2008 Bend Memorial Clinic CASCADE CYCLING CLASSIC, July 9-13, Bend Oregon
Bend is about 3900ft above sea level, so the air is pretty thin up here. There is still heaps of snow on the mountains (see photo) and one of our courses has needed to be adjusted.
Carson (the ROAD magazine photographer who drove me up here) and I are staying with a lovely couple, Jessica and Barry. Jessica is Australian, which is great. She left me a note at my door this morning, saying goodluck- I feel like I am at home. There is a bit of a circus about the stage race as Levi Leiphmer and Chris Horner are racing as Astana did not get a start in the tour de france. When we arrived in Bend, we went out for a quick ride of the TT course and waved at the riders going by just before we started (as you do), Carson tells me that I just waved to Levi (I was thinking he was joking) but it really was.
Peter Dawson (Rock Racing) is here, I am yet to see him though. Rock won the men’s race today. For the ladies, we have some of the best bike racers in the world, Kristin Armstrong, Katharine Mathis etc etc etc… perspective on a hilly 5-day (6 stage) race, I am going to get. Basically, I had not been able to arrange a team start for superweek (a huge week of criterium racing) so Cascade, as a race for experience was my next best option for this time. I have been working on my hill climbing and trying some new things…as you have to make it to the front of the finish to have a good sprint.
My team consists of Jen Joynt (climber), Jane Robertson (sprinter), Molly Van Houweling (TT specialist), Yukie Nakamura (climber), Anny Henry (all-rounder) and Carrie Eller (all-rounder) and I. Pre-race is pictured here.
Stage 1: 132km Road Race, stage profile
It was hot- about 44 degrees Celsius, which is well over 100 Farinheight. We were all sweating before warm up. The stage had two main hills in it, the QOM in the middle and the final finishing climb (up a ski slope mountain). I was seriously scared about not making the time cut, that would have to be embarrassing. After giving my spare gloves to a Cheerwine rider, Marisa Asplund-Owens (she now knows my name, we all have to start somewhere), we were off. We took a tea break early on (toilet stop, just like the men. Of course I had no idea what was going on when more than half of the field stopped and dropped their pants to urinate on the side of the road- it was very Kathy Watt).
There were a few attacks, before the first big climb (73kms). I took the hill pretty easy, as I was not sure what these mountains were like and ‘bonking’ (the USA word of choice for hitting the wall) on the first climb would not be a good start for me. But then got to the top and thought, was that it? I finished the QOM about half way through the field, and then chased solidly to get back up the positions as soon as I could as it flattened out. The race was then stopped for about an hour as there was a very serious crash in the mens’ race (in front of us). Ben Brooks (an Australian rider from Team Type 1) needed to be stabilized then taken to hospital after coming off on one of the (many) cattle crossings.
The little bunch that I finished with also re-started with everyone who finished behind. This was good for some of my team mates who had been caught up in a wreck (USA word for crash), but not so good for me. It would have come back together again on the descent however. The groups in front of us started with the time gaps that had been recorded at the QOM. The bunch caught the group in front, leaving a strong group of 7 in the lead. They stayed away for the whole race.
We battled the wind on the constant 40km rise up to the final steep hill finish (it was that special type of wind that keeps coming from all angles). Jen was caught behind a big wreck and separated her shoulder joint- she had to be taken to hospital and is now out of the race. Lindsay Myers and I were nearly taken out by a motorbike that had stopped in the left hand lane and I cannot believe that we did not come off.
I was not positioned as well as I would have liked for the final climb (according to my Polar and unit conversions we still had another few kms before turning at the base of the climb) but as we turned and the gradient seriously increased, it was clear. There was not many people that passed me on the climb and I was moving up. I went past all of our team riders that were in front of me and past Lindsay, I tried to catch yet another girl on the line with a bit of a sprint and a throw (you can always practice and I don’t care that I was trying for 19th place). So finished 20th, my goodness. I was so happy and the highest on CG for my team, and I was so worried about not making the time cut today. The results have been posted online and will also be on cycling news.
The end of the day finished with a recovery period at the hospital, waiting to see how Jen's shoulder was (pictured here). I need to get some rest for tomorrow, hoping for another survival day like today.
With love from your little “sickalist” who is claiming an all-rounder title for today. I think I might stick with my new climbing technique- a big thank you to Ben King for his advice on this.
Bend is about 3900ft above sea level, so the air is pretty thin up here. There is still heaps of snow on the mountains (see photo) and one of our courses has needed to be adjusted.
Carson (the ROAD magazine photographer who drove me up here) and I are staying with a lovely couple, Jessica and Barry. Jessica is Australian, which is great. She left me a note at my door this morning, saying goodluck- I feel like I am at home. There is a bit of a circus about the stage race as Levi Leiphmer and Chris Horner are racing as Astana did not get a start in the tour de france. When we arrived in Bend, we went out for a quick ride of the TT course and waved at the riders going by just before we started (as you do), Carson tells me that I just waved to Levi (I was thinking he was joking) but it really was.
Peter Dawson (Rock Racing) is here, I am yet to see him though. Rock won the men’s race today. For the ladies, we have some of the best bike racers in the world, Kristin Armstrong, Katharine Mathis etc etc etc… perspective on a hilly 5-day (6 stage) race, I am going to get. Basically, I had not been able to arrange a team start for superweek (a huge week of criterium racing) so Cascade, as a race for experience was my next best option for this time. I have been working on my hill climbing and trying some new things…as you have to make it to the front of the finish to have a good sprint.
My team consists of Jen Joynt (climber), Jane Robertson (sprinter), Molly Van Houweling (TT specialist), Yukie Nakamura (climber), Anny Henry (all-rounder) and Carrie Eller (all-rounder) and I. Pre-race is pictured here.
Stage 1: 132km Road Race, stage profile
It was hot- about 44 degrees Celsius, which is well over 100 Farinheight. We were all sweating before warm up. The stage had two main hills in it, the QOM in the middle and the final finishing climb (up a ski slope mountain). I was seriously scared about not making the time cut, that would have to be embarrassing. After giving my spare gloves to a Cheerwine rider, Marisa Asplund-Owens (she now knows my name, we all have to start somewhere), we were off. We took a tea break early on (toilet stop, just like the men. Of course I had no idea what was going on when more than half of the field stopped and dropped their pants to urinate on the side of the road- it was very Kathy Watt).
There were a few attacks, before the first big climb (73kms). I took the hill pretty easy, as I was not sure what these mountains were like and ‘bonking’ (the USA word of choice for hitting the wall) on the first climb would not be a good start for me. But then got to the top and thought, was that it? I finished the QOM about half way through the field, and then chased solidly to get back up the positions as soon as I could as it flattened out. The race was then stopped for about an hour as there was a very serious crash in the mens’ race (in front of us). Ben Brooks (an Australian rider from Team Type 1) needed to be stabilized then taken to hospital after coming off on one of the (many) cattle crossings.
The little bunch that I finished with also re-started with everyone who finished behind. This was good for some of my team mates who had been caught up in a wreck (USA word for crash), but not so good for me. It would have come back together again on the descent however. The groups in front of us started with the time gaps that had been recorded at the QOM. The bunch caught the group in front, leaving a strong group of 7 in the lead. They stayed away for the whole race.
We battled the wind on the constant 40km rise up to the final steep hill finish (it was that special type of wind that keeps coming from all angles). Jen was caught behind a big wreck and separated her shoulder joint- she had to be taken to hospital and is now out of the race. Lindsay Myers and I were nearly taken out by a motorbike that had stopped in the left hand lane and I cannot believe that we did not come off.
I was not positioned as well as I would have liked for the final climb (according to my Polar and unit conversions we still had another few kms before turning at the base of the climb) but as we turned and the gradient seriously increased, it was clear. There was not many people that passed me on the climb and I was moving up. I went past all of our team riders that were in front of me and past Lindsay, I tried to catch yet another girl on the line with a bit of a sprint and a throw (you can always practice and I don’t care that I was trying for 19th place). So finished 20th, my goodness. I was so happy and the highest on CG for my team, and I was so worried about not making the time cut today. The results have been posted online and will also be on cycling news.
The end of the day finished with a recovery period at the hospital, waiting to see how Jen's shoulder was (pictured here). I need to get some rest for tomorrow, hoping for another survival day like today.With love from your little “sickalist” who is claiming an all-rounder title for today. I think I might stick with my new climbing technique- a big thank you to Ben King for his advice on this.
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