Backing up one week from last Fridays time trial and afternoon crit, I completed the Lake Stevens 70.3 race. See race report here. I was entering the Cascade Classic Stage Race in Bend, OR on tired and still sore legs. I didn't nearly do enough "active recovery" in the days preceeding Cascade.
The race consisted of a Friday morning 15 mile TT (uphill out and downhill in) and an afternoon .7mile loop Crit for 40 minutes. Saturday was a 75 mile road race over Bachelor, around Cultus Lake and finishing at the summit of Bachelor. Sunday was a 17 mile, 4 loop circuit race. This would be a good test mentally and to put me into places on the bike i have never been... a great bike crash weekend. By crash I mean, a heavy workout load weekend on the bike. I'll discuss my bike crash (accident) later...
Friday morning TT: We rode from out hotel to the start, getting a little lost on the way, which made for a nervous and hard ride to the start. Which was good, to get the lactic acid flowing and moving out of my legs. They were still sore from Lake Stevens. I had ambitions of crushing this TT and taking the yellow jersey... that didn't happen. I had nothing on the uphill section... I averaged 175 (max 188) for the TT. In retrospect, I should have been higher, at least a couple beats... I finished in 9th place, 1:50 back from 1st. Oh, I started so fast that I pulled my foot out of my cleat...unfortunately, I didn't not recover like Lance and post a sick TT split.
Stage II - Downtown Critirium: This would be my first crit ever. I've been more scared of races before, but for some reason I w
as pretty calm. I knew that although I'm racing with everyone, it was really a group TT. Some young kid went off the front for a few laps. I got tired of braking into EVERY FUCKING corner and sprinted off the front to catch the kid...he didn't want to work with me and dropped back. I was now TTing through the course and picking up some prems ($100 GC to WebCyclery, tyres and socks). It was very fun flying through the tight corners, just railing it! I had a 15sec lead for most the 10ish laps I was off the front. At about 25minutes into the 40 minute race, I began to think I couldn't stay out and slowly slowed down to rejoin the field. Bad move. I should have stayed out... Shortly after rejoining the field and moving back to the front preparing to launch off again for good shit went down. It was a hot windy day and at what WAS my favorite corner, a bit of a chicane (quick right left uphill corner) the windy picked up one of those hand held corner marshall stop/slow signs and blew it in front of me or into me...don't know which. I do know I went down hard on my right side, skidding in the middle of the corner with the whole field flying around me...I was tucked in fetal position, hoping not to get run over. I took out 4-5 others and taco'd my front Zipp 404...not good. I got up and eventually ran to the pit to get a spare wheel to get back into the race. I got back in and just sat in the back for awhile... 6 laps to the end I started to move up and came across the finish in 5th place. Three guys broke of the front when I went down... I hope to have sequential crash shots soon...a guy caught most of the crash on film. I gave him my card, so hopefully he sends them. For now you get a half naked me...
Stage III: 75 mile Road Race over and back to Bachelor. At this point in the race, it was all about survival. Just stay with the lead group for as long as I could and hope for the best. The last 20k is up to the summit. I've climbed this several times doing 
Pacific Crest Half Ironman, but never at these speeds. The first punchy hill to Todd Lake the groups shattered. I got into my own rythum and went. I noticed that anything below 4% I could make up ground, but more than that I lost ground. Once over some of the punchy stuff and to the more gradual consistent stuff I crept up places. Early pulling a huge group back to main field...I didn't want to, but the latched on. I got a few more guys towards the end and finished in 20th place. This put me back to 13th in GC after moving up on slot after the crit. I was now 3 minutes out of 1st...
Stage IV: Awbrey Butte Circuit Race (4 loops, 63 miles) Sitting in 13th, I had hopes of getting into the top ten and win some cash! I wrote down the 12 guys before me and the time gaps... Didn't need that list after the second lap... The 17 mile loop was a great course. Short punchy climbs, short fast descents, the latter I was good at! After the second time up the 2k climb...I was chasing the field of 20+ riders. Another guy and I were caught in no mans land. We tried to work together, but I couldn't keep pace. I soon, soft pedaled and tried to pee, but couldn't. A group of 8 riders joined me. I stayed with them until the last time up the 2k climb were I was just shelled and they disappeared. I rolled with two Masters after that to the finsh...coming across some 10 minutes down. Dropping me to 23rd GC. Game.
Over.
EDIT: But seriously, this was the kind of weekend that taught me a lot about myself, much like ironmans do. Stage Racing is the Ironman of bike racing. And no, I never expectd this to be easy. I put myself into places on the bike, both mentally and physically, that I have never been before. This can and WILL help me in the long run. I've been looking to get to that palce on the run, so I guess I need to do the Ironman of running...ultras? I don't know, we'll see about that.
What did I learn? I kick ass at decending! I can push faster up false flats than most. On the flat, bike racers have nothing on me. Crits are super fun, if you can get off the front or be in the front. Don't race 404s in crits. Stage racing is fun and will make you strong! I can't climb like Rasmussen. I'm not skinny like Rasmussen. I like beer. I like racing bikes. Did i mention beer?
I will exact my revenge on the hells of stage racing in the future!
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