head on, tried to protect Emily and keep her out of the wind and racing smart. Probably got a bit dehydrated, but finished with the main pack. A few escaped out front, but no one really knew. It was fine. Much better than I had anticipated. I finished 35th. 10 girls were off the front at various places and 35 of us were 1:30 back. My overall GC finish was 27th. Not bad for someone who is not a 'roadie'. Is it CX season yet???

Amy and Aaron with their new addition to the family.

Pre-crit chaos.

6 of the 8 team members. Post race beers and burgers!

Emily figured her top 10 merited a little 'treat'.

Emily finished 9th overall! GREAT finish!

Another weekend in the 'Hood. July 17-18, 2010

Summer is glorious in Oregon. Weekends at the cabin are something to really look forward to. This weekend was no exception. It turned into a fun weekend with lots of friends, fresh fruit and riding! Saturday was a "Texas alpine start" as we like to call them. Tim and I ventured out on our road bikes, doing a shortened version of the red hill loop. It was perfect weather, views, etc. Not a bad day on the pavement.

Views of Adams were spectacular. You could see Ranier too.

Self-timer photo.

Such a great road to ride your bike.

Mt. Hood is always an awe inspiring sight.

Tim can hold the mountain in one hand.

Red Mountain in the background. Lot's of lava rocks.

Crossing the river the other direction. They were actually working and made us wait.

Then the party got started. For dinner we were up to 8 guests. Our friend Emily Ohlin, who I have known forever, but has never been to the cabin, friends from MN that we met bike racing over the years, Kyia and Anderson, friends and fellow bike racers, Chris and Brooke and then Patricia Down, on her way to Cascade with me from Montana. It was a table full of good food, laughter and then cherry eating contests. Everything has to be a competition.

Anderson, Kyia, Me and Tim. Cheers!

Post-dinner satisfaction.

Let the cherry eating wars begin. Tim beat P. Dowd in eating 10 cherries at one time. No one lost any fillings.

Sunday we split into two groups. The longer ride (Tim, Brooke & Chris), and the more mellow ride, (Me, Kyia, Anderson, Emily and Paul, who was leftover from Russ' party down the road). We did surveyors out and back from the powerlines, but only the singletrack. It was mellow, beautiful weather and great views.

Anderson, Kyia and me with Mt. Hood in the background on Surveyors Ridge.

Mt. Hood Madness: June 10-11, 2010

With the recent heat wave in Portland, it was so nice to arrive at the cabin on Friday night to a nice cool evening on the deck with no mosquitos. It was pretty much paradise. As was the weekend of riding. We decided to do a pre-RAMHOOD (ride around Mt. Hood) on saturday. A 87 mile road ride with 8500 feet of climbing. It was amazing weather, great views, good friends and just plain fun. A bit of suffering of course, but a great day on the bike.

Tim fording the creek. We went the 'old' way and the creek was crossable.

Heading into the gravel section on Lolo Pass. Still smiling.

The lone puncture of the day. But still smiling. Darn rocks.

One of my favorite views of Mt. Hood.

Rest stop in Rhodie.

My best guy. Team RCB!

Erin chillin' on the deck. Amazing that in 2 weeks she will be a mom! Don't worry, she didn't ride this year, just came up for the cool evening on the deck.

Then to top off the weekend, we had to play in the dirt. Although 15-mile was not clear, it was still a variable amount of suffering and some sweet singletrack without trees down. Good attitudes make any ride good. But the final descent made you forget about the misery and the climbing over trees.

Me, Dave, Tim & John

4th of July Fabulousness!

Our plans to go to Whistler and learn how to 'huck' and play in the dh park were thwarted by my crash in WI and my lingering sore ribs. And to top it off, I had acquired some kind of bacterial infection on my vocal chords and was speechless (literally), coughing (which hurt), and hacking up nastiness. Lovely start to the long weekend. But we were cabin bound. Tim still took Friday off and we had 4 days of fabulous cabin time and bike riding. Life is good. We were joined by friends off and on. Recruited some overnight guests from the trail on Sunday: Brooke and Chris. Wendy and Emily brought the posse and it was good eating, few small projects accomplished and some serious relaxing and some amazing trails. But very little photo taking. Oops. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!!

Great weather in the 'Hood. Even when it was raining in PDX on Friday, it was sunny at the cabin.

Tim, Emily, and Wendy on Knebal Springs.

My midwest marathon continued: US Pro XCT Subaru Cup, Mt. Morris, WI, June 25-27, 2010

Timing is everything. And with Nature Valley one week and the US Pro XCT Subaru Cup the following weekend, it meant I could stay one week back in my old stomping grounds, Red Wing, MN and see a few old friends and hang out with my family. I rode new trails I had never ridden, took my road bike on back roads, visited my Grandma. It was a great week.

Oma and me.

Nik & Musa checking out Calf-ee.

Musa wanted a mohawk. I started...

Paul had to finish. Turns out I am not very good at giving haircuts.

Beautiful sunset at the farm.

Then it was back to racing. My Mom and Dad ventured to middle of nowhere Wisconsin with me. It was about a 4.5 hour drive. I packed my bike in the back of the Buick and we were on our way. My parents are troopers, that is for sure. It was a hot, humid weekend, but they were there.
Friday night we enjoyed a nice meal at the only semi decent restaurant in Wautoma with Katie and her parents, Mark, Ryan, Dave, etc. It was a pretty typical midwest scene. A little trip back in time. Saturday morning came soon enough, but our race was in the heat of the day at 12:30. Mom and my high school friend Tanya took the $2 chairlift up for the XC race and my dad sat in the feedzone. Saturday was a suffer fest. It was miserable out. The course was a lot of fun, but I was not riding well. I could not find any flow. Lap one I missed the trail on a corner. Oops. Lots of people sped by. And then on lap 2, I lost concentration in the rocks while looking up at spectators crossing the course and my bike was stopped instantly by a rock due to my lack of speed. Down I went. Handlebar in the ribs. Wrist on the rock. It knocked the wind out of me. I stopped and had to evaluate if I would continue. Of course I would. I have never quit a race willingly. I forged on, riding a bit better, for a lackluster 12th place. Not how I wanted my day to go, but I was glad it was over and we could head back to the AC in the hotel.

Suffering on the switch back climb.

My friend Tanya, drove 2 hours to watch. It was so good to catch up. She thinks I'm crazy.

Sunday was a new day. I tried to not concentrate on the pain, decided to race regardless and set out to redeem myself. It was hot and humid again, but I reminded myself that it was a short race. I can do anything for 18 minutes and 3 laps. Little did I know they would extend our lap right before our race. Ouch. Another big climb. I had an o.k. start. I followed Georgia who got pinched in the corner, thus I was kind of stuck. But I didn't panic. Eventually the group that was 'stuck' behind a slower rider, watching as the leaders were riding away, got around and started closing in. It was a fight. The entire race. At some point with about 3 to go, I finally made a move and rode into 5th and stayed there. When I was fighting for it, I had to remind myself that I wanted it. I heard Tim's voice in my head, "how bad do you want it?" Well, I wanted it bad. And for the first time at a national mtb series race, I WAS ON THE PODIUM for something other than Super D. I was totally psyched. Granted, my plan was to pack up and bolt directly after the race in order to get back to see my best friend I grew up with before flying out the next day, but heck, waiting for the podium was worth it!!! A very satisfying way to end my mountain bike season. I am opting out of nationals, due to the 8000 ft. altitude in Granby. It was fun last year, but not that fun. I have decided to end my season, chill and get ready for cyclocross. I'll still race, but no getting on a plane until Vegas!

The final move into 5th for good! (photo by Dave McElwaine)

The silly interview with Dave. (click to see)

And the most awesome way to end my season. (photo by Dave McElwaine)

Although watching Kayla (my friend Liz's daughter) sheer her goat for the Cannon Valley Fair was fun too! I think her Grandpa Mike did most of the work.

Nature Valley Grand Prix, June 16-20, 2010

Me, Mary, Michael, Emily & Kristen

Nature Valley GP was a totally different experience than in 2008. Being a part of the Nature Valley Pro Ride made this stage race a totally enjoyable experience. Michael Engleman is an amazing, insightful person with so much knowledge to share and the women involved in this were all aspiring to be better versions of themselves. It was a joy to meet these ladies and ride with them. I entered this race with not just the goal to finish. I wanted to push myself and do the best I could do. As it turned out, I improved immensely from 2 years ago. There is still room for improvement and I have a lot to learn, but dare I say, road racing is not that bad. I really enjoy stage racing and if I can't afford to do it on the dirt, I guess the road is the next best thing! Here is a quick recap of my experience.
Stage 1: St. Paul Time Trial. I had the privilege of getting up at 5:45 to be on T.V. before our 8:30 a.m. start. Granted it was 3:45 Portland time, but duty calls. It was a lot of fun. I did not have my best TT, but with the travel and chaos the day prior, I think my body was in shock. I finished in 45th, so top half, 1'16" down. A rough start.
Stage 2: St. Paul Downtown Criterium. This was one of the fastest crits I have ever raced. I don't recall ever doing such a fast, hard crit in my life. It was so fun. Although with 5 crashes, it kept you on your toes. I was cautious and kept myself safe. I finished with the same time as the leaders, in 38th, moving my GC to 42nd.
Stage 3: Cannon Falls Road Race. As bummed as I was to not race, I understood the officials call. Dangerous weather in the state and area caused the race to be canceled when we were on the line ready to start. I think we were all in shock initially, but it sunk in that we were packing up and going home. No race results on this one.
Stage 4: Minneapolis Uptown Criterium. There was a reported 15,000 spectators at this race. It was a fight from the start, especially since I didn't get into my pedals and was off the back from the gun. I worked my way up, but then got sick of fighting for position. I finished with the same time as the leaders, but back in 51st. My GC did not change.
Stage 5: Menomonie Road Race. With a half hour delay, we were relaxed at the start. This would be our only road race of this stage race. There were 4 of our 6 left and unfortunately after the second hill, I was back to racing alone. I was the only team member that made the cut on that first KOH to finish with the main pack. We were 26" off the winner, but the majority of us were just about together. Somehow I made up 11 seconds to be tied for the cat 2 amateur jersey, so pressure was on for the Stillwater crit. I finished 26th and moved up to 32nd in GC.
Stage 6: Stillwater Criterium. This race is hard. There is no way around it. I don't think you can ever be ready for the pain of climbing Chilkoot hill 13 times. Last time I did this race in 2008, I didn't even last half the race. This year, however, leading my team, I got a call up and started well. I was pulled with 2 to go, but the green jersey was up the road, so I did not give up the fight. I did not obtain that title, but the results for this race were so inaccurate. No matter what lap we were pulled on, if it was the last 5, we got 4'25" down. I was happy I lasted so long, but I need to get more comfortable at taking downhill corners at 100% speed. My final finish was 28th. Last time it was in the 60's. I am faster, stronger and actually had fun. It was an amazing experience to have Michael Engleman as our coach and to be a part of this experience. Thank you once again Nature Valley for sponsoring the pro ride. I should also thank Robin Secrist for being unable to go, because it allowed me to be a part of the Nature Valley Pro Ride. Our host family was great and this experience will be one to remember.

Family dinner post St. Paul Crit.

Post race sillyness

Beautiful sky post storm.

I like this sign!

The ladies on Lake Calhoun.

Had to squeeze in a canoe ride.

The family after Stillwater.

And if you still want more, I had to do a video for the Nature Valley Pro Ride. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ryPEDe00w

6 hours of Mt. Hood = FUN!!!

Although we didn't venture to the cabin this past weekend, we did venture to the dirt. Our weekend was busy, with Tim throwing a team BBQ on Friday evening for his new team, River City/Specialized. I say he threw the party, but you know who did all the work, right? There was quite a crowd here. Nice folks. Tim is happy with his move to that team, so I'll be the supportive wife. Saturday Tim needed to sleep in, so after we finally got moving, we did a road ride, then went to join in the fun at Cirque du Cycling as spectators. This was one thing I didn't need to see:

Since we couldn't just watch bike racing all weekend, we headed up to Ski Bowl for the 6 hours of Mt. Hood race. Tim and I paired up to ride as a team. The course was great, we had sunny skies for most of the day and although a bit windy and chilly when wet and sweaty, it was a perfect day. What day isn't perfect when mountain biking with friends? Even a mechanical on my 3rd lap that rendered my bike unrideable could not wipe the smile off my face. Despite the mechanical issue, Tim and I finished 2nd to Alice and her partner. They were ahead when my bike broke, so it probably didn't make a difference. It is one of those races... anything can happen. Fun was had by all and it was great to see some people racing that I had not seen for a long while.

Tim finishing the final lap. His 6th. We did 11.

Team Butler

Hanging with the ladies.