The clouds were doing some funny things but sure did look cool.
Time Trial
I did this stage race last year but didn't have any teammates with me so this year was great. We had a several team members this year which made it that much more enjoyable. The TT course is a big U shape with a hill right in the middle. The hill is where I lost the most time. I knew when I started the hill that I was going to have problems. I am not sure what happened to my legs but I couldn't get them to turn over fast enough and thought it would be better to stay in the aero position rather than get up out of the saddle. Once over the hill I set a good pace but I already knew I wouldn't be able to make up to much time.
2009 24.59 22nd (Category 5)
2010 24.07 45th (Category 4)
This was my focus race for my early season training so I was hoping for much better results and to start it in 45th, 3:03 behind the winner was tough. However to see my teammate, Jed Barden in 16th place was fantastic. He has been racing really well this year and it was exciting to have one of our teammates in the top 20. Back to the drawing board for me and the TT bike.
Downtown Walla Walla Criterium
We went back to the motel and I relaxed while Lindsay and Amy Harrington went to do some wine tasting. I put the legs up and watched some tv in and out of napping. The unfortunete thing was that our Crit course was going to be cut short because of a funeral taking place. Instead of the full 1.1 mile 8 corner course we were doing the .5 mile course with 6 corners for 25 minutes. We made sure we were their plenty of time ahead of the start so we could get our place at the front of the line of 85 starters. This was going to be fast.
I got away well and tucked in behind the lead group. During the start Jed got together with someone which isn't uncommon when you have that many guys trying to get clipped in and going. It was still a really fun course even though it was shortened. Everyone behaved well in the group with only a few bumping going on. I stayed up near the front and my plan was to try and get in the top 10 for the last lap in order to launch myself for the sprint. I wasn't able to get there and finished 16th.
Jed continued his race but was falling back pretty steady and couldn't figure out what was going on. Come to find out he broke a spoke on his bike at the start line. So he was pedaling with an out of true wheel that was grinding on his brakes for several laps. Shawn made the time cut on the crit so he was happy with that. Travis had some issues with his pedal and crank arm so he wasn't able to stay in touch with the pack. Mark rode a great race and finished with the group in the top 30.
Waitsburg Road Race
58 miles 4300ft of climbing
The major climb of this race is about 3k long or 1.8 miles and at the summit of the climb is the finish line. We had the neutral roll out at the bottom of the hill and they controlled the lead car at about 8 mph. As soon as we got to the top of the climb it was game on. Our team goal was to keep Jed close to the front and help him anyway possible. Jed was the teams best chance of having a good result with the finish being at the top of the climb. He climbs very well and does better on longer climbs so this was right up his alley.
As we came over the hill from the neutral roll out I could here a ting sound coming from my front tire. I put my hand on the tire to clean it off and sure enough I had something stuck in the front tire right in the middle. It appeared to be a tack or staple. The tire held air and I looked over to Shawn and asked him what I should do. He told me to just ride it as long as possible. Which looking back now that was a smart move. The start of the race was fast as it was mostly downhill. Matt from Recycled Cycles took off on a flyer and had a good size gap on the field for several miles. I kept thinking about possibly trying to bridge up to him but then kept thinking about my front tire. I made it 11 miles before it started to go soft. I thankfully was on the shoulder side of the road and was easily out of everyones way. I came to a stop and the follow car with the neutral wheel support was stopped and running up with a front wheel. We got it on in about 30 seconds and I was off. I chased for probably 5 miles before I was able to connect back on. It seemed like forever. The mental aspect of chasing solo was tiring. I kept fighting with myself as my legs were burning and my brain kept saying to stop, they are too far away. I resorted to actually yelling at myself out loud which was kinda strange but hey, it seemed to work. The last 50 yards before I connected back on the pack was the worse. You are so close but you can't stop, you have to push even harder to make sure you get back on. I rode up to Mark and he immediately moved over so he was on my right side and even let me hold onto him for a bit. Thats a teammate. I only had about 3 miles before the big hill and I knew I was going to be in trouble. I spent so much energy trying to connect back on. As we started climbing I started falling back. Thankfully Shawn and Mark were there. Shawn towed Mark and I up the hill. We were gapped off the back and you could see the peleton was splintered into 3 groups. We were in the last group of 5. Now it was time to go to work. All the team rides we did this winter practicing pace lines came in handy. One of the guys that was with us I don't think ever worked a paceline before but we were able to talk to him and get him sorted out. We could see the 2nd group but we just didn't seem to be closing the gap any. Just as we came around a corner the 2nd big hill on the course came into view. Uh oh. Boom. Mark blew up, Shawn blew up and it was just me chasing one of the guys from our group who gapped us on the climb. Damn, I was chasing solo, again! This sucked. I could just make out the group ahead of me and it appeared the whole peleton was back together again. I chased solo for several miles again and could see the one guy from our chase group reconnect. Then I came up to Jordan from SCCA/Starbucks who just got a flat changed. I slowed a little bit and waited for him to catch on. Jordan did alot of the work to get us back up to the group but I helped as much as I could. We connected back on and I moved up to the front to let Jed know I was back in the main group. I shoved as much food down as I could and just sat at the front of the race. Jed took a couple turns at the front attacking the field to see if he could get away. He came back and we were on the yellow line cruising along when someone started moving around and bumbing Jed and Jeff from SCCA/Starbucks. Next thing I know is Jed's in the air crashing down right in front of me doing about 30 mph. I grabbed my breaks and got sideways avoiding the bikes and bodies. I got hit in the leg by a body part but was able to stay upright. I knew Jed was going to be in bad shape. It kinda freaked me out a bit for several miles. He went down pretty hard. It wasn't a easy hit the pavement type of crash. I was pretty pissed as we were on the yellow line not doing anything and someone just lost concentration and caused an accident that included my teammate. The rest of the race was just a blur really. I knew I wasn't going to be anywhere near the front group on the climb so I just planned to pace myself up the hill.
I finished in 50th place, 3 minutes back from the winner. Overall in the GC I was
46th out of 100. The best thing ever was the orange slices, banana slices and water at the finish line!
Aftermath
Amy, Lindsay, and I waited around for about a hour before Shawn and Mark showed up. They come up to Jed still laying in the gravel shoulder in pain. Apparently they do not have cell service where we were so the follow car was unable to get a ambulance up there. They all hopped in the truck and took Jed to the hospital where they pass the ambulance on the way. From the information Shawn and Mark got it wasn't good. His shoulder was messed up and he had severe road rash. Imagine jumping out of a car in your underwear doing 30 mph. Not a good picture. We went to the emergency room and saw Jed who was actually in good spirits. He was able to get some pain meds and get his shoulder put back in. Which was dislocated. So far though the X-rays on his knee, hand and shoulder were ok. No signs of breaks. His shoulder might have had a hairline fracture but they weren't sure yet. Heal up soon Jed and we hope and need you back soon!
3 comments:
Nice report - I had a blast racing against you and everyone else out there. I didn't do all that well in the TT, and now realize how much that sets you back in a stage race! Good learning.
I saw the crash go down too, was riding just behind you guys - it was nasty indeed. Got lucky not to get mixed up in it myself..
Glad to hear Jed's doing relatively OK, the incident looked really bad and was bothering me as well during the end of that race. I was asking around after the race if he was alright but nobody knew.
Anyway see ya on the road - doing Vance Creek this weekend?
Ya same here. My TT was horrible. I am planning on heading down so I should see you their.
nice work Brad - I have some ideas for your TT
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